Biking & Beauty

As much as recreation is a part of the lake, so too are the sweeping water and mountain views. Now all of those elements have been combined into a 50-mile bike trail on the Bedford County side of the lake. Mike Dittrich, from WDBJ7 and a part-time lake resident, came up with the idea for a trail as another way to celebrate the lake’s 50th anniversary. The scenic route begins at Smith Mountain Lake State Park in Huddleston and meanders along several of the county’s less-traveled roads. Thanks to $7500 from the 50th anniversary’s steering committee and a matching grant from the Bedford County Board of Supervisors back in 2016, signs have been posted along the route to direct riders. The route is ideal for all levels of bicyclists and gives riders the option of only doing a portion of the trail or the entire route.

Another great place to bike is in the Smith Mountain Lake State Park. You can park near the swimming beach and ride up to the Visitor Center or for a road with less vehicle traffic, park at the Visitor Center (or the Discovery Center) and bike Interpretive Trail Road. It has a few moderate hills after the trail heads for Turtle Island and Chestnut Ridge). For a more challenging ride, bike Overnight Road that has large hills both ways. For children learning to ride, the Discovery Center parking lot might be the place to make the move off training wheels. There are four trails that are offered at SML State Park for hiking or biking. Chestnut (1.9 miles) and Turtle Island Trail (1.3 miles) are considered moderately difficult and Lake View Trail (.5 miles) and Tobacco Run Trail (.7 miles) are considered easy.