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Tygart Lake State Park in northern West Virginia makes a great weekend getaway for dogs, hikers, and anyone who enjoys being on the water. Located about two hours south of Pittsburgh and an hour from Morgantown, the park combines a scenic mountain lake with hiking trails, a lodge, cabins, camping, and even an inflatable waterpark.
We spent a weekend at the lodge with our dogs, Franklin and Hazel, exploring the trails, checking out the lake, and eating our way through the lodge restaurant.
Here’s what we found at Tygart Lake State Park — including what we liked, what we’d do differently, and why we’d happily go back.
About Tygart Lake State Park
Tygart Lake State Park in West Virginia is about 2 hours south of Pittsburgh and just 1 hour outside of Morgantown.
Tygart Lake was created by a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam built in 1938 to control nearby rivers and creeks. It is known as one of the clearest and deepest lakes in West Virginia!
People enjoyed the lake so much back then that one of the first campgrounds in the state was established here in 1953.
Soon after, cabins and a lodge were built to accommodate even more guests looking for a scenic mountain getaway.
Visitors now enjoy boating, fishing, and swimming on the lake, plus hiking, biking, and golfing in the surrounding park.
The more daring can try out Tygart Adventure Lake, an inflatable waterpark right on the water!
You can also stop at the Nature Center attached to the Park Office to talk with a naturalist and look at examples of local wildlife (alive and stuffed!).
Accommodations at Tygart Lake
Tygart Lake State Park offers several options for an overnight stay, including a campground, cabins, and a 20-room lodge.
The campground has both electric and non-electric sites plus a bathhouse with showers, while the park’s cabins sleep two to six people and include pet-friendly options.
We also scoped out the cabin area during our visit and made mental notes of cabins 6 and 10 for a possible future stay.
We opted for the lodge because it gave us a comfortable home base for exploring the park with Franklin and Hazel. The lodge has lounging areas inside and outside, as well as a full-service restaurant, deck overlooking the lake, and a gift shop.
On the map, the lodge is starred on the left, while the campground and cabin area is starred on the right:
Our Lodge Room
We were assigned Room 15, which had two queen beds, a private bathroom, a microwave, and a small refrigerator.
The room was clean and comfortable, and with two dogs and a pile of hiking shoes, I was particularly happy that the floor wasn’t carpeted.
Unfortunately, room 15 does not have a deck like all the other rooms.
We just had an open grassy area, and we were missing a lawn chair. Womp womp.
But who cares?! The slider makes it easy to take dogs outside, and the lodge is really quiet at night. The beds are comfortable, and the showers have great water pressure (always important!).
Eating at the Lodge Restaurant
One of the nicest things about staying at the lodge was having a restaurant right downstairs. The Lodge Restaurant overlooks Tygart Lake and offers a full-service dining option without having to get back in the car after a day of hiking.
While the Lodge Restaurant is not pet-friendly (duh!), you can order to-go and sit on the patio right next door with your furry friends. There is also a hightop table on the deck of the stairs down to the lake and a large table inside the gazebo.
And the food was really good.
We weren’t expecting anything fancy from a state park restaurant, but our meals were much better than the typical “park food” we’d anticipated. It was convenient, reasonably priced, and exactly what we wanted after spending the day outside.
I enjoyed the steak quesadillas and toasted walnut and cranberry salad, while Russ gobbled up the hot roast beef sandwich and shoreside burger during our stay. He also liked the buttermilk pancakes and french toast for breakfast.
Franklin and Hazel give high marks to the roast beef, which they enjoyed as a topper later.
The patio was also a great spot to relax. Being able to grab dinner, sit outside with the dogs, and look out over the lake without having to leave the park was a definite bonus.
Dog tip: If you’re visiting Tygart Lake with your dog, ask about takeout and outdoor seating. It’s an easy way to enjoy a meal at the lodge without leaving your four-legged travel companion behind.
As an added bonus, the wait and kitchen staff were super pleasant and helpful. One waitress kindly served our dinner by passing it over to the patio. The kitchen staff had a bench near our room door, and they were outgoing and friendly with Franklin and Hazel.
