Douthat State Park

Updated on Dec 21, 2023

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Nearest city Millboro, Virginia NRHP Reference # 86002183 Phone +1 540-862-8100 Added to NRHP 20 September 1986		Architectural style Log cabin style Area 18.18 km² Year built 1933

Location Bath / Alleghany counties, Virginia, USA Nearest city Clifton Forge, Virginia Governing body Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Address 14239 Douthat State Park Rd, Millboro, VA 24460, USA Similar Bolar Mountain Campgro, The Omni Homestead Resort, Buckhorne Country Store and, George Washingt and Jeffer, Watoga State Park

Fishing at douthat state park

Douthat State Park is a state park located in the Allegheny Mountains in Virginia. It is in Bath County and Alleghany County. The park is 4,546 acres (18 km²) total with a 50-acre (20 ha) lake.

Douthat state park

HistoryEdit

Douthat State Park opened June 15, 1936. It was one of the original six state parks of Virginia. The Douthat Land Company, a group of businessmen, donated the first portion of land — 1,920 acres (780 ha). In 1933, the Virginia General Assembly allotted $50,000 for the purchase of land for state parks, and the remainder of the present-day park was purchased with this money. Approximately 600 men from the Civilian Conservation Corps developed and constructed the majority of the modern-day park system between 1933 and 1942.

AttractionsEdit

Mountain biking: Douthat State Park has become a premier mountain biking destination. Twenty-four of the twenty-six trails at Douthat are open to biking. The park has been heralded as the best mountain biking destination on the East Coast. By spring 2009, almost all of the 45 miles of 70-year-old Civilian Conservation Corps trail at Douthat will be restored to its original condition with sustainable trail design techniques integrated to maintain a unique mountain biking experience.

Fishing: Douthat allows trout fishing in its stocked lake with a valid Virginia Fishing License and a daily permit.

Boating: A boat ramp launch is available April through October. Jonboats (including those with electric motors), canoes, paddleboats, hydrocycle and funyaks (similar to kayaks) are available for rental. No gasoline-powered boats are allowed on the lake.

Hiking: Over 43 miles (69 km) of varied difficulty trails are available, many of them created originally by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Horseback riding at the park is restricted to several trails on the Western side of the park and mountain biking is permitted on nearly all of the trails.

Swimming: The beach area of the lake is available from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Restaurant/store: Douthat Lake View Restaurant was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and overlooks the lake. Next to the restaurant are a camp store and a gift shop.

Picnicking: There are three picnic areas with shelters that can be reserved for a group.

Hunting: Hunting is allowed by reservation with the appropriate permits.

LodgingEdit

Douthat has lodges, cabins, and campgrounds for rental. Douthat Lodge was built by the CCC and is a log building that houses up to 15 guests, while Creasey Lodge is woodframe and holds up to 18 guests.There is a new Lodge called Beards Mountain Lodge that was completed in October 2010 and can sleep up to 16 people. Douthat has 32 total cabins, which vary in size and can hold 1–8 people.

There are two campgrounds, Lakeside and Whiteoak. Whiteoak campground has 31 sites with water and electric at each site and also houses its own dumpstation and bathouse. Lakeside campground has 17 standard campsites. There is no water/electric hookups at the sites however there is a bathouse and dumpstation. Also, there are no generators permitted in the park

Awards and recognitionsEdit

1986 – Douthat recognized as a national historic district

1998 – Virginia Lakes and Watersheds Association Award for Best Operated and Maintained Dam

1999 – Centennial Medallion from the American Society of Landscape Architects

1999 – Named one of Outside Family Vacation Guide's top ten state parks

References

Douthat State Park Wikipedia

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