Coopers Rock reservoir in the Fall

Coopers Rock reservoir in the Fall

Coopers Rock reservoir in the Fall

It is not often that I find somewhere completely new (to me) and so close to home, but this fall, it happened! I was talking to some friends at the local camera club, and someone mentioned the lake in Coopers Rock State Forest. Of course, I knew about the Trout Pond (otherwise known as Coopers Rock Lake, which is located alongside the I-68 when climbing up the hill from Morgantown), but no, this is a lake inside the park itself.

And so, on the next sunny day, I was there to check out the scenery of the reservoir. It can be found about halfway on the drive to the main overlooks in the park, opposite the road to McCollum campground. There are four or five parking spots there and the trail lead first to the left and then a wider track leads down to the reservoir itself. I tried to find out more about the history of the reservoir itself, but so far, without success! There is an interesting article about the creation of a circular walk around the lake here.

I’ll start with an overview image, taken from a drone, showing the full extent of the reservoir:

Aerial view of Coopers Rock State Forest reservoir near Morgantown, WV with some gorgeous fall colors. Prints can be purchased here in my store
Aerial view of Coopers Rock State Forest reservoir near Morgantown, WV with some gorgeous fall colors. Prints can be purchased here in my store

The leaves in this 11 October 2023 photo are still quite a way from peak although around the lake itself, some nice colors are appearing. I would have gone back later in the month but unfortunately, we were away. There is always next year!

I actually paid two visits – one earlier on 5 October on a delightful calm day. This is what I saw on that visit:

Reflections of some fall leaves on the trees around Coopers Rock reservoir in the calm waters near Morgantown, WV. Prints can be purchased in my store
Reflections of some fall leaves on the trees around Coopers Rock reservoir in the calm waters near Morgantown, WV. Prints can be purchased in my store

I liked this particular image because it has an almost abstract view of the lake and trees. I think I will try to create a painting version of this in the days to come!

There is a small concrete platform with a sturdy, rusty pipe or control valve accessible via a steel walkway. I think this would have been used to control the flow of water out of the reservoir and presumably down towards Morgantown.

Rusty iron pipe or control valve with the fall trees in the background at Coopers Rock reservoir. Prints can be purchased here in my store
Rusty iron pipe or control valve with the fall trees in the background at Coopers Rock reservoir. Prints can be purchased here in my store

I couldn’t quite decide whether an image of the short pier and concrete platform looked better as a piece of wall art with the steel pipe or without it! First, here are a couple of images with the pipe removed:

Iron walkway to the concrete platform in Coopers Rock state forest reservoir with fall colors behind. Prints can be purchased here in my store
Iron walkway to the concrete platform in Coopers Rock state forest reservoir with fall colors behind. Prints can be purchased here in my store

And one with more of a zoom to move closer to the platform. Notice how calm the water was that afternoon – perfect for these fall reflection images!

Closer view of the iron walkway and pier with the concrete platform with the fall colors of the trees reflecting in the calm waters. Prints available here.
Closer view of the iron walkway and pier with the concrete platform with the fall colors of the trees reflecting in the calm waters. Prints available here.

And, finally, one image with the pipe in place – taken the following week on a more blustery day. I decided to use a very slow shutter speed of about 4 seconds to smooth out the ripples in the water. It gives the view a more mystical look, I think:

The iron walkway and metal pipe with a long duration shot to smooth out ripples in the water. Very mystical! Prints can be purchased here in my store
The iron walkway and metal pipe with a long duration shot to smooth out ripples in the water. Very mystical! Prints can be purchased here in my store

And I will finish with a wider panoramic view of the distant shoreline reflected in the water.

Mirror like reflection of the fall colors of the trees surrounding Coopers Rock reservoir lake. Prints can be purchased here in my store
Mirror like reflection of the fall colors of the trees surrounding Coopers Rock reservoir lake. Prints can be purchased here in my store

Prints of my work can be found in two online stores. Pictorem mainly creates prints of all types and has free shipping. Fine Art America has both prints and many other products such as jigsaw puzzles, mugs, shower curtains and more! I have some prints matted to fit a 16 x 20 inch frame in both the Morgantown Art Association Gallery and the Appalachian Gallery in downtown Morgantown. If you live locally and are looking for a print of any image in my portfolio, I can print it for you.

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