Virginia’s Fairy Stone Lake is home to “fairy stones,” unusual staurolite (iron aluminum silicate hydroxide) diamond-shaped crystals. The 168-acre lake is surrounded by 4,741-acre Fairy Stone State Park, created by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The park is the largest of…
The 3000+ acre Leesville Lake is another of Virginia’s prolific fishing and outdoor recreation reservoirs. It is part of the Smith Mountain Lake hydropower generation project. Leesville Lake’s well-developed public recreation areas provide many opportunities for a fine mix of…
Lake Gaston covers 20,300 acres along 34 miles of Virginia and North Carolina real estate. The lake was created in 1963 by the Virginia Electric and Power Company (now Dominion Virginia Power) to generate hydroelectric power. Three lakes were created…
Snuggled into the Blue Ridge Mountains, the 2,880-acre Philpott Lake resides in southwestern Virginia’s Franklin, Henry, and Patrick Counties. The irregular-shaped reservoir stretches along the border of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Highlands and Southern tourism regions. The Army Corps of Engineers…
The 48,900-acre John H. Kerr Reservoir straddles the Virginia-North Carolina border. This impoundment of the Roanoke and Dan Rivers, completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1952, was created originally for flood control and for generation of hydroelectric…
With emerald green shores, sapphire blue skies, topaz blue waters, and soaring surrounding mountains, it’s clear why Smith Mountain Lake is nicknamed “Jewel of the Blue Ridge.” Nestled in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia’s most popular recreational lake offers 580…