Natural beauty, recreational options, historical sites and craft shops all abound in southwest Virginia’s Alleghany Highlands.  When Douthat State Park, just seven miles north of Clifton Forge, was established in the 1930's as Virginia’s first state park, the tranquil natural setting along the lake was carefully preserved.  It is now a National Historic Landmark, Within the park, trout fishermen can try their luck in the lake or along Wilson Creek; both are stocked regularly.  There are boat rentals and a boat ramp.  The lake has a designated swimming area.  The park’s cabins, lodges and campground provide overnight accommodations.  There is also an extensive trail system; several trails lead to scenic waterfalls.

If you head west of Clifton Forge, just past Covington on Route 220 north, you will be able to see one of the area’s most splendid falls from your car window.  Officially named Falling Spring Falls, they are known locally as Jefferson Falls because Thomas Jefferson surveyed them and included them in his “notes on the state of Virginia,” published in 1778.  He wrote: “The only remarkable cascade in this country is that of the Falling Spring in Augusta.  It is a water of the James River where it is called Jackson’s River.  It falls over a rock about 200 feet into the valley below and while not as wide as Niagara it is again half as high.”  There is an easily missed overlook, so keep alert for the falls on your left.

Nineteen miles north of Covington, scenic Lake Moomaw is part of George Washington National Forest (see selection). Popular with sports enthusiasts---fishermen, hunters, campers and hikers---the lake has a 43-mile shoreline with mountains rising from its banks giving it a natural beauty that may remind travelers of the fjords of Alaska and Norway.  The water isn’t as cold as those waters and there are two swimming beaches. Since this is a manmade lake, caution must be exercised because there are submerged stumps, logs and rocks. The lake’s 2,530 acres accommodates both fishermen and water skiers.  There are shoreline fishing access trails and boat launching facilities, including fishing platforms and facilities for the physically challenged. Trophy-size bass, bream and brown and rainbow trout can be caught.  The national forest on the lake shore is surrounded by the 13,428-acre T.M. Gathright Wildlife Management Area, which is especially known for its wild turkey population.  Bald eagles nest around Lake Moomaw; eagle perches have been built in secluded areas to encourage these endangered birds.  Five waterfowl islands below the McClintic Bridge encourage ducks and geese to nest on Lake Moomaw.

The lake was created in 1965 when the 257-foot-tall Gathright Dam was built on the Jackson River.  There is a visitor center near the dam maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers who constructed the dam.  One of the prime fishing spots is directly below the dam.

Another regional scenic attraction, just three miles west of Covington, is the graceful Humpback Bridge, the state’s oldest standing covered bridge.  The first bridge over the James River was built here in 1820.  It was washed away and the second was also lost.  The third bridge remains standing.  It was built in 1857 as part of the Kanawha Turnpike, which eventually extended into Kentucky. The 120-foot-long bridge has no middle supports and the center is eight feet higher than the ends giving it a humpback appearance.  This was originally one of three hand-hewn oak bridges within a mile of each other, but it is the only one still standing.  The framework and abutments are original, though the roof, floorboards and exterior walls have been replaced over the years.  Traffic stopped rolling over this bridge in 1929.  After being neglected for many years it became part of a community wayside park in 1954.  The bridge, now on the National Register of Historic Places, is the country’s only surviving curved-span covered bridge.

Craftsmanship on a smaller scale can be appreciated and acquired at specialty shops in Covington and Clifton Forge.  The Craft Shops of Covington, 120 West Main Street, is a regional market featuring handcrafted pottery, textiles, jewelry and collectibles. You can watch artists at work, take classes and purchase supplies.  The shops are open NOON to 6:00 P.M. daily except Sunday when it opens at 1:00 P.M.  In nearby Clifton Forge you will find the Alleghany Highlands Arts & Crafts Center where juried work is exhibited and sold.  Oil paintings, watercolors and graphic arts, framed and unframed, are available.  The center also features pottery, wooden ware, jewelry, stained glass, needlework, quilts and fiber art.  Hours for the center from May through December are Monday through Saturday 10:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. The rest of the year it is closed on Monday. Be sure to notice the center’s exterior architectural details: there is an elaborate decorative brickwork and cast concrete cartouche on the top of the two buildings that house the center.

Railroad buffs will want to stroll around Clifton Forge where there is a 1906 two-story frame C&O Railroad Office Building and Station Yard that recalls the hectic 1920s when a hundred trains passed through town each day. On the south side of Main Street is the brick C&O Freight Depot, which the C&O Historical Society Inc. plans to restore as a railroad interpretative center.  The C&O Historical Society has its exhibits in the 1891 W.W. Pendleton building.  It is one of the largest collections devoted to one rail line.  They sell memorabilia and are known as the: “Keeper of the Chessie Kitten.”  Calendars and railroad related books are also available.  The society has an extensive collection of railroad cars, documents, photographs and artifacts.  The cars can only be toured by making an advance appointment; call (800) 453-COHS. The society office is open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Directions: From I-81 take I-64 west to Clifton Forge and Covington.  For Douthat State Park take Exit 27 off I-64 and follow Route 629 north.  For Falling Spring Falls take Route 220 north of Covington; the falls will be on your left.  For Lake Moomaw from Covington take Route 220, Hot Springs Road, to Route 687, Jackson River Road.  From Route 687 pick up Route 638 which will take you to Lake Moomaw and Gathright Dam.  For the Humpback Bridge take Exit 10, the ramp to US 60 at the Callaghan interchange.  Go east on Route 60 about a half-mile; the wayside park is on the right.   For the Craft Shops of Covington take Exit 16 and turn left at the light onto Route 60 and take that into downtown Covington.  The Crafts Shops are on the corner of Route 60 and Main Street.  For the Alleghany Highlands Arts & Crafts Center take Exit 24 or 27 off I-64 and follow Route 60 Business west to the midtown parking lot in Clifton Forge.  The center is at 439 East Ridgeway Street.

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