When Appalachian Power dammed the New River, the company got a 4,500-acre reservoir stretching 21 miles upstream—named for William Graham Claytor, the Roanoke vice president who oversaw construction. The 472-acre state park sits on that reservoir, giving access to what the dam remade.
A freshwater swimming beach opens Memorial Day through Labor Day. Boat rentals and a public launch put you on the water; a full-service marina handles larger craft. Hiking trails thread through the property. Lakeside cabins and campsites with full hookups face the lake.
The Haven B. Howe House operates as a nature exhibit center, its displays focused on what lives in the reservoir and along its edges now. The National Register added the house in 2008. Come for the beach or the boat launch, stay because 21 miles of reservoir is enough water to disappear into for an afternoon.
- ·472-acre state park on the New River.
- ·Sandy beach with swimming from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
- ·Boat rentals and a public boat launch available.
Memories
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