smith mountain lake state park

Last minute get away for valentines weekend , call the reservations line and this was the only cabin available within 3 hours of Charlottesville. We had very low expectations but were so pleasantly surprised when we are arrived. We had arranged for a late check in the cabin was cozy, warm clean when we arrived it was simple and perfect. We had the 3 bedroom cabin number 7, it was just the two of us but this was the only one available. The cabin had everything you would need pots pans dishes towels linens even had a bundle of wood. It was a little chilly and this was a last minute trip and our first time to the park so we were able to enjoy several hikes and even went to a drive in movie theater/ diner called Mayberry diner. It was a very fun weekend felt like a walk back in time going to the diner and drive in movie. I think we definitely need to come back when the weather is nicer to enjoy the beautiful park and the docks that are just a stroll down the trail from the cabin. We did stop by the gift shop and Visitor Center and both times the people working were very friendly this is a great place anytime of the year.

We had booked a cabin here for September 22 - September 26. Price was great, all seemed well. Our friend even asked about cancellation since my wife's Mom was sick when we booked in July. The problem is we did not check all the fine print to discover what the policy actually was. Yes it is all there in black and white in fine print if we had read it.Since my wife's Mom was still in hospital in August, we cancelled. It took phone calls, cancelling online and hearing nothing about the cancellation. Did it register? Checked my September Credit Card statement, no refund! (They use reserveamerica.com. Have no idea if owned by state or private.)Checked October statement online, no refund! Phone Virginia State Parks ... she said she was requesting the docs from whoever ....Finally when the funds appeared $85 was missing from the over $581.44 CAD we paid.I asked what was up and she said that even tho we cancelled in August it was not quite 30 days so therefore they charged us the $85 cancellation fee. Imagine that! I can pick a hotel where I can cancel up to 4 or 6 PM ON the day of reservation WITH NO FEES but a state park you need to cancel a month in advance to get all your money back!I told them that no I had not read all the fine print because we had no intention of cancelling in July when we booked. I just believe that is an excessive fee of almost 14% of your booking fee when I cancelled 23 days before the time of reservation. Typical government grab in my view.It may be a beautiful place which I have never seen, but the taste in my mouth is so bad about Virginia State Parks cabins that I do not think I would enjoy being there!Charles & Ellen PedleyNiagara Falls, ON

We visited SML State Park on Oct. 7th. We were able to rent bikes from the Visitor's Center. We spent about 3 hours riding on all the paved roadways throughout the park and had a picnic lunch near the amphitheater. There was a picnic table right next to the lake. We basically had the park to ourselves as we were there just prior to the fall leaves turning color. It was a very enjoyable day.

We rented a pontoon from a marina by the bridge. It was a great way to see the lake and the many beautiful homes along the lake.

Nice getaway at Smith Mountain Lake. This was our second time visiting. The first time our cabin was just on a camp road. This time we paid a little more and got a lake front cabin. Great view of the water. We had a deck on the back and campfire overlooking the lake. The non-lakefront cabins don't have a deck, just a front porch and regular campfire area.Cabin was complete with dishes and everything you need to cook. It even came with sheets and towels. We had already brought our own though. It is pet-friendly. There was already dog hair on the "clean" sheets when we arrived, so I was glad I had my own sheets.Book in advance, they fill up quick! Nice hiking trails there too.

A really nice, quiet place to camp or stay in the cabins....we havent tent camped here though yet, but I bet those are good as well....views are awesome....worth the visit anytime...place is well maintained and clean

This was our first trip to SML and it was awesome! We have not been camping in years and our daughter never before. We forgot what we were missing! The campsites are great, the entire park is well maintained! Our young daughter loved it. The playgrounds are great, the beach is very nice and it was so convenient to rent a boat right at the park to really enjoy the lake. We will definitely be back!

We recently did a day visit to SMLSP, primarily for hiking. After a lovely hike about, with very convenient parking at the trail head, we also drove around the park to see all the facilities. We had a nice break at the fishing pier (bathrooms and soda machines there too), stopped to see the tobacco barn, and went in the discovery center. While small, the discovery center has a lot of information presented in an interesting way (including live fish) and a small shop where we bought a raft for the lake. We did not go into the beach area, but we did have a look and the beach is very nice--especially since ALL other access to the lake is off your dock or boat. If you want to sun, or go in the water slowly, the beach is a good bet.

Area around the lake is beautiful. Boating on the lake was a wonderful experience for our family. We engaged in a variety of water sports and swam. The water was very clean.

Smith Mountain lake is a beautiful setting that unfortunately has become overdeveloped with housing and rental units. However, the state park retains the charm that I remember when this lake was less developed. The trails are well maintained and pleasant forested walks. The beach area has excellent swimming. Many of the coves alongside the trails offer small beaches that are great for kids to wade and play.don't miss this part of the area when you visit.

