Alabama probably isn’t the first place you’d think to go for a splashing water vacation (hello, Florida). But the state’s glistening Gulf Coast, with its many beaches and parks, is still a crowd-pleaser, drawing 8 million visitors each year. The state is also absolutely swimming with waterways and lakes, and we’re not talking little puddles either. Case in point: Lake Guntersville, Alabama’s largest lake, which covers almost 70,000 surface acres. That’s pretty impressive, but if you want to take a dive into the Heart of Dixie’s deepest bowl of water, slather on that sunscreen and head on over to Lewis Smith Lake.
You’ll find this beauty roughly 70 miles away from the gargantuan Guntersville in the upper portion of the state. It stretches out just to the north of Birmingham, Alabama’s artsy city known for its food scene. Sinking down for more than 260 feet, this reservoir is downright massive, too. Lewis Smith Lake, or Smith Lake as it’s also known, boasts more than 20,000 surface acres of water and hundreds upon hundreds of miles of shoreline.
“It meanders through three counties in Alabama, each offering a different scenic view,” one local shared on Tripadvisor, adding that the reservoir’s terrain covers everything from “beautiful bluffs to woodland forest to grassy sloped lawns.” Beloved for its clear waters, Smith Lake is great for a day of boating or camping the night away.
Make a splash in Lewis Smith Lake
Alabama’s Lewis Smith Lake was created in the early 1960s by the construction of a dam along the winding Black Warrior River. The gaping reservoir has three main fingers, and each one has many smaller branches of its own to explore. The Sipsey Arm is furthest west, the Ryan Creek Arm stretches out to the east, and the Rock Creek Arm snakes its way up through the middle…