tygart lake state park

I rented a cabin for a long weekend in late spring and had the most relaxing vacation ever. The kitchen was nicely equipped and the bed was comfortable. As the temperature outside was rather chilly, I was able to use the fireplace (ample firewood was provided). I met friends at the lodge for dinner and the food was really tasty. I highly recommend this as a get away for anyone who just needs a break. Grafton is a nice little town with friendly people and an interesting downtown that is being revived to its railroad roots.

My first encounter at Tygart Lodge was with the front desk staff who informed me I owed $112?The way the comment was delivered was comical, I told him my name and the first thing he said as he looked up was “you owe us $112”, my response was “ok, I can take care of that now”. The clerk did not look up again until he said, “you need to be out by Sunday cause your room is rented by someone else”I said ok as our plan was to check out on Sunday..?The clerk only gave us one key (clearly labeled cabin 10, so if lost some one would be able to let themselves in the room and remove all our luggage and items at their leisure, very convenient) I asked for a second key as there would be two of us in the room and was told a second key would not be possible. I said we could manage with one key so then left the desk and proceeded to the room. When I opening the door a bunch of small critters and insects scurried under the bed, on further investigation I found cockroaches, stink bugs and an array of other miscellaneous creatures living in the room.I tried calling the desk with no answer (about ten times) then finally went back to tell them of the menagerie we had experienced. The desk was not helpful (big surprise) and offered no alternative so I let it go.We ventured out and hit the lake which was beautiful. When we returned to the room I tried turning the TV on just for back ground noise as we got ready to go to our event, the TV did not work.I went back to the front desk to mention this and big surprise the clerks response was “bummer”….can you believe that response…”bummer”…I just laughed and went back to the room as the TV was not a focus of ours and the fact it did not work did not really matter.(by the way the TV was not fixed for the entire three days we stayed there) After returning from our event that night we tried getting bottled water from the bar.We almost got a bottle from the bar staff when another employee intervened and said the water was only for bar patrons and they directed me to a vending machine.It was REALLY comical at this point and I went to the machine and actually was able to get a bottle of water, incidentally, the vending machine worked!Thank goodness we had events planned the entire time at Tygart lodge so did not have to endure the dilapidated room or ridiculously unresponsive and preoccupied staff. On checking out the same clerk who I have been dealing with asked how my stay had been?I just smiled and told him that apart from the TV not working, the room being infested with critters and the staff being rude and unresponsive the stay was just great!The clerk just looked confused and told me to have a nice rest of the day. Oh….he then asked me where the second key was…..I AM BEING SERIOUS!!I let him know that when he checked me in two days prior he had said only one was available.The clerk let me know I would be charged for a second key, at that point I just walked away and we left the Tygart Lodge…….for good.I will tell you the area is beautiful and the lake itself is amazing. The actual locals are very nice and apart from the horrible Lodge staff and broken down hotel out stay was not that bad. There is nothing else in the area so they do have monopoly on visitors but ….. DO NOT STAY AT THIS PLACE!!!!.......

Difficult walk down stairs and up for the beach.no toilet on beach area, again have to walk the stairs with no hand rails.water is great, clean and deep for swimming. sand beach is a nice improvement.life gaurds are attentive and pleasant.good price.800 #, park, swim area all stated different schedules.

Tygart Lake is very pretty, with water that reminds me of the green/jade waters of Niagara. I went there with some family members for a quick weekend getaway. We rented a cabin, which was very nicely furnished--the kitchen was well equipped with pots and pans that were a better quality than you might expect. Coffee cups are the regular small size. If you like a mug, bring mugs. Also, not a bad idea to bring some dish soap. It was provided, but there was not much in the bottle. The cabin was clean and neat...not fancy, no TV (this is camp, people). There was no air conditioning and we were advised to bring a fan, which made it comfortable. The beds were comfortable. The shower was adequate, with modest water pressure. Very limited cell service available.The park is really geared toward people who want to boat. There is a very small swimming area. There are many steps to get down to the beach area--for those who may have mobility issues, staff will open the drive down to the beach. We were somewhat interested in renting kayaks, but there is a very limited supply (4-5) and only two were still available. Kayak rental is at the beach house, which is open 11-6. When we were there, the sign stated that the beach was closed on Monday & Tuesday. The park would be fun if you had a large family group which entertained itself, but there are not too many activities (other than bringing you boat to the lake). We did walk the Dam Trail, which was a bit disappointing. It was not very well maintained and there was a good bit of litter along the way. The dam itself is an interesting sight. Just a short distance past the park's lodge, the Army Corps of Engineers has a nice welcome center with interpretative materials about the history of the dam, its purpose, and the local fauna. We scoped out the camp sites and decided the site #27 was most desirable. There is only one other site close by. The sites at the end of the loop were pretty close together and the ones set back in the woods had little runs beside them, which meant significant bugs.

