Where the routes run
These areas are ordered by where the region’s boats actually live, which is why the lake towns come before the city. Every page is written for its own water.
Moneta
The center of gravity for Smith Mountain Lake boating. The Hales Ford Bridge marina cluster, Bridgewater Plaza and most of the lake’s slip inventory sit in Moneta, split across Bedford and Franklin counties (8,796 and 11,420 registered boats).
See Moneta details
Huddleston
The state park side of the lake. Smith Mountain Lake State Park, Parkway Marina and the four-marina Craddock Creek cluster (Lake Haven, Craddock Creek, Mitchell’s Point, Mariners Landing) put thousands of Bedford County’s 8,796 registered boats within a short idle of Huddleston.
See Huddleston details
Hardy
Upstream Roanoke channel gateway. Indian Point and Bay Rock marinas plus the Hardy Ford public launch make Hardy the closest lake access for the Roanoke and Vinton commuter side, feeding a steady population of Franklin County’s 11,420 registered boats.
See Hardy details
Union Hall
Blackwater channel south shore. Pelican Point Yacht Club and Magnum Point Marina anchor a dense pocket of Franklin County boats (11,420 registered county-wide, the most of any county on the lake) with no upholstery shop of any kind nearby.
See Union Hall details
Penhook
The quiet far south shore. Lumpkins, Lakeside and Palmer’s marinas plus The Dock at SML and two public launches (Anthony Ford, Penhook) serve the lower Blackwater arms, far from every incumbent shop in Lynchburg or Rocky Mount.
See Penhook details
Wirtz
The Westlake corridor. Gills Creek Marina plus the Westlake Corner commercial hub put Wirtz at the retail center of the Franklin County lakeshore, on the Route 122 corridor every south-shore boater drives.
See Wirtz details
Goodview
Upper Roanoke channel, Bedford County side. Moorman’s Marina at channel marker R77 serves narrow upriver water where boats moor under trees, trading sun damage for sap, mildew and debris wear.
See Goodview details
Lynchburg
The metro anchor. Lynchburg city registers 527 boats and its shops, storage yards and driveways hold many of the trailer boats that run to Smith Mountain Lake and Leesville Lake on weekends. The head-term search market lives here.
See Lynchburg details
Forest
Bedford County’s biggest bedroom community and the highest-income boat-owner base in the metro. Forest driveways and garages store a large share of the trailered boats that run Route 811 and 122 to the lake.
See Forest details
Bedford
The county seat and the Route 122 gateway to the lake’s north shore. Bedford County holds 8,796 registered boats, a number that has grown every year since 2016, and much of the town’s boat traffic funnels through to Moneta twenty minutes south.
See Bedford details
Altavista
Campbell County’s river-boating hub. English Park’s ramp puts jon boats and bass rigs on the Staunton River, with Leesville Lake’s 3,400 acres just upstream. Campbell County registers 1,782 boats and no upholstery service claims it.
See Altavista details