Kayaking Hawks Nest Lake, West Virginia

This is the fifth video in a series I'm making on great places for flat water kayaking in West Virginia. Today I'm at Hawks Nest Lake on the New River, and I highly recommend this one for anyone who likes calm, peaceful places to get out on the water and relax.
Here's a link for more info: www.wvdnr.gov/f...

[@bohurley690]

Thank you for taking the time and making this.

[@WildWonderfulWeekends]

Thanks Bo! I'm looking forward to getting out on the water when the weather warms up a little bit.

[@benthekayaker]

Thanks for the videos. Very helpful. Awesome job!

[@WildWonderfulWeekends]

Thanks for the great feedback, Ben!

[@MoBCommunity]

Great video! Lots of good info and well edited!

[@WildWonderfulWeekends]

Thank you, my friend! Much appreciated.

[@Sew_Country]

Great directions and the lake looks peaceful!

[@WildWonderfulWeekends]

Thanks!!

[@groovymoon]

We are going to Oak Hill WVa for labor day and your vids have been a really great resource.

[@WildWonderfulWeekends]

Thanks for that great feedback, my friend! It means a lot. I hope you have a great time in Oak Hill!

[@g5photographyoutdoors763]

Great video!!! Looks so peaceful out there!!!

[@WildWonderfulWeekends]

It really was. It's such a great place to paddle and just take in scenery.

[@rpaul8255]

Great video look forward to trying this secret place Thank you

[@WildWonderfulWeekends]

Thanks for the great feedback! I'm sure you'll enjoy kayaking here.

[@davidwhite1465]

I thought your video was great! I had no idea you could take kayaks there so easily. Great directions. :)

[@WildWonderfulWeekends]

Thanks David! I'm really glad you liked it. Let me know what you think if you check this area out. I believe you will like it.

[@1sparkbuster]

Nice video! Did you notice the falls of Mill Creek on your way back up the mountain? Or the white horse thats painted on a boulder along the road (it's been there for at least 45 years, someone touches it up occasionally when the paint starts to fade)? A couple things I might add, the tramway has been closed and disassembled as of summer 22. The place you put your kayak in has a gated road that goes on downriver towards the dam. There are permanent, rentable tents along the riverbank. (Probably 6-8 of them). The dam is the site of one of the worst industrial disasters in history, the Hawks Nest tunnel. Hundreds of workers died from exposure to silica there in the 30s i think. There is a nice walk trail that starts directly behind the boat rental building that follows along Mill Creek back up to the town of Ansted. (Opposite side of the creek from the road you drive down on) I'm from Fayetteville and I ride my bike down there often. I go in at the Cotton Hill Bridge (route 16) and ride upriver alongside the dam. I used to ginseng around there in the 80s, long before it was a tourist destination and national park. Thanks for sharing!

[@WildWonderfulWeekends]

Man, that's a lot of great information!! Ya know, after I posted this video... maybe a month after... I watched a documentary on the Hawks Nest tunnel. They showed how people were so impoverished and in need of work/money, they were lined up outside the tunnel. When a worker would collapse or get inured they would just get one of the folks from the line to take their place. Thanks for watching and thanks for the great info. If you see me out on the water or the trails be sure and give me a shout. Take care!

[@WildWonderfulWeekends]

Oh, and did not see the white horse! I'll pay more attention next time I'm there, I would like to see it.

[@1sparkbuster]

@@WildWonderfulWeekends i guess it's impossible to know how many poor ol boys died in that tunnel since most were immigrants. You may already know this but along route 19 (the left side going into Summersville) right before you cross the bridge over the lake is a road called Whippoorwill Road. There is a memorial there for those you died and a bunch of graves where the ones who had no family were buried (paupers field)

[@WildWonderfulWeekends]

@@1sparkbuster Ya know, I've heard about that but never been. I will go check it out this spring. That would be an interesting stop.

[@bushidocode4773]

Anybody know how’s the bass fishing here?