Lakeside Drive , Gap Mills, WV 24941(Monroe County)

Sweet Springs District, Tax Map 13 parcel 4

MONCOVE LAKE STATE PARK

Moncove Lake State Park offers a peaceful setting for families to enjoy the outdoors. The park is a popular destination for outdoor social gatherings, quiet strolls, camping and water recreation. This 250-acre park contains a larger, 500-acre wildlife management area. Located in the hills of the southeastern edge of the state, near Union in Monroe County, the park offers many opportunities for fishing, hunting, boating, swimming, birdwatching and hiking.

The Moncove Lake area was established in 1960, following the damming of Devil Creek in eastern Monroe County. The lake was built as part of the Moncove Lake Hunting and Fishing Area. In 1991, 250 acres were set aside as a state park. The remainder of the land continues to be managed as a wildlife management area. The park has since been expanded to 896 acres. The park sits on the shores of 144-acre Moncove Lake, and underneath the flyway of the Fall Hawk migration.

Moncove Lake State Parks campground includes 48 tent and trailer sites, 25 of which have electric hookups. There are picnic tables and fire rings with grill surfaces, drinking water, a dump station and a central bathhouse with showers. Firewood is available for purchase upon your arrival. West Virginia State Park campground reservations are available from Memorial Day through Labor Day each year. Campgrounds are open on a first-come, first-serve basis through October 31.

Three picnic shelters are available to reserve, fully equipped with grills and tables. Playgrounds, restroom facilities, and a swimming pool open from Memorial Day to Labor Day will make your gathering complete!

More than 160 species of birds have been seen around Moncove Lake. The area is a birding hot spot due to nearby Peters Mountain and the ridge-and-valley section of the Appalachian Mountains. These ridges act as funnels for birds migrating in the fall and present excellent chances to glimpse birds that are considered rare or unusual for this region. On Peters Mountain during peak days in September, Broad Winged hawks are counted by the hundreds, and migrating hawks of nearly every eastern species and numerous songbirds can be seen throughout the month of September and into October. Witness the annual migration of birds of prey as they travel the eastern flyway passing through Monroe County, WV. Migration typically begins in early September through October, however, late September usually brings the most sightings.

THE SURROUNDING AREA

The charming village of Union, which is the Monroe County seat, is less than a 20 minute drive. Banking, healthcare facilities, drugstore, grocery shopping, farm center, auto parts store and a great family restaurant are readily available. Some of the friendliest people in West Virginia can be found in Monroe County. Monroe County has a population of about 13,000 residents and does not have a stoplight and has more cattle and sheep than people. There are no fast food restaurants but there is the local restaurant, Kalico Kitchen, in downtown Union that is packed each morning for breakfast and then again for lunch.

Lewisburg, which is the Greenbrier County seat, was voted the Coolest Small Town in American in 2011 and is just a 45 minute drive to the thriving downtown historic district. The downtown boasts a year round live theatre, Carnegie Hall, several fabulous restaurants, antique shops and boutiques. There is also a modern hospital and all attendant medical facilities along with all the big box stores.

The Greenbrier County Airport, which has WVs longest runway, is located just 30 minutes away and has daily flights to Atlanta and Washington DC. The world famous Greenbrier Resort is less than an hours drive and Snowshoe Ski Resort is about 2 hours drive. Covington, Virginia is about 50 minutes awan, Roanoke, Virginia, is 90 minutes, DC is 4 hours and Charlotte, North Carolina is 3 hours away.

The Greenbrier resort features an ever-expanding schedule of public events, including the Greenbrier Classic, a nationally televised PGA tournament held in early July. In 2014, the resort recently opened a new $30 million training facility for the New Orleans Saints, and the football teams practice sessions in late July and early August are open to the public. A 2500-seat tennis stadium to host professional matches was opened in 2015.

DIRECTIONS

From Route 3 in Gap Mills, take the Moncove Lake Road aka W. Marion Shiflet Road towards Moncove Lake State Park (total of 6.8 miles).Go past the first Park entrance and then turn left onto Lake Access Road and travel 0.2 mile to Lakeside Drive on the left (just before Cove Mtn. Estates) Take Lakeside Drive, at first curve continue straight and follow signs.