Rivers and Lakes Provide Plenty of Outdoor Recreation Opportunities
lakes, parks, recreation,
With the Dan River snaking through the southern half of the county and the dual lakes of Smith Mountain and Leesville to the north, Pittsylvania County suffers no shortage of fun for outdoor enthusiasts.
The river that gave Danville its name remains at the heart of recreational activities – in and out of the water. The Dan River borders several of the community’s parks, including the 150-acre Dan Daniel Memorial, Anglers, Abreu-Grogan and Camilla Williams parks.
One of the chief pursuits on the Dan River is paddling, with canoeists and kayakers visiting from all over the region to take advantage of this natural treasure.
When the weather warms, Danville’s parks, recreation and tourism department leads weekly kayaking trips on the river. One trip that leaves from Abreu-Grogan features a calm paddle where participants can bask in the scenery, while the Dan Daniel-to-Anglers Park trip is a faster moving journey over class II rapids.
“There are different scenarios and scenery on each trip,” says Jason Bookheimer, assistant director for outdoor activities for the parks department.
And the paddling opportunities aren’t limited to the Dan. Additional courses on the Staunton and Roanoke rivers and other waterways provide further challenges for the hundreds of canoeists and kayakers.
Along the way, these paddlers are sure to run into local residents working the county’s waters for any number of freshwater fish. Channel catfish are a year-round specialty of the Dan River, while white perch, striped bass and blue catfish run in season, according to Dan Wilson of the Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries.
On the other side of the county, thousands make their home on the dual lakes of Smith Mountain and Leesville lakes.
Smith Mountain Lake was created when Smith Mountain Gap was dammed in 1961. Leesville Lake was formed at the same time with the construction of Leesville Dam.
Smith Mountain is the larger of the two lakes, a 40-mile long body with 500 miles of shoreline and reaching into three counties: Pittsylvania, Bedford and Franklin. More than 18,000 Virginians make their homes around the lake.
Smith Mountain offers a variety of water activities, including fishing, swimming and boating, plus even more activities along the shore.
In contrast to Smith Mountain, the growth along Leesville Lake, which divides Pittsylvania and Bedford counties, has been more relaxed.
“Development has really taken off in the last 10 years, but it was 20-25 years behind Smith Mountain,” says Kyle Goldsmith, who handles development of lake properties for Eagle Pointe Shores. “It will never see the level of development or density as Smith Mountain.”
But the 17-mile long lake, with 110 miles of shoreline, offers almost everything that its big brother does.
The lake is a favorite of motorboat enthusiasts, with water skiing, jet skis and pontoon boats all getting regular use on the water. The lake has a mixture of private communities and publicly available sites, including four public boat launches.
The fishing also is good, with the state-record striped bass taken from its waters in 2000. And its clean waters, as verified by the state, ensure the great angling will continue.
Surrounding the lake are 200 acres of natural parkland, including miles of walking trails for those who like to get near, but not in, the water.
Story by Dan Markham
