Bluestone Lake Wildlife Management Area

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The 18,019-acre Bluestone Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA) protects bottomland and steep mountainsides along the and some of its minor tributaries in southern West Virginia. The management area is best known as the location of Bluestone Lake, a 1,970-acre impoundment on the New River at its junction with the . The management area is principally forested in oak and hickory, though old farm fields line the bottoms along the river in many areas. Principal game harvested in the management area includes deer, fox, mink, squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, turkey, bobcat, and muskrat. Bluestone Lake is equipped with six carry-down boat ramps located at a marina and at camping and recreation areas along its margins. Bass, panfish, muskellunge, and channel catfish are among the principal fish taken in the lake. The management area adjoins Bluestone State Park on the northwest.

Camping at Bluestone Lake WMA

Eight public camping areas are located in management area and three are located on the lake nearby at Bluestone State Park. Five are located on the lake -- Bertha (55 sites), Bull Falls (20 sites), Cedar Branch (45 sites), Shankins Ferry (80 sites), Mouth of Indian Creek (100 sites). Two are located off the lake along Indian Creek -- Keatley (15 sites) and Indian Creek (15 sites). The Bluestone State Park Campground includes a full bathhouse, while all others include toilets only. Hunting is prohibited in camping areas and within Bluestone State Park.

Directions: The Bluestone Lake Wildlife Management Area is located in southern Summers County adjacent to Mercer County, on the west, and Monroe County, on the east. Principal towns near the management area include , on the north end of the lake, and , near the south end.

Bluestone Lake WMA is managed by the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was formerly known as the Bluestone Lake Public Hunting & Fishing Area.

Hotels near Bluestone Lake WMA


Regional Information

Hinton is located in the New River Gorge Region in southern West Virginia at its junction with the Bluestone Region and Greenbrier Valley Region.