Pit stop on our trip out west! We were traveling out I-81 South and decided to break up the trip…read morewith a stop at Claytor Lake. Researching online, I found Mountain 2 Island and ended up booking a 10:30am Tiki Tour boat ride of the lake. It ended up being a private tour with just me & my boyfriend. Jimmy was our captain, and he was super friendly and knowledgeable about the area. We had a great tour of the lake and a nice lunch at the Tiki Hut afterwards! Highly recommend this company...they also do boat, kayak and paddleboard rentals as well.

We found Mountain 2 Island Paddleboarding through Claytor Lake State Park (exit 101 off I-81)and…read morechecked out their website. They offer lessons and paddleboard rentals. Lessons are cheaper when you bring more people with you. When we gave them a call no one answered, but someone called right back. The man was extremely nice and answered all of my questions. They were also pretty flexible with reservations days and times which I thought was great. Mtn2Island is next to the Claytor Lake State Park visitor center. You have to pay the $5 dollar Park entrance fee (for park maintenance people, totally worth it!) Transactions were completed through Square using iPads (love that). They fitted us for a paddle, gave us a lifejacket (he said VA law requires you have one with you), and then we got to it. They had the paddleboards down by the dock, and the Mtn2Island people put them in the water for us. The instructor, Issac, was very calm and extremely patient while my younger sister (who is in her 30s by the way) was in hysterics about getting in the water. Another young lady, Rachel, came down to help coax her into giving it a try. It took them about 30 minutes to get her to get in the water, but she did. It was definitely harder than I thought it would be and I don't recommend doing squats the day before because my legs were killing me after, but it was a lot of fun and I would do it again. The waves from the nearby boat made it difficult for me to keep my balance and about that time my sister fell in (she was wearing her life jacket and was totally fine), but she got back on her board and we made it back to the docks.

This area recently opened. It has a gravel parking area (handicapped spot is paved), with concrete…read moresteps leading down to the Ararat river. Two wooden beams down the middle of the steps for boat access.

fantastic staff! great boats!…read moreeveryone was kind and friendly and the boats were in great condition. prices and policies are very fair! rented three times in a week and was FANTASTIC each time. 100% will be back.

This was our second time renting from Claytor Lake Water Sports. Check in is very thorough. They…read moreprovided dockside training and gave you an overview of the lake. They do not allow ANY alcohol on the boat. That goes for the driver and all passengers. They WILL check your coolers. This time we were able to rent their "Funtoon" on the 4th of July. We had 4 adults and 3 kids. The boat featured multiple adirondack chairs, a propane grill, swim platform, and best of all a porta-potty. The porta potty made boating all day with 3 kids bearable, but let's be honest...the adults enjoyed it as well. We rented a towable for the kids. The boat only has a 90HP engine and is "blocked" at the top of the throttle so you need to temper expectations. We had an issue with a tear in our tube, but it was quickly taken care of back at the dock. The staff replaced it with a new chariot style tube. We had a great time on the lake. We came out of the dock and went left to anchor and swim. We took the time to fix hamburgers and hot dogs while stopped. We then went a tubed for a long time and ended up at Rock House Marina. They had some live music, so it was nice to get off the boat and relax for a bit. Overall a great day... Filled up with gas at the end of the day and back to the campground.

We took our boys fishing here for the first time and had a blast! They have live bait (worms) to…read morepurchase and we brought our own fishing gear. You can even rent boats to fish out on the lake! Plus there are walking trails