Claytor Lake

Is Claytor Lake good for swimming?

On the map, Claytor Lake is centered near 37.0373, -80.6593. Releases go downstream into the New River. Impoundment dates back to 1940.

Where there is no marked beach, entry is usually from a boat ramp or an unimproved bank. No named swimming beach is mapped at Claytor Lake in the federal and state datasets this guide reads. Access is through whatever the operating agency provides on the ground, so check with them first.

Check the operating agency for advisories before any water contact, especially for blue-green algae in late summer. Most Virginia day-use areas open for the summer season and close outside it. There is no water temperature sensor here, so only air conditions are shown.

Where an agency publishes a figure, we show it with the time it was taken; here there is none. Water level is missing from this page on purpose: no public feed covers Claytor Lake. The nearest gauge on record, 03170500 (LITTLE RIVER RESERVOIR NEAR RADFORD, VA), sits some 6 miles off and covers other water.

Nearby water includes Little River Reservoir (Virginia, 6 mi), Philpott Lake (Virginia, 39 mi) and Bluestone Lake (West Virginia, 44 mi). In all, 10 lakes in Virginia are covered here.