VA · Roanoke River
Last updated
Smith Mountain Lake is 5.5 ft below full pool — below full pool; confirm access with the operator before you go.
Roanoke River hydro lake in the Virginia Blue Ridge — Bedford / Franklin / Pittsylvania shoreline.
Full pool
795.0 ft
Published full-pond elevation, not a live surface reading
Last 24 hours
No 24-hour change published
Last 7 days
No reading far enough back to compare
Smith Mountain is a Roanoke River hydro lake behind Appalachian Power’s dam, not a Corps flood-storage pool. The surface usually moves in a narrower band than a Savannah or Etowah flood-control lake: generation and the Leesville afterbay set the daily wiggle more than a winter hole. Seasonal “fill” here is modest; a big swing is news, not the calendar.
Full pond is 795.0 ft. AEP’s operating license keeps recreation nearer that figure than a Savannah or Mobile District flood-control lake would. A foot down matters on this shoreline because so much of it is bulkhead and slip rather than clay bank. Sitting above 795 is high water — not a recommendation to launch.
Bedford, Franklin, and Pittsylvania docks are the product: covered slips, lifts, and short approaches. One foot of draft can leave a lift pad high or a neighbor’s jet-ski port dry while the marked channel is still deep. We do not keep a marina-by-marina status board.
The dam and the Hales Ford / Booker T. Washington crossing are the usual landmarks; Leesville below the dam is a different pool and should not be read off this elevation. AEP notices and any county ramp posting are the access source. High water in the creek arms after a storm is a reason to slow down, not a reason to treat every ramp as the move.
Smith Mountain Lake sits on the Roanoke River in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Water level data is provided by Appalachian Power. Full pond is 795.0 ft. The latest reading is 789.49 ft.
37.0413°N, 79.5356°W
A small badge a marina, lake association or guide can paste on their site. It always includes a link back to Smith Mountain Lake on LakeLevels — that is the entire point.
Recommended — places a real link on the host page.