Good place to take in some rays! Easy access, small entrance fee, friendly people. Clean and great for families.

They were one of the only campgrounds that actually had tent camping. They were very friendly, had a lot of spots to swim, and had a lot of dock access. The camp sites were a good distant from each other so you had privacy. They have huge showers, and great maintenance for the rest areas. If we ever stop back by SML we will camp here again!!!

It was a beautiful day and the park offered several hiking trails. After asking the employee at the visitor center for the best trails to see the lake, she suggested a couple. They were moderate trails and offered beautiful views of the lake. It was definitely worth the visit.

We really loved this park and the campground. We must thank a friend who planned a wedding party in the area because we would not have stayed here otherwise. The campground is away from other activities in the park, which reduces traffic in/out and makes it feel a bit more secure. The campground is set up with a nice loop for the electric/water sites, with other sites being located off the loop. Although we have a tent, we opted for one of the electric/water sites and absolutely loved it! We were able to pick a site on the end that offered a 180+ degree view of the woods. Even though the site had a pad, it was very spacious and allowed us to set up our tent and dining canopy a fair distance from the fire pit. The facilities are amazing. They have a dish sink and bathrooms that are separate from the showers; each individual shower is accessed directly from the outside. The camp hosts were nice and kept everything very clean. We will definitely stay here again if we find ourselves back in the area.

I'm so incredibly thrilled with this place that I'm going to go the extra mile on this review to help others and spread the good word!Campground:• Tent sites - awesome! Large areas with nice rock beds for the largest of tents, with both picnic table and fire pit also on the rocks, especially nice when hit with heavy rain like we did - no mud to track around! Surrounded by awesome trees. A couple of nice steel poles with hooks to hang things from, or to tie to. The fire pit has a metal ring, and a grill grate that flips out of the way, as well as a base of concrete pavers, very nice. Easy to find the right spot no matter your tastes (provided of course they're overcrowded), whether you want one a tad more away from everyone or closer to the road or bathhouse. • Bathhouse - Nice bathrooms, with really nice, separate, individual showers (a good 4 of them or more), with hot water, a very nice wood bench to sit on or set your things on, and nice hooks to hang plenty of stuff on while you're getting ready, very roomy so that your stuff won't get wet, even a shower caddy for your shampoo, etc. Also a nice area on the outside of the bathhouse for washing dishes, with a large sink and large area on either side of it for setting your things, hot water to boot.• Overall - the layout of the campground is very nice, with a single loop that's just right - not too small, not too large, such that the one bathhouse in the center is not prohibitively far from any site. Lots of nice trees throughout. Clean, well-kept campground, with a camp host right there on site, firewood on an honor system with a money box ($4), and ice during operating hours. Easy accommodations for late arrivals, just go up to the office in the morning and check in. State Park Overall:• Visitors Center - Really nice, has some cool displays that talk about various and sundry wildlife and other facts and such about the park, the lake, wildlife, etc. A nice little gift shop where you can buy t-shirts, mugs and such, even forgotten camp items such as fire-starter and such. Way nice people working there too, very helpful. • Beach - Pretty dog gone nice, with a good size area with beach sand (that they surely had to truck in, lots of money and effort to be sure), an okay sized area roped off for swimming (ie, no worry about swimmers and boats in the same area), even a nice grill where you can order burgers and such (smelled way good), and nice tables with pole awnings to enjoy your lunch in the shade. I'm pretty sure I even saw a nice little playground with swings, slide, etc for the kiddos. There's a slide out in the water for them, too, though certainly for the smaller ones only, big ones or adults won't dig it at all. • Boat Rentals - Surely didn't see all they had, but what I saw were 'okay' , but nothing to write home about, smaller bowriders, a pontoon boat or two, and a jetski that looked like it had seen a better day. Again, I'm sure their better ones were already out on the lake. The bonus is, it's right there, otherwise I'm pretty sure the closest places are about 25 minutes away in Moneta at Bridgewater Plaza, which is what we did. Tips:• Definitely get out on that lake, it's really big, and really nice. Get yourself a boat or jetski, a tube, wakeboard, or whatever, and get out there, it's awesome! • Hit Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta, about 25 minutes away, if you want a nice area right on the water with restaurants, gift shops, an outdoor bar/grill, even mini-golf up on the dock that looks way cool. A few places around there to rent boats and such, too. • If lots of campers, try to avoid "rush hour" at the dish area especially, and to a lesser degree the showers, for you're very liable to have an unexpected wait when it's busy. Either try to hit it at an off time or, at least go prepared for a potential wait in line. • Be sure to fill out their survey and mail it in afterward, included in the packet they give you when you check-in, for this has an impact to the operating revenue they receive each year, so I was told by one of the nice fellas in the visitors center/office.