Would We Eat Here Again?
Absolutely. The combination of convenience, good food, and the lake view made The Lodge Restaurant one of our favorite amenities at Tygart Lake State Park.
Things to Do at Tygart Lake State Park
Enjoy the Lake
If you have a boat and want to take advantage of Tygart Lake’s deep (up to 130 feet!) and clear waters, there are boat ramps and free parking open to the public.
The Tygart Lake Marina offers boat rentals and boat slips- and there’s a small concession stand right on the docks.
Tygart Lake is especially popular with boaters and anglers. The lake is home to largemouth bass, walleye, channel catfish, and muskellunge, among other species.
There’s also a sandy beach area for swimming, making this a cool destination during warm months.
Tygart Adventure Lake
And even if you don’t plan to launch yourself from the top of the highest inflatable, you will want to at least go look at Tygart Adventure Lake!
If you’re visiting with kids — or you’re simply a big kid yourself — Tygart Adventure Lake is a fantastic attraction.
The seasonal waterpark features 25 giant inflatables on the lake, along with a sandy beach and lounge chairs. It’s a very different experience from simply swimming in the lake and gives the park a little extra summer excitement.
We didn’t spend time at Adventure Lake during our visit, but it’s definitely worth considering if you’re planning a summer trip and want to mix some hiking with time on the water.
While dogs can’t romp in the inflatable park, they can find plenty of places around the lake to take a dip, too!
Tygart Lake State Park Hiking and Wildlife
Of course, hiking was the main reason we were interested in Tygart Lake. The park has six designated hiking trails ranging from a short half-mile walk to a two-mile loop, with several trails passing through wooded areas where you’re likely to see wildlife.
And that’s where we spent most of our time.
Since we were staying in the lodge, we opted to do the trails near us the day we arrived. The next day, we tackled the trails in the center of the park. And finally, on the day we left, we went to the area near the cabins to complete our last trail.
Here’s an outline of our hikes, shown in green:
Tygart Dam Trail and Dogwood Trail
Near the lodge, you can start with the Tygart Dam Trail, a 0.75-mile trail that follows near the lakeshore before ending at Tygart Dam.
The trail has a few hills but is a relatively easy way to get out and see the lake and dam.
Once you reach the dam, you can follow the road back toward the lodge. Along the way, you’ll find the start of Dogwood Trail.
Dogwood Trail is a two-mile, moderate trail that climbs to a higher elevation above the lodge, follows a ridge, and eventually descends back toward the park road near the dam.
The combination of the Dam Trail and Dogwood Trail makes for a nice longer hike if you’re looking for more than a quick stroll around the lodge.
Lake Trail and Ridge Trail
In the middle of the park, you can combine Lake Trail and Ridge Trail for another outing.
You can park at the Park Office and Nature Center, and head right behind Pavilion 1 to find 1/2 mile long Lake Trail along a small stream.
At the end of Lake Trail, you can cross the street to find a short connector trail leading up to 3/4 mile long Ridge Trail.
Ridge Trail is an out and back, so you can choose to go left or right, depending on how far you’d like to go.
Ridge Trail travels through several types of forest. The park specifically notes that it’s a good place to look for wildlife, although there are some steep hills.
Part of Ridge Trail has interpretive signs identifying different types of trees. Hazel stopped long enough to pose next to this shredded and thoroughly busted one:
School Bus Loop
Finally, we headed to the eastern end of the park near the campground and cabins to hike the School Bus Loop.
Why the name, you ask?
Because there’s an actual school bus that was converted into a shelter but is now just an old fenced in school bus right along the trail!
The bus dates to approximately 1940–1945 and is one of several remnants of the area’s history you’ll encounter along the two-mile loop. The trail also passes old farmhouse foundations and a rock cliff overhang.
And even though we didn’t see any slithery friends, the bus shared a dire warning:
Fair enough!
The School Bus Loop is currently classified as a moderate/intermediate trail, and it’s also the park’s mountain-bike trail, with features including stream crossings, hill climbs, rock gardens, banked turns, and downhill sections.