Tygart Dam: One of the largest poured concrete structures east of the Misissippi. Built for flood control on the Pittsburgh / WV portion of the Ohio river confluence. This is a must see and they still offer tours.Lodge/cabins/camping: A small 20 room lodge overlooking the lake is beautiful and rustic. Recent addition of The Boston Beanery Bar and Rest. has brought an influx of locals. I dare say they have done more business in the last couple years than the previous 20 years combined. Good eats and the owners are Grafton natives.There are cabins for rent and a small camping area located farther back towards the end of the state park area. If you love hiking there are several trails.Swimming: They only allow swimming off of boats and not off of shore. Have no idea why. Guess safety issues. However, a new and improved swimming area is to open soon. Still think that at a state park, with a huge lake, you should be able to swim without owning a boat or paying. That's just my opinion. Marina /boating: Large full service marina. One of the best boating lakes in the state. From pontoons to row boats you'll see them all. Plenty of coves to throw anchor and relax. You can even pull up to the dock at the lodge, call the Beanery and they'll run you down a pizza.

Tygart Lake like most West Virginia lakes is impounded water that serves natives and visitors with many recreational needs.Tygart Lake is not a heavily visited area, and offers abundant hiking, snow sports, fishing, boating and camping.Several older cabins are for rent, and the lodge is sometimes open for dining.

Tygart is one of the most clean and clear lakes I have visited. My husband and I take our kayakes and spend the day on the lake. It can get quite busy on the weekends. We have hiked a few of the trails around the park as well and they are good. Love to visit whenever possible.

I love to get away for a few hours to hike & spend some alone time. I've been here twice in the fall & have had that experience both times.

In my experience, this lake is not affected by rains and run-off like other lakes and rivers in the area. You won't find the brown mucky water as you do elsewhere after a rain. Beautiful water and lovely coves! The negatives are that you can not swim in the lake except from a boat. In fact they suggest that lodge guests swim in the downtown pool. We have a boat, so that is not an issue, however, they do not have available dock space. A few years ago, we were able to tie up to a buoy, being ferried back and forth to the shore, but the availability was temporary and a bit of a pain. Also, there is no camping on the banks of the lake and unless you are very crafty, the DNR will catch you.

When you want to go boating, I recommend Tygart Lake! We have docked our boat on this lake for over 10 years and enjoy spending weekends on the water. This lake is deep and clean!~Do visit!

I guess people do boat here, but the day we went as a family it was very quiet. We found lots of short, easy hiking trails and really enjoyed a nice hiking day together.

Nice place to stay in Grafton, WV. Lodge and cabins are nice. It is a good place to find quiet. Awesome porch on Cabins to watch the birds.

Of all the lakes I've visited, none has had bluer water nor more beautiful scenery than Tygart Lake. I grew up frequenting this lake and it is wonderful for boating, skiing, jet skiing, canoeing, kayaking or even just swimming from the bank. Two thumbs up. Way up!!

Everywhere we have gone around this area of West Virginia there are signs for Tygart Lake. It is "on the map". So, we thought we'd check it out as a Sunday afternoon picnic. The winding roads of West Virginia are always a treat if one is not in a hurry to get there! We found it easily as signs were clearly marking the way (unlike other WV experiences). The State Park surrounds the north side of the lake and the roads wind through the forest and not along the lake. Actually it is difficult to see the lake from any point but the marinas. There are plenty of nice picnic areas, but none by the lake. We wanted "waterfront property", so we ended up sitting on some benches along the Tygart Dam Trail. For the two of us, it was okay to sit on a bench and not a picnic table, but wouldn't recommend it for children as the drop off to the lake is steep along the path. The dam is part of the history of the area as it was a "New Deal" construction in the 1930's. The lake is very beautiful once you get to see it. We were also disappointed that we could not swim. The swimming area is closed as they are replacing the concrete entrance to the lake with sand. Didn't look like much was being done so no swimming this year. We ended up sitting on rocks by the marina and watched the boats and water skiers. A beautiful place to go, but don't expect to be by or on the water unless you're in a boat!

i reserved a room and im so glad i drove by to look at cabin #5 it was not what they had on there website, and i did not stay there,