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Smith Mountain Lake Dam - view from below

What is Smith Mountain Lake Dam?

Smith Mountain Lake is a large man-made body of water whose shores touch three counties within Virginia. Until the 1960s, the area that is now Smith Mountain Lake was rural farmland dotting the Roanoke River. In order to address Roanoke River flooding concerns and provide a hydroelectric option to the region, the former river was dammed and what was an area of rural rolling mountains filled up to create a 40-mile long recreational spot enjoyed by vacationers and locals alike. In fact, in 2023, Travel + Leisure magazine, called Smith Mountain Lake (SML to locals) the “Lake Tahoe of the East”. With about 500 miles of shoreline, the drive around the lake on the largest roads that circumnavigate it takes about 90 minutes.

The Smith Mountain Lake Dam is one of the largest dams in the United States, and the process to build it required extensive engineering and time. Six years passed between the start of construction and the first generation of electricity (1959-1965), though the lake itself didn’t fully fill until the following year. The dam itself is over 800 feet long and 235 feet long. It’s tall enough to have a 17-story elevator built into the dam itself!

Smith Mountain Lake Dam is the first in a series of two distinct dams. Further downstream is Leesville Lake, which ends in the smaller Leesville Dam.

Today, Smith Mountain Lake Dam is in operation to serve as an extra source of electricity during peak energy needs. When needed to meet customer demand, the dam can produce energy for up to 11 hours at a time. The dam is operated by Appalachian Power. This clean energy matches the clarity of the water in Smith Mountain Lake; studies by the local Ferrum College show the lake has some of the purest water in Virginia.

What to Do at Smith Mountain Lake Dam

Smith Mountain Lake Dam has several activities for visitors who make the drive. Because visitors approach the dam on the backside, the dam itself is uphill upon first approach. There is a large parking lot and picnic benches at the base. This area sits along the overflow from the dam in what is also Leesville Lake. From there, visitors can drive across the bridge and up the (paved) hillside to reach the Visitor’s Center. The Visitor’s Center includes two parts: an outside overlook and a museum inside the center.

We chose to explore the outside first, frankly not having high expectations for what we’d find inside (more on that in a minute!). There is an elevated walkway that visitors can use to get up to the overlook. Along the way, the dam is viewable from several spots. At the top, there is an outdoor picnic area/ampitheater space, several information placards to describe the dam’s construction, and a flat walk along a paved path, dotted with pine trees and pine needles. At the end of the path is a 500 ton head tower, a huge piece of equipment that is left over from the building of the dam. If you’ve ever wondered how on earth a huge dam is built, this will give you a small inkling. The head tower sat on a heavily banked railroad track, which it still sits on today, and served the purpose of connecting the trolley cable that ran across the ravine. The cable itself could hoist 20 ton loads, which I can’t even process.

After enjoying the views and history at the overlook, we headed back down the walkway and into the Visitor’s Center itself. We found - much to our surprise - a very modern and impressive museum. In addition to visually appealing displays and information, there were photos demonstrating various stages of the dam being built. There were several large, interactive maps that showed the area’s topography in one case and in another showed the working relationship between the Smith Mountain Lake Dam and its neighbor, Leesville Dam.

Why Visit Smith Mountain Lake Dam?

If you have ever wondered how things work, what goes into the building of a dam, and found feats of human engineering mesmerizing, this is a place for you. Particularly for those visiting the area for an extended period of time, this is an important acknowledgement of the history of the area. We have lived in the Roanoke area for over a decade, are well familiar with Smith Mountain Lake and have visited many times for short vacations or day trips, but had never visited the dam. It provides us with new appreciation for the area.

Is Smith Mountain Lake Dam Worth Visiting?

What makes the answer to this a bit complicated is that Smith Mountain Lake Dam is in a fairly rural area so is not accessible to a lot of people. For those in the area who are visiting Smith Mountain Lake, this is an interesting side trip, and we’d absolutely recommend it. We would absolutely recommend it to others. Check out the latest hours on the dam’s website here. They are typically closed two days per week, and those days vary seasonally.

Historic photo of Smith Mountain Lake Dam in its early days.

Entry hallway at the Smith Mountain Lake Dam visitor’s center.

Where is Smith Mountain Lake Dam?

Smith Mountain Lake Dam is one of the more rural areas near the lake, on its east coast. We visited while staying at Smith Mountain Lake State Park and while Google says it is a 25 minute drive, we opted to take a larger road instead of an unpaved option and so it was a 40 minute drive. The dam is situated right near the border of Bedford and Pittsylvania Counties. The closest town (population 1200) is Gretna, Virginia.

Directions to Smith Mountain Lake Dam

Below is a map showing the route we took from Smith Mountain Lake State Park to the Smith Mountain Lake Visitor’s Center. We had no issues with these roads or following the route; however, it is worth noting that cell phone and internet is spotty and there were times that we lost the GPS entirely. I would recommend saving a version of the directions offline that you can access.

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