CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- With sky-high gas prices, many people are beating the pain at the pump by staying closer to home.

Owen Paisley altered his vacation plans to spend time with his family at Beech Fork State Park.

"There's no sense in spending all of your money in your tank and not being able to do anything when you get there," said Paisley. "We were going to go to cleveland, but with gas, we decided there was no way we could go anywhere."

Many boaters are enjoying their weekend on the Kanawha River.

"There's a lot of places on the river you can go and tie up and spend camp and enjoy right here close to home without spending a whole lot of money," said Chester Wingo of Dunbar.

Of course, it's costing more this year to power the boats up and down the river.

But enthusiasts say when you factor in all the boating expenses, it's not enough to keep them docked.