Watoga State Park

Make your visit in Pocahontas County memorable as you spend the night in an original CCC built log cabin in West Virginia’s largest State Park. Located just 14 miles south of Marlinton, the 10,100 acre park offers 10 modern cabins with heat and air conditioning open year-round. There are also 24 standard cabins open the last weekend in April through October. Step back in time, relax, enjoy some family time.

The camping at Watoga is unsurpassed anywhere. Beaver Creek Campground has 12 of 38 sites with electrical hook-ups and Riverside has 38 of 50 sites with electric. If you lean more to the simple pleasures of camping, then you’ll enjoy Laurel Run. The Park also has two sites for trailer camping.  No matter which campground you choose – peace and tranquility are plentiful.

The park is home to the Watoga CCC Museum.  Throughout the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built office headquarters and cabins in Watoga and other state park facilities. Today the park continues to preserve the use of many of the original structures including Watoga Lake (first known as Lake Killbuck in 1935), cabins, park administration building and countless miles of trails and roads.  Most of timber used in the construction program were salvaged blight-killed American Chestnut.

The park does also feature a public pool, lake, and shelters for picnics, as well as hard to beat hiking trail system for a wide range of styles highlighted below.

Watoga State Park Trail System – varied difficulty – Day Hiking 

  • Arrowhead Trail  – moderately difficult out and back trail, 1.8 miles long with an 849 foot elevation change and campsites available. 
  • Ann Bailey & Arrowhead Trail – moderately difficult out and back trail approximately 8.3 miles taking and average of four hours to complete and popular for mountain biking as well
  • Fred E. Brooks Memorial Arboretum Loop – 4.4 mile loop trail averaging two to five hours and moderately difficult to complete. Popular for running as well.  
  • Bear Pen Run to Buck and Doe Trail – 5.6 mile loop forest trail with an 869 foot elevation change averaging 2.5 hours to complete with moderate difficulty
  • Pine Run, Ten Acre & Honeymoon Trail loop – this 2.9 mile forest loop with a 541 foot elevation change takes about 1.5 hours to complete, great for trail running.