For us, though, it was a fun hike with a pretty unusual destination.
What We Thought of the Hiking
Overall, we enjoyed the hiking at Tygart Lake State Park. The trails aren’t long-distance backpacking trails, but they provide enough variety to fill a weekend, especially when you combine several of them.
For a dog-friendly weekend, the trails were a good fit. Franklin and Hazel had plenty to sniff and explore with enough variety that we didn’t feel like we were walking the same trail over and over.
If you’re looking for a destination where hiking is just one part of the trip — rather than the entire reason for visiting — Tygart Lake strikes a nice balance between trails, lake activities, and relaxing at the lodge.
Wildlife at Tygart Lake State Park
While visiting Tygart Lake State Park, you can expect to see the usual deer and groundhogs. Ridge Trail is specifically noted as a good trail for spotting animals.
If you’ll be fishing in Tygart Lake, expect to find variety including walleye, perch, bullhead catfish, carp, and panfish. You can view the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources fishing map here.
When you are out and about at Tygart, listen for birds. Tygart Lake is known for sightings of bald eagles and red-tailed hawks, and the park’s naturalist programs regularly focus on the area’s birds and other native wildlife.
We didn’t have any particularly dramatic wildlife encounters during our weekend, but that’s part of the fun of hiking — you never know what you’re going to see!
Along the trails, we saw many small toads.
And of course, we found a few interesting mushrooms…
If you’re interested in learning more about the wildlife around Tygart Lake, stop by the small Nature Center at the Park Office. It has exhibits covering local wildlife, natural history, and cultural heritage, and the park offers naturalist-led programs and guided hikes throughout the year.
PIT STOP! The Gourmet Express
If you’re willing to venture outside the park for a meal, there’s a little local restaurant in Grafton that caught our attention: Gourmet Express.
It’s only a few miles from Tygart Lake State Park, making it an easy stop when you’re coming into or leaving the park. We stopped here during our weekend and were pleasantly surprised by the food.
Gourmet Express has more of a casual, local-restaurant feel than a typical chain, with a menu that goes well beyond the usual burgers and sandwiches. We were glad we made the stop.
For us, this was exactly the kind of place that makes a road trip more fun. We weren’t looking for a fancy destination restaurant — just somewhere local with good food that we wouldn’t have found at home.
We enjoyed two delicious grilled chicken salads right on the front porch while the dogs relaxed beside us.
The salads were fresh and delicious, and the dressing was very ranchy 🙂 The waitress even filled up our dogs’ water bowl.
If you’re staying at Tygart Lake for a few days and want to get out of the park for a meal, Gourmet Express is worth considering. It’s close enough that you don’t have to turn your dinner into an expedition.
Road Trip Tails tip: Grafton has several restaurants within a few miles of the park, so you have options if you want a break from cooking or eating at the lodge.
The Last Word
Tygart Lake State Park is a little remote, but we thought it was well worth the weekend trip.
If boating, fishing, swimming, and waterpark adventures are your thing, there’s plenty to keep you busy. The hiking won’t fill an entire week, but there are enough trails to give you several good walks — especially if you’re traveling with dogs and want to mix hiking with some time relaxing around the lake.
For us, the lodge was a big part of the appeal. Having a comfortable place to stay, a restaurant downstairs, and easy access to the trails made it a convenient home base for exploring the park with Franklin and Hazel. The fact that we could order dinner to go and eat outside with the dogs was an especially nice bonus.
Would we go back?
Absolutely!
I’m still keeping cabins 6 and 10 in the back of my mind for a future visit with a little romp at Tygart Adventure Lake. We also didn’t take advantage of all the boating and water activities, so there’s plenty of reasons to come back.
One thing we definitely want to mention is the staff at West Virginia State Parks. Everyone we encountered was pleasant and helpful — from making reservations and asking questions to checking in and out and simply passing people around the park. They made our weekend even better!
For a dog-friendly weekend getaway that combines hiking, a beautiful lake, comfortable lodging, and plenty of opportunities to relax, Tygart Lake State Park gets a big thumbs-up from us.
