Smith Mountain Lake State Park

Camping

Camping is available from the first Friday in March through the first Monday of December. Reservations are strongly encouraged during prime season.

All sites are site-specific

Campground map

Chart with site details

Photos of the sites

• All campsites have in-ground grills for cooking and campfires.
• Firewood is available for a small fee (sorry - no complimentary wood for campers). Do not bring firewood.
• One vehicle is permitted in the parking lot per tent site (Tent Std). Extra vehicles must park in overflow parking.
• Guests will find boat-trailer and additional parking at the overflow lot about 50 yards from the campground entrance. There's no electricity at the overflow lot.
• Visitors to overnight guests must pay to park vehicles in the parking lot, pay for any day use services and leave the park by 10 p.m.
• Fifty sites; all in the woods; no waterfront. Various equipment. Up to 50 feet (not all sites).
• Full-service bathhouse with hot showers and wash sink for dishes.
• All sites have a picnic table, fire ring grill and a post for a lantern.
• Sites EW 50ft BackIn and EW 50ftPulThru have water and electric hookups. . 20 and 30 amp service is available. Campers are responsible for all damage to their equipment and our pedestal from the use of 50 amp converters. Sewer hookups are not available.
• A dump station is available free of charge for campers who stay in the park; non-overnight guests must pay a small fee to use the dump station (please pay at the Visitor Center and show the receipt to Camp Host).
• Generators are prohibited at all times.

Cabins

Between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day, all cabins are rented for a six-night minimum, and rentals begin on Saturday or Sunday, depending on the cabin. This requirement is reduced to a four-night stay three months out and dropped to two nights in the last month before arrival. A two-night minimum stay is required the rest of the year.

Click here for a map of the cabin area.

Guests arriving after the office has closed will find information on how to access their cabin in the late-arrival box just outside the visitor center. Check-in at the park office the next morning. All overnight guests' vehicles should be registered with the office.

• Wood stoves (no fireplace)
• Kitchen: Refrigerator, stove, coffeemaker, dishes, silverware, cooking utensils, pots and pans, microwave oven, toaster, electric can-openers, clock radios, etc. Bring food and dish towels, coffee filters, coffee, salt and pepper and nonstick cooking spray. No dishwasher, telephone, TV, washer/dryer.
• Living area: Couch, armchair, coffee table, dining table and chairs.
• Bedrooms: Beds and nightstands, dresser, closet with hangers, clock radio
• No linens are provided. Guests must bring their own linens and towels.
• Docks are available at the cabins, but guests must park their boat trailer in the overflow parking lot. There's no electricity at the overflow lot or the boat docks. Each cabin has one slip.
• The two-bedroom cabins allows 6, sleep four. Please note, the cabins no longer have a sleep sofa.
• The three-bedroom cabin sleeps six, allows eight and has two queen beds and two singles; two bathrooms (one universally accessible; the other has a tub)
• Picnic table and pedestal grill in yard per cabin; open porch with rocking chairs
• Firewood: The park provides one bundle of complimentary firewood. Extra firewood is available for purchase at the office.
• The cabins have rustic furniture; No linens are provided. Guests must bring their own linens and towels. Cabins are climate-controlled (heat and AC).
• Consider bringing extra bath towels, body wash or soap, board games and playing cards.

There are 13 hiking trails ranging from half a mile to three miles long. Trails meander through the park’s various features, including hardwood forests, pine forests, secluded coves and picturesque vistas. They are open year-round during daylight hours.

The park’s 500-foot beach is one of two public beaches on the lake. Between the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day, guarded beach swimming is available for a fee. Weather and other issues may at times force suspension of guarded swimming. When guarded swimming is unavailable, guests may swim at the beach’s designated area at their own risk. Swimming elsewhere in the park is not advised.

The beach and snack bar are open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Refer to the Know Before You Go section for the current hours. Beach hours may be limited during the last two weeks of August due to issues with lifeguard staffing. Call the park for open-beach hours during this time.

Swimming fees: Click here for park fees.

Located on Smith Mountain Lake, the park offers ample opportunities for shore and boat fishing. You’ll find striped bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, catfish and several other species.

Fishing tournaments are scheduled at the park office. A special-use permit application, which may be obtained from the office, is required and must be submitted at least two weeks prior to a tournament. Tournaments are scheduled first-come, first-served.

Boat launching fee required for day-use public; overnight guests launch for free. There are no overnight mooring areas except in the cabin area for cabin guests only. The campers must return their boats to the campsite or overflow parking area. Call 800-933-PARK to buy an annual boat launch pass. Click here for park fees.

Boat rentals are a great option for getting around on the lake. From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, tritoon boats, ski boats, jetskis, kayaks and paddleboards are all available for rental from the dock at the beach area. You can make a reservation online or by calling

540-597-8771. For more information on boat rentals click here.

• Beach: Buildings, changing areas and restrooms are accessible. There are accessible grades to the beach with a concrete ramp reaching near the water's edge. The dock also has accessible grades, depending on water levels.
• Picnic area: Accessible restrooms, playground and picnic tables.
• Boating and fishing: The boat ramp area has accessible restrooms, and the fishing pier is accessible (112 feet long, provides deep water fishing), as is the launch.
• Office: Fully accessible.
• Discovery Center: Accessible building and restrooms, accessible playground, accessible amphitheater with access to the boat dock. Access to the boat dock has the proper grade with a hard-packed gravel walkway.
• Campground: The campground has a bathhouse. Site 41 was built with accessibility in mind; it is relatively level and closest to the restroom.
• Cabins: There is one fully accessible three-bedroom cabin that is constructed to late-1990s ADA standards.
• Trails: There's an accessible hard-packed gravel trail (approximately 100 yards) down Turtle Island Trail that can be used during the managed deer hunt in November. It can also be used as a wildlife viewing blind by anyone wishing to observe wildlife the rest of the year.