R.d. Bailey Lake Group Shelters

Choose from three day-use picnic shelters at R.D. Bailey Lake, a scenic reservoir with views of the surrounding tree-topped mountains. Each shelter has a playground, flush toilets, drinking water and plenty of grassy space for sports, and all three are near excellent shore fishing areas. The lake is best known for boating and fishing for largemouth, smallmouth and striped bass and channel catfish, and small game such as rabbits and turkey can be hunted in season. Big Branch is close to the headwaters of the lake. It has the most space of the three, with substantial room for extra cars and enough tables to seat 100 guests. Horseshoe pits, basketball and volleyball courts, and the largest, newest playground can be found here, and the site has two grills and electric hookups. Guyandotte Point sits at the lake's headwaters, just a quarter mile past the Big Branch Recreation Area. This is the best location for those who plan to go boating, as it's the only location with a boat ramp. Electric hookups and a large charcoal grill are onsite. The Visitor Center Shelter is nearly 400 feet above the dam, offering spectacular views of the glistening lake. It sits by the Visitor Center, which has exhibits, educational programs, dam and intake structure tours and an observation deck with viewing telescopes, and is at the trailhead of two popular hiking trails and the Below Dam Fisherman's Access. Horseshoe pits are by the shelter; no electric hookups are available. The shelters are on the Guyandotte River in West Virginia, about three miles east of the town of Justice. The R.D. Bailey Dam reaches 310 feet high, and the lake's surface area in summer is 630 acres. This region of the Appalachian Mountains boasts an abundance of oak, hickory and beech trees.