Most Virginia lakes look the same: tea-coloured water, sandy shorelines packed with families, and busy resort docks. Lake Moomaw, tucked between Bath and Alleghany counties in the western part of the state, breaks the pattern entirely. Its water is a striking blue-green with unusually deep clarity, ringed by 43 miles of largely undeveloped shoreline that looks more like a remote corner of the Appalachians than a summer lake resort. The explanation is geological — this was once a canyon river before it was dammed — and the result reads almost tropical in photos.
Don't come expecting much in the way of shops. The nearest town, Hot Springs, sits about 15 miles east and has only basic amenities, while Roanoke and Charlottesville, each roughly 100 miles away, are the closest cities with commercial airports. That isolation is the point. The western shore comes within five miles of the West Virginia border, and it stays quiet even in high season.
For anglers, the lake has a genuine claim to fame: it's the only recognised two-story fishery in Virginia, deep enough to support both warm-water and cold-water fishing in the same body of water. Natural smallmouth and rock bass from the old Jackson River share the lake with stocked largemouth bass, channel catfish and redear sunfish, but the trout are the headline act. There's a two-trout daily limit, yet no trout licence or National Forest Stamp is needed. Boaters get a free hand too — no motor restrictions, unlike nearby Douthat Lake in the state park. Bolar Flat Marina is the most popular launch point, with a fishing pier handy, while Coles Point Day Use Area rents kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and floating docks beside a popular swimming shore.
If you'd rather sleep outdoors than at a spa, there's a spread of campgrounds from sites with electric hookups and showers to bare-bones primitive spots. Bolar Mountain Recreation Area combines swimming access with campsites and trails, including the Bolar Loop Trail — a moderately challenging 2.7-mile hike with about 600 feet of elevation gain that pays off with two overlooks onto the wooded islands scattered across the lake's centre.
The wildcard here is what's just down the road. The Hot Springs area is known for natural springs, most famously the Warm Springs Pools, often called America's Oldest Spa and now part of the Omni Homestead Resort. You don't need to be a hotel guest to book a soak, and the region's farm-to-table food scene makes a good excuse to linger after a few days of camping.
Why it matters: Lake Moomaw suits travellers who want a proper outdoors trip without fighting for water space — anglers chasing trout in an unusual two-story fishery, boaters tired of horsepower rules, and anyone after clear water and dark, quiet evenings. It pairs naturally with a splurge night at the Hot Springs spas, so you can combine roughing it with a long soak. For a low-key week in the Alleghenies, it's a strong alternative to the crowded big-name lakes.