Bee Run Recreation Area Beach is the designated swimming beach at Sutton Lake, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Elk River in Braxton County, West Virginia. The Corps' Sutton Lake project office runs the Bee Run day use area, which sits on the west end of the lake under a mile above Sutton Dam and about a mile and a half east of downtown Sutton. The reservoir covers about 1,520 acres, runs 14 miles up the Elk with around 40 miles of wooded shoreline, and sits behind a concrete dam the Corps finished in 1961.

The day use area is at 1734 Bee Run Road. Recreation.gov puts it about three miles off Interstate 79 at the Flatwoods exit; follow the signs for Sutton Lake and Bee Run. The beach shares the cove with Sutton Lake Marina, the main concrete boat ramp, picnic shelters and a playground. Parking lots sit just above the sand, so it is a short walk from the car to the water, and restrooms are close by.

The beach itself is small: a strip of sand at the water's edge with a buoy line marking off the swim area so swimmers stay clear of boats coming in and out of the marina and ramp. The water is usually clear and blue-green in summer. The lake is flat water with no real current at the beach, but this is a reservoir set in a steep valley, so the bottom drops away once you move out from the shallows. No source mentions lifeguards, so plan on swimming at your own risk. The beach is a summer spot, used while the lake is held at its higher summer level.

Swimming here is not free. The Corps charges a day use fee of $5 per vehicle for cars using the swim beach or the boat launch at Bee Run. You pay at automated machines in the recreation area, which take credit or debit cards only (no cash), and you leave the dated receipt face up on the dashboard. One payment covers every Corps day use area at the lake that day. An annual day use pass costs $40 at the same machines, and holders of America the Beautiful annual, senior or access passes do not need to pay. Some tourism listings still describe swimming at Bee Run as free, which is out of date. The Corps does not post beach hours online, so call the Sutton Lake office at (304) 765-2816 before a trip.

The main hazard is boat traffic, since the marina, fuel dock and the lake's main ramp are right next to the beach. Stay inside the buoys. Water levels also change a lot through the year. The Corps lowers Sutton Lake in fall for flood control and refills it in spring, and outside summer the shoreline can turn to mud and silt. Heavy spring rain can push the lake well above normal, and flooding has delayed the marina's opening in some years. Early-season water is cold, even when the air is warm.

Bee Run also has a 12-site primitive campground run by the Corps ($18 a night on Recreation.gov), reservable picnic shelters, and the Jeremiah Carpenter Trail, which leads to an overlook at the dam's north abutment. The marina rents pontoon boats, jet skis and houseboats and runs a ship store. Paddlers can put in at the ramp and explore the coves, and anglers fish the lake for largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie and catfish. The Elk River Wildlife Management Area wraps around much of the lake.