Smith Mountain Lake Beach is the public swimming beach inside Smith Mountain Lake State Park, at the end of State Park Road on the north shore in Bedford County. It is easy to confuse with the dozens of private, subdivision and HOA beaches scattered along this reservoir, so it is worth being clear: this one is run by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, anyone can use it, and the park calls its 500-foot crescent of sand one of only two public beaches on the entire lake.

The water is impounded Roanoke River. Appalachian Power started Smith Mountain Dam in 1960 and closed it in 1963, and the reservoir came up to full pond in March 1966. It covers roughly 32 square miles, reaches about 220 feet deep near the dam, and sits near 795 feet of elevation when full. The Smith Mountain plant is a pumped storage operation paired with Leesville Lake downstream, which means the lake breathes up and down a foot or two in a normal day as water runs through the turbines and gets pushed back. At the beach that shows up as a waterline that has quietly moved by evening.

Guarded swimming runs from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday and holidays, contingent on staffing. The park posts a standing caution that beach hours often shrink during the last two weeks of August once the seasonal guards go back to school, so call the office (540-297-6066) if you are planning that stretch. When the tower is empty you may still swim inside the marked area, but it is at your own risk. Swimming anywhere else in the park, including the shoreline below the campground, is not designated and the park advises against it.

Two separate fees, both charged by Virginia State Parks. Parking is $7 per vehicle per day. Swimming is on top of that: $4 for ages 13 and up and $3 for ages 3 to 12 on weekdays, $5 and $4 on weekends, free for ages 2 and under. A season swim permit is $30 for adults and $20 for children, and groups of 10 or more pay a reduced per person rate. Cabin and campground guests get one day of guarded swimming per night of their stay during prime season.

The entry is graded sand that shelves out gently, which is why this beach fills with small children. The swim area is roped off with a buoy line, with a floating platform and slide anchored near the outer edge, and the drop-off into open reservoir is just beyond it. Smith Mountain Lake is a heavily used boating lake, and on an August Saturday you will watch ski boats and pontoons run past a couple of hundred feet off the buoys, so the line matters. In midsummer this is warm, soft Piedmont reservoir water rather than anything cold or clear, and it clouds up for a day or two after heavy rain. The Virginia Department of Health has posted harmful algal bloom advisories on parts of the lake in past summers, mostly up the Blackwater River arm rather than at the park, and it publishes current advisory status before you go.

A snack bar beside the beach sells burgers, sandwiches, wraps and ice cream through the same Memorial Day to Labor Day window, and there are changing areas plus a concrete ramp that runs down close to the water for wheelchair access. Tritoons, ski boats, jetskis, kayaks and paddleboards rent from the dock at the beach area. The rest of the park holds 13 hiking trails between half a mile and three miles, a boat ramp, an accessible fishing pier, a picnic area with a large playground, cabins with their own docks, and a campground. Gates are open 8:15 a.m. to dusk. To get there, take US 460 to Route 122 south to Moneta, go east on Route 608 to White House, then south on Route 626 for two miles. Roanoke and Lynchburg are each about 40 miles away.