Overview
Smith Mountain Lake is a roughly 20,260-acre reservoir on the Roanoke and Blackwater rivers in Bedford, Franklin, and Pittsylvania counties, Virginia's largest lake lying entirely within the state. It is the upper reservoir of Appalachian Power's Smith Mountain pumped-storage project, completed in the mid-1960s and operated under a FERC license as the Smith Mountain Project with sister lake Leesville Lake.
With about 500 miles of shoreline, an average depth near 55 feet, and a maximum depth of roughly 220 feet near the dam, Smith Mountain combines deep main-lake water with long residential creek arms against a Blue Ridge backdrop. Full pond is 795 feet above mean sea level; daily generation and pump-back commonly move the pool about one to two feet.
The lake is one of Virginia's premier recreation destinations for boating, water sports, and fishing for striped bass, largemouth bass, crappie, and catfish, with fisheries managed by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Marinas, public ramps, and lakeside communities ring the shoreline.
Water levels on Smith Mountain Lake are managed by Appalachian Power around a normal full pond of 795 feet above mean sea level as water is released to Leesville for generation and pumped back during off-peak hours. Monitoring current lake levels is important for boating, fishing, and dock access throughout the year.
Current Conditions
Smith Mountain Lake is currently 4.87 feet below full pool and has risen slightly over the past week.
- 7-day trendRisingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeDown 0.22 ft
- 30-day changeUp 0.22 ft
- Drought conditionsModerate Drought
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Smith Mountain Lake is a 20,260-acre reservoir on the Roanoke River managed by Appalachian Power.