Mountain Lake Club
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia · on Furnace Run
Verified · 3 independent sources
- WATER
- lake
- ACCESS
- Designated swim area
- FEE
- $8
- SEASON
- May
About Mountain Lake Club
Mountain Lake Club is a privately-owned recreation club centered on the 55-acre Lake Shannondale in Shannondale, West Virginia, about 13 miles from Harpers Ferry. Its supervised-but-unlifeguarded beach makes the lake a working swimming hole, run alongside fishing, boating, and a public Lakeside Bar & Grill, and the club reopened under new ownership around 2020 after roughly two decades of dormancy.
The club sits on a 55-acre lake with a 25-acre shoreline in the rolling Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the lakeside patio. The grounds include the historic ruins of the former Shannondale Lodge, a clubhouse that burned down under a prior owner's failed resort redevelopment attempt.
Swimming at Mountain Lake Club
Swimming takes place at a designated beach area on the lake, with a roped-off shallow section for small children and open water for adults; visitors commonly bring their own inflatable tubes to float. There is no lifeguard on duty at any time, so all swimming is at the swimmer's own risk, and minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
How to get to this swimming hole
Located at 1329 Lakeside Drive, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, about 13 miles from downtown Harpers Ferry and 10 miles from Charles Town; the property is drive-up with no hike required.
The walk in
No real hike here. The water is a short walk from where you park. Drive-up facility at 1329 Lakeside Drive, Harpers Ferry, WV; parking lots are immediately adjacent to the beach and lake, no trail walk-in required.
Plan your visit
Bringing kids
OK with supervision
There is a roped-off shallow section designated for small children and minors must be accompanied by a parent/guardian, but no lifeguard is on duty anywhere on the property at any time. A June 2025 visitor review also noted unsupervised teenagers on the docks, suggesting active parental supervision is needed rather than passive relaxation.
Parking
Lot
Two designated parking areas per the club's rules: one by the PerfectAim Axe & Pickleball Courts and one in the lot above the Lakeside Bar & Grill. Parking in the boat launch area is explicitly not permitted. No parking fee is mentioned separately from the beach day-pass/membership fees.
Hours
Beach open daily 11am-8pm from May 22 through Labor Day; fall schedule (through end of October) is Wednesday-Sunday, 11am until 7:30pm or dusk (closed Mon/Tue). Members can access the lake/fishing area 6am-10pm daily.
On the water
Restrictions: Private lake, no-wake at all times. Gas-powered boats are prohibited; only electric-motorized and non-motorized (kayak/canoe) craft are allowed. Members must register boats ($50 for electric-motorized, $25 for non-motorized annually); non-members or members with unregistered boats can pay a per-visit launch fee ($20 non-motorized/jon boat, $30 electric trolling motor), which includes fishing but not beach access. Boaters must supply their own PFDs. Inflatable boats are not permitted in the designated swim-beach area. Boat operators must be 18+, or 16+ with prior parental and club-management approval.
The club itself rents out one pontoon boat on the lake at $25/hour for members and $50/hour for non-members (2-hour minimum, fixed 2-hour time blocks between 12pm-8pm) -- this is an amenity of the club, not an independent rental business.
Rentals nearby
Kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddleboards, and river tubes (flatwater and whitewater), plus guided whitewater rafting
408 Alstadts Hill Rd, Harpers Ferry, WV -- roughly 13 miles from Mountain Lake Club/Lake Shannondale. Note: River Riders operates on the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers in Harpers Ferry, not on Lake Shannondale itself, which has no independent public rental outfitter; the lake's only watercraft rental is the club's own pontoon (see watercraft notes).
What regulars say
Visitor reviews describe the beach as family-friendly with a roped-off shallow area for small children, and note that guests commonly bring their own inflatable tubes to float since no lifeguard is on duty. One June 2025 review flagged unsupervised teenagers on the docks as a minor concern during a visit, underscoring the self-supervised nature of the beach.
Backstory
The former clubhouse (Shannondale Lodge) burned down during a previous owner's attempted resort development, and the property sat largely dormant for about two decades before Jeff Shores and Matt Barager purchased and revitalized it around 2020.
Mountain Lake Club: FAQ
Does Mountain Lake Club charge a fee?
Day passes: weekdays $8 adults / $5 children (5-17), free under 4; weekends & holidays $10 adults / $7 children. Annual memberships also available (Family $350, Single/Senior $300).
Is Mountain Lake Club kid friendly?
There is a roped-off shallow section designated for small children and minors must be accompanied by a parent/guardian, but no lifeguard is on duty anywhere on the property at any time. A June 2025 visitor review also noted unsupervised teenagers on the docks, suggesting active parental supervision is needed rather than passive relaxation.
Do I need to hike to reach Mountain Lake Club?
No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.
Where do I park for Mountain Lake Club?
Two designated parking areas per the club's rules: one by the PerfectAim Axe & Pickleball Courts and one in the lot above the Lakeside Bar & Grill. Parking in the boat launch area is explicitly not permitted. No parking fee is mentioned separately from the beach day-pass/membership fees.
Can I bring a kayak or paddleboard to Mountain Lake Club?
The club itself rents out one pontoon boat on the lake at $25/hour for members and $50/hour for non-members (2-hour minimum, fixed 2-hour time blocks between 12pm-8pm) -- this is an amenity of the club, not an independent rental business.
When is the best time to visit Mountain Lake Club?
Beach open daily 11am-8pm from May 22 through Labor Day; a reduced fall schedule (Wednesday-Sunday, 11am to 7:30pm or dusk) runs through October.
What are the rules at Mountain Lake Club?
No lifeguard on duty (swim at own risk); guests 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent/guardian; no swimming near the spillway or under the pier; no glass containers, canopies/tents, or outside food/drink on the property; no inflatable boats in the beach area; dogs prohibited during regular beach hours except a Saturday 'doggie swim' 8:30-10:30am.
What water body is Mountain Lake Club on?
Mountain Lake Club is on Furnace Run, a natural lake verified in USGS hydrography data.
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