Tygart Lake State Park Nearby Attractions

Located in Barbour and Upshur County, Audra State Park has been attracting families that enjoy the outdoors since 1948. This park has heavily wooded riverside campgrounds that leave visitors in awe each time they stay.

The Barbour County Historical Museum has a myriad of antique exhibits to pique your interests in the past. The prominent displays date back to 1635, through the Civil War, the early 1900s, up to the modern day. The world-famous Philippi Mummies are also on exhibit here. As an attraction with P.T. Barnum’s Circus in the late 1800s, the mummies were displayed and toured at fairs and shows across North America and even parts of Europe, but they now rest in Philippi.

Cathedral State Park is an ancient hemlock forest of majestic proportions. Along its six miles of hiking trails, you’ll see trees up to 90 feet in height and 21 feet in circumference. The forest is also home to over 170 species of ferns, moss trees, and wildflowers. The combination of ancient hemlocks, rhododendrons, mountain streams and wildlife offers excellent hiking and photography opportunities you won’t forget.

Fort New Salem is a frontier settlement with 19th-century log structures in Harrison County. Settled in 1792 by Seventh Day Baptists from New Jersey, Fort New Salem is a living history outdoor museum showcasing the history, crafts and lifestyles of English, Welsh, Scots-Irish and German farm culture.

Jackson’s Mill, a former grist mill in Lewis County, is the boyhood home of American Civil War General Stonewall Jackson. The mill, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, is now the centerpiece of a state-owned museum property used by West Virginia University’s Extension Service.

The Philippi Covered Bridge, on the Tygart Valley River, is the oldest and longest covered bridge in West Virginia and one of only two remaining in Barbour County. The bridge, used as a barracks by victorious Union troops, was part of a significant Civil War battle and was the first bridge to be captured in the war by either side.

Near Philippi in Barbour and Taylor counties, the Pleasants Creek Wildlife Management Area has wetlands and steeply forested woodlands. Hunters and fishermen flock here for the deer, grouse, rabbit, squirrel, turkey, waterfowl and several trophy fish species.

Perched on a rise overlooking the confluence of Prickett’s Creek and the Monongahela River, this rustic log fort is a re-creation of the original fort of 1774, which served as a refuge from Native American war parties on the western frontier of Colonial Virginia. During the park season, visitors will find blacksmiths, spinners, weavers and other traditional artisans at work. A gun shop features the only public demonstrations of 18th-century firearm manufacturing in West Virginia.

Perfect your swing on this gorgeous green. The Tygart Lake Golf Course is in Grafton, approximately five minutes from Tygart Lake State Park Lodge. The 18-hole course features 6,255 yards of greenery from the longest tees for a par of 72.

Once the site of a lumber and grist mill community, this scenic treasure of Valley Falls State Park is only a short drive from Fairmont and Grafton. The 1,145-acre day-use park hosts a variety of outdoor recreation, including fishing, picnicking, kayaking and 18 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails.

Watters Smith Memorial State Park preserves the heritage of early West Virginia through its pioneered homestead restoration. The park offers guided tours on Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, with a featured authentic log cabin as the main attraction.