For more information on planning a trip to Charleston and the Elk River, contact the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 733-5469 or (304) 344-5075; or visit their Web site at www.charlestonwv.com. Families may want to consider visiting the West Virginia State Museum, in the state capital, and any one of a dozen or so parks in the Greater Charleston Area.

DISTRICT IV
Bluestone State Park
One of my favorite Mountain State parks is Bluestone Lake State Park in Hinton. This 2,100-acre southern West Virginia establishment in Summers County encompasses Bluestone Lake and its nearly 2,000 acres, making the body of water the third largest in the state.

Brett McMillion is acting superintendent at Bluestone. He emphasizes that families and their budding anglers should enjoy visiting the impoundment.

"Bluestone has a very good population of bluegills and crappie, so the lines of youngsters should pretty much always be tight," he said. "The lake is also known for its flathead catfish, and striped bass come down from Claytor Lake in Virginia. The state has stocked hybrid stripers, and, of course, many anglers go after the lake's largemouths.

"Some excellent wade-fishing for smallmouths and sunfish can be found below the dam in the New River. Below the dam, the fish seem to bite all day long. I would strongly suggest that all family members wear lifejackets while wading and that they contact the U.S. Corps of Engineers to find out current water levels and the release schedule."

McMillion relates that bank access is generally lacking around the lake, although the River View Trail does encircle Bluestone and occasionally provides shoreline openings. Bank- fishing is also possible at a marina where boats can be rented. The acting superintendent said that if a family does rent a boat, its members should consider checking out the dam area. A number of fish attractors have been sunk, and the rock cover that has been created is a current hotspot. Tournament anglers have reported good catches of largemouths.

Among the park's amenities are a 32-unit tent and trailer campground featuring 22 sites with electric hookups, a rustic camping area with 47 sites, 26 cabins, nature hikes, special weekly programs, hiking trails, swimming pool, game courts, and a seasonal nature/recreation program. McMillion is very enthusiastic about the nature program, as three or four fun activities are planned daily.

Camping is also available at the adjacent 17,632-acre Bluestone Wildlife Management Area (WMA), which the New River flows through. McMillion informs that some 300 campsites exist in the WMA, many of them along the New. Nearby attractions include Tamarack Arts and Crafts Center and Grandview Park, which is famous for its outdoor musical drama: "Hatfields and McCoys," which I have seen and heartily recommend. For more information, check the park's Web site at www.bluestonesp.com. For water level information below Bluestone Dam, contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at (304) 466-1234. For general information from the Corps, dial (304) 466-0156.

DISTRICT V
Cabwaylingo State Forest
Bob Mathis, a district administrator for the state park and forest system, said that the first thing potential visitors should know about the 8,123-acre Cabwaylingo State Forest is that the place name is not of American Indian origin, as many folks believe. Instead, the name is the combination of the spellings of four nearby counties: Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln and Mingo.

"Families coming to Cabwaylingo should understand that the state forest is a little different from many of our other parks and forests," Mathis said. "Remote is not quite the right word to describe Cabwaylingo, but I would describe it as quiet and out of the way."

The District V state forest is tailor-made for those families who find nature itself as being entertaining enough. Birding, hiking, outdoors photography, and, of course, fishing are the premier activities.