Absolutely beautiful
Absolutely breathtaking place. Definitely going back again soon.
Can you Camp here?
Quiet and calm
The lilies were in bloom
Fishing is great year round and water is always clean in appearance which is rare nowadays in public waters. Wildlife is everywhere and I've never seen the camping areas or day area crowded which makes for a great and relaxing day on the water.
When I was 19 years old, way back in 2002, I was headed back alone from a family vacation to Myrtle Beach, and when I needed to stop for food, I hopped off the Pax exit. I didn't venture very far before I discovered this was not an exit I could use for food, but because of the scenery at that exit, I vowed that I would spend more time at a later trip. Fast forward 12 years, I was on my way back form visiting some friends in NC on my motorcycle, and got stuck going through a downpour that started just before I hit Wytheville, VA, and ended right around Beckley, WV. I stopped for food and a fill up, but as my riding gear was still quite waterlogged from the rain, I decided that as I came up to Pax, that I'd go ahead and do some of the exploration that I had decided I'd do 12 years prior while looking for a nice spot to rest and let the gear dry in the sun. During this exploration, I came up to Paint Creek Road, which was beautiful, and incredibly fun to ride, while I was riding on this road, I came up to a sign pointing out fishing, so I figured that might be a good route to follow to find a rest spot. As soon as I came up to the lake, I was surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery that I had ever seen. I rode up to a fishing dock, that was littered with bird droppings, and a bit of trash left by the inconsiderate, and decided that was the spot to hang out. I lost track of time, and ended up sitting by that lake for probably a good 4 hours, just taking in the scenery. During that time, Only about 3 or 4 cars had even driven around the Park Forest Road surrounding one side of the lake. Because of this find, I convinced a group of my friends to select Plum Orchard Lake as the site of our upcoming camping trip. We decided upon the Beech Bottom campground. During the weekend that we went, there was only one other camper there. It was nice not having a crowded campground, and we had probably the most memorable camping trip that I've had yet. I even went fishing for the first time in over 10 years, and caught a smaller smallmouth bass shortly after casting. Unfortunately my dog then wanted to dive in after the bobber every time I cast, and in attempting to keep her on the dock, I somehow snagged the end of my pole, and broke it. I can't wait till we plan our next trip to this lake. It was amazing.
Shooting range available to the public, always some wildlife to look at, never caught a fish out of the lake though, and there are supposedly some big ones in there. Camping spots are nice and clean, toilets are primitive but stocked. I always see deer from the boat or driving around.