This area recently opened. It has a gravel parking area (handicapped spot is paved), with concrete…read moresteps leading down to the Ararat river. Two wooden beams down the middle of the steps for boat access.

My fiancé and I had a wonderful time if it would've not rained the whole time we could've been able…read moreto swim.

We stayed at campsite 39 from Sunday to Monday, so we had the place ourselves from Sunday afternoon…read morethrough Monday morning. Well-appointed tent sites w/overlooks through the woods down to the lake w/a picnic table & trash hook, prkg for multiple vehicles , and a fire pit w/room for tents of any size and chairs/hammocks. Easy walk to the restrooms/showers & they have a ranger that makes rounds throughout the day/nite. Super easy drive to the lake for kayak put-in and swimming section. Very clean, safe and a great price!

Good food from Cascade Cafe Friendly service…read moreNice Wifi Interesting things to shop for and look at. Outdoor services available. Fishing, boating etc.

We're from northern VA and to some in other parts of VA, we might as well be from DC. That being…read moresaid, lifestyles vary greatly throughout regions. I called and made reservations through Tangent Outfitters a month ahead of our stay in Pearisburg and when we neared the time of our arrival our plans changed and I called to change dates. In northern VA, we call, we text... maybe I left one too many messages; it's just the way I think the world works- but I could be wrong. Unfortunately, when the day arrived for our kayaking trip, we had immense rain and as city folks, we didn't feel comfortable and called to cancel our reservations, again, maybe that was the one too many calls. Shawn's response was, "ah, I'm over it. If you want to come great; if you don't..." at first I wanted to believe that he was referring to the rain- 'being over" one of the rainiest springs we've experienced in VA, but after some thought, I'm pretty sure he was referring to my calls. Being patient is important, especially in business. The Pearisburg/Pembroke/Blacksburg area is beautiful and we hope to be back soon, but I'm not sure if I'd make another call to Tangent Outfitters.

You can park at the lower or upper access, I recommend parking at the upper if you aren't paddling…read more It is about a two mile walk that doesn't loop. The trail is very sandy in some parts so be prepared for that, I also recommend wearing bug spray. We had a blast walking out onto the rocks. You can also play in the river, bring a picnic or go fishing.

Josh is awesome! Got me into fishing when we deployed together. Extremely knowledgeable when it…read morecomes to fresh water fishing. Expect good conversation and some bass action!! Highly recommend to relax and enjoy the sport

Been out a few times with Josh. His fishing knowledge of the local and surrounding area is second…read moreto none. Always good fishing, always good conversation. A must if you are in the area.

A small park with plenty to do…read more There is a 2 mile pleasant trail by the ranger station. This trail passes by a little stream. Also by the ranger station is a medium sized pond/ lake for fishing, bathrooms, shelters that people can rent out, and grills. The waterfall at Mayo River State Park is a short drive north that shares a border with Virginia. It is a different location but very worth traveling to. Each locations have very small parking lots.

Went here for a guided fishing session and it was amazing! Ranger reynolds was great in showing us…read morehow to fish and introduced me to a great activity. I caught a boue gill and i am awesome! There is so mych more here and i am looking forward to exploring more

My first time fly fishing and could not have asked for a better experience! Matt is an excellent…read moreinstructor and extremely knowledgeable. He put us right where we needed to be every time. I learned so much in one day that I can't wait to put those skills to use again.

From the owner: Guided Fly Fishing Trips on the Smith River in Bassett Virginiaread more

Don't let all my NJ posts fool you. I was born and raised in southwest Virginia and most of my…read morefamily still lives there. Although I am forever grateful that my parents moved us out of the area when we were younger - especially when I get a peek at the local electoral maps - my heart remains in the mountains. Can't say my brains remain here though because it took until today to realize Claytor Lake was 1) a state park and 2) gorgeous and amazing. All these years I just thought it was nowhere special that my cousins would go fishing. And to think I road trip all the way to NH and Maine every year and could have just driven 7 miles from my grandmother's for an equally rewarding experience. I had cabin fever today at my granny's and caught the local Outdoors magazine write up about Claytor Lake. There's camping?? Swimming?? Trails?? I watched a few videos on YouTube then got in the car to see for myself. Need to know: -There's a booth at the entrance - closed after 4pm. $7 parking fee for most paid by the honor system with cash or check or by card through the QR code during after hours. There are 4 campgrounds - I only saw Campground D open and it was overwhelmingly being used by those with RVs, teardrops, and campers. These are NOT wooded lots, rather gravel pull-ins and you'll likely be very close to your neighbor. A lil too close for me but I can see it not being a huge deal since everyone had campers to sleep in. I took a drive through this campground to see if I would feel comfortable and I didn't see any displays that would make me think I wouldn't (you picking up what I'm putting down?) Trails and paved paths galore. I saw one trail today but didn't get to explore much. Apparently the only shoes I packed for this trip were Crocs. Paved paths snake through the park and are accessible for those with mobility devices. The "lake" was created by damming the river. The water is clear by the shore. We love clean river water! Tons of shelters, grills, benches. There is something for everyone! Not sure if shelters are first come first serve or if you need to book them in high season - check the website. There's a gift shop but it was closed. I was bummed because you know I love stickers! I am counting down the days until I can return in the warmer weather. I would not be opposed to camping here or swimming once they reopen the beach for the season. I also look forward to exploring the trails. Fantastic solo outing. What a gem in my little country corner of the world.

I came to this campground after I looked on line to see if I could fish during the night for…read morecatfish. The answer came back that registered campers could but not general public. Park day use areas close down at 10 PM. According to the Internet, they only close these fishing areas at 10 PM for daytime visitors but last registered campers fish all night. At 10PM, we were asked to leave the fishing pier. I mentioned what the Internet said and the ranger seemed baffled and said that it's not true so we had to leave. He did say he would look into it because it was important to him that people had the right info. Problem is, during the summer, in this part of the country, the water gets hot and the fish go deep. Being a bank angler, it's impossible to catch any catfish during the day, they only come shallow at night. The bass fishing is the same. Fishermen and hunters pay for the bulk of what it costs to keep these parks operational yet when we would like to use them, we get the shaft. This quote is from the VA Outdoors Management : A lot of our funding to help conserve wildlife and habitat comes from public spending on things like fishing and hunting licenses, tags, or stamps, boat registrations, and via a federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition. Those sources of financial support have helped us protect hundreds of species and their habitat for over 100 years, but there's always more we can do for Virginia's wildlife. That's where you come in. You too can become a steward of the outdoors by supporting our work or working with us -- whether you hunt, fish, and boat or simply enjoy the outdoors. So, you can see what I'm saying. It is not right or fair that everyone else gets to do what they want but we flip the bill for it. Then our rights keep getting tanked. They put hiking trails and bike trails and beaches for swimming, but keep taking away hunting and fishing rights and they keep raising the prices. Hunters and fishermen are always on the bottom of the list of whom these people cater to. It's not fair or just. At the very least, we should be able to fish when we want especially when that is the only time those fish will bite!!!