The Tygart Lake Area Photo Page

Tygart Lake State Park is located at Grafton off Rt. 50. WV calls it a lodge/resort park. They have a lodge and very nice cabins. The lake is 11 miles long and formed by a dam on the north end. All this was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 30's for flood control. Activities include boating, swimming, hiking and picnicing. We used this park as a home base to visit Prickett's Fort and Valley Falls State Parks. One could easily use it as a base to reach Audra or Cathedral State Parks. Get more info at the Official Tygart Lake web site. Cabin #9 was home for two nights. This was one of the nicest cabins we have used in WV. It was about 50' from where we could park the car, which is about where I am standing, and was very private and quiet. It had everything but a TV and phone. Cabin's lake view This was the view from our cabin. We over looked the lake that was right down the hill a few feet. We had a nice deck from which we could take in the sights. It was nice even in the rain that we had. Indoors As you can see the inside is nicely done. To the left is the back door to the deck. To the right is the two bedrooms and a bath. I am standing in the kitchen. We always have to put in a fire. The wood was stored at our parking area, so I had a long haul to get it to the fireplace. The dam was to our right if we were on our deck. But you couldn't see it from the cabin. We went to the lodge via car and then hiked the mile to the dam on Tygart Dam Trail, what else would ya call the trail. Normally one can tour the dam but it was closed for construction. Prickett's Fort State Park Prickett's Fort is a little over an hour from Tygart Lake. It is on the west side of I79 north of Fairmont. This is a re-creation of the original 1774 fort. The stockade is 100'X100'. This was not a military fort, nor was it permanant. This was the gathering place for settlers when the indians were in the area for hunting. Inside The fort served the area settlers only. As you can see, it is a little tight inside. There are 16 small cabins around the perimeter which may have been home for people for up to 7 weeks. The structure on the right is part of one of two larger stuctures that may have served as a common area. They have people dressed in period costume to tell the story of the area and times. Prickett's House This is the Prickett families second home built in 1859. Things had calmed down some so a more permanant home could be built. The original log home is down the road a piece. There is a nice picnic area on the river too. You can also hike and fish. Admission to the fort was $5 per person. Official Prickett's Fort web site. Valley Falls State Park Valley Falls State Park is on Rt. 310 between Grafton and Fairmont. We passed it going to the fort and then stopped on the way back. Of course it was raining by then. It is a 1,145 acre day use park for hiking, picnicing and fishing. The CSX tracks run through the park if you are a train fan, but I think traffic is very light. More falls We walked Tygart Valley Trail to this spot. Walking on the rocks in the rain was difficult because they were coated with mud. This is the Tygart River by the way. We would like to return to hike when the weather is better and hike some of the 18 miles of trails. Official Valley Falls web site.

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