Hiking at SML

Being out in nature is good for the soul and Smith Mountain Lake has some beautiful trails and parks to explore. One of them is Smith Mountain Lake Community Park that encompasses a wooded peninsula that stretches out into the lake. The trail leading out to the park passes through dense conifers to a mix of pines and deciduous woodland. The area hosts many of the resident birds found in the woods of the western Piedmont while providing an attractive site to look for migrant songbirds. The area’s almost 360-degree vista of open water on Smith Mountain Lake is ideal for searching for waterfowl. Some common sightings are loons, horned grebes and numerous waterfowl that you can see in the surrounding inlets; as well as, ring-billed gulls, double-crested cormorants, great blue herons and an occasional tern or other vagrant. You should also carefully search the lake shore for several species of damselflies and potentially half-a-dozen or more dragonfly species.

To get to this SML Community Park from Booker T. Washington National Monument, head east on 122 and travel 1.1 miles to Rt. 616, turn right and drive south 4.8 miles down Scruggs Road. Turn left onto Rt. 942 (at the Exxon) and continue 1.1 miles to Rt. 1291/Winding Waters Rd. Turn right and proceed 0.3 miles to the “T”-intersection with Winding Waters Drive. Stay right and follow the road 0.4 miles to Parkway Avenue. Turn left and drive 1.0 mile to the park at the end of the road.