Editors' picks across 8categories — the dock with the deepest channel, the winery with the view, the restaurant with the right wine list, the trail nobody's on at sunrise.
The waterfront restaurant at Rockhouse Marina — wings, pizza, burgers, barbecue, and seafood specials, with live music as part of the draw.
Visit ↗A classic Southern-cooking cafe a mile from Claytor Lake State Park — early breakfast and lunch most days, dinner a few evenings a week, and a long Saturday run through the afternoon.
A full-service marina run by Mountain 2 Island — new boat sales, boat rentals, marine repairs, and the on-site Dockside Grill.
Visit ↗The park's own marina — a free launch ramp for overnight guests, boat slip rentals March through October, gasoline, fishing supplies and licenses, and a gift shop. Two overnight dock rentals sit at A Dock beside the launch ramp.
Visit ↗A rental outfit covering pontoons, ski boats, a jet ski, kayaks, canoes, and a pedal boat.
A state park on the lake's north shore, just above Radford, opened around the lake in 1949 and under state management since 1951 — a clean sandy beach with a bathhouse and concession stand (peak season through Labor Day), a universally accessible fishing pier, bike rentals, picnic shelters, and playgrounds.
Visit ↗Formed in 1939 when Appalachian Power Company dammed the New River, providing both electricity and flood control — named for Graham Claytor, a native Virginian and former American Electric Power vice-president.