Parks & Recreation

Martinsburg-Berkeley County Parks & Recreation Board (MBCPRB): MBCPRB is charged with maintaining 18 public parks, two indoor recreation centers, two public swimming pools and Rickard Lake. Other facilities and amenities include, Mountain Bike Trails, a 27-hole Disc Golf course, equestrian arena, two in-line hockey rinks and athletic fields. Approximately 10,000 children participate each year in over 30 different MBCPRB-sponsored instructional programs, summer camps, and leagues. Register here for programs!

Trails, Hunting & Wildlife Viewing

Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area: With nearly 23,000 acres of rugged terrain and 205-acre lake in Berkeley and Morgan counties, Sleepy Creek WMA, which is a haven for hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts, features four campgrounds with a total of 75 primitive campsites. Hikers and campers can access about 25 miles of The Tuscarora Trail that meanders through Sleepy Creek WMA via Hampshire Grade Road, Spruce Pine Hollow Park, as well as access trails within the WMA. Points of interest along the trail include Devil’s Nose, Shockey’s Knob and the Mini-Knife Edge. 

Note: Night fishing is allowed. 
Buy Hunting/Fishing License

WV Route 9 Bike Path: The WV Route 9 Bike Path follows WV 9 from Martinsburg to Ranson in Jefferson County, with access parking areas at Charles Town Road, Opequon Connector, Short Road, Leetown Road and Currie Road.  This 10+ mile paved multi-use trail is suitable for families with small children and strollers, dog walkers, walkers, and bikers.  Though an urban trail, the Route 9 Bike Path also hugs working farms, woodlands, a historic orchard area, and stops along the way highlight points of interest.  

Note: The path runs through open space with little to no shade. While the Berkeley County portion of the trail is somewhat hilly, the Jefferson County portion is fairly flat. Path will eventually connect with a future Recreation Trail system in the City of Martinsburg. 

Frog Hollow Recreation Trail: First segment of multi-phase, passive recreation project to connect the City of Martinsburg’s parks, neighborhoods and historic sites between South Queen Street in the southeastern area of Martinsburg and Tennessee Avenue in the city’s historic west end. Paved surface overlaps the historic route of a rail spur constructed in the 1880s from the Martinsburg Train Station to the Standard Lime and Stone Company south of Martinsburg.  

Stauffer’s Marsh Nature Preserve: Owned and managed by the Potomac Valley Audubon Society, encompasses 45 acres of wetlands and field-like habitats and attracts an impressive variety of birds.

Yankauer Nature Preserve: Home to more than 100 plant species with more than 100 species of birds, this 107-acre preserve is located between the towns of Bedington and Shepherdstown. The preserve is named after Dr. Alfred Yankauer, a prominent physician and medical researcher, who donated it to The Nature Conservancy in 1967. The site is co-managed in collaboration with the Potomac Valley Audubon Society.

Boating & Fishing

There are multiple Public Stream Access sites along the waterways of Berkeley County and all across West Virginia. Boat access and fish stocking information managed by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) is available on the West Virginia Fishing Map.

Back Creek: One of two streams that flows through the entire length of Berkeley County, Back Creek flows on the back, or west side of North Mountain for about 34 miles until it empties into the Potomac River. Public access sites are located at Honaker-Spies Memorial Bridge (WV 9) near Hedgesville, Jones Spring, McCubbins Ford and Shanghai.  

Middle Creek: Located southwest of Martinsburg, a 3.55-mile section of this meandering stream is trout-stocked by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources in the first and second quarters of the year. Originating in the eastern foothills of North Mountain, the 9.7-mile stream passes near the community of Arden and through the community of Darkesville before reaching Opequon Creek.

Mill Creek: Accessible at Morgan Park in the community of Bunker Hill along U.S. 11, a 4.77-mile section of this tributary of Opequon Creek is trout-stocked by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources in the first half of the year. Originating in northern Frederick County, Va., the 14.5-mile stream flows through the community of Gerrardstown, before reaching Bunker Hill and then eastward to Tarico Heights before emptying into the Opequon Creek at the Berkeley-Jefferson county line. 

Opequon Creek: There are three public stream access sites along Berkeley County’s largest waterway; Priest Springs, Stone Bridge and WV 45 Bridge. A 28.9-mile section of the stream is trout-stocked in Berkeley County. With headwaters near the community of Opequon in Virginia, the 64.4-mile stream forms part of the boundary between Frederick and Clarke counties in Virginia, and part of the boundary between Berkeley and Jefferson counties.  

Rickard Lake: A five-acre lake located in Poor House Farm Park west of Martinsburg. Lake features fishing pier and trail. No boating is allowed. Trout-stocked by DNR.

Sleepy Creek Lake: Located in Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area, 209-acre lake fishing game species includes Channel Catfish, Crappie and Largemouth Bass. Accessible by three boat ramps, Sleepy Creek Lake Dam; Sawmill Cove and Myers Point. Maximum Depth: 28 feet.

Tilhance Creek: A 10.4-mile tributary of Back Creek, Tilhance Creek flows from the eastern flank of Third Hill Mountain. A 2.65-mile section of the stream is trout-stocked by the DNR in the first half of the year near Johnsontown at the WV 9 bridge. 

Tuscarora Creek: A 6.11-mile section of stream is trout-stocked upstream from the community of Nollville to Martinsburg. The 11.4-mile stream originates on the eastern flanks of North Mountain and flows through the City of Martinsburg before draining into the Opequon Creek near the historic Van Metre Ford Bridge.

Regional Destinations 

Antietam National Battlefield 
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Berkeley Springs State Park
Cacapon Resort State Park
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Chesapeake & Ohio National Historical Park
Shannondale Springs Wildlife Management Area
Shenandoah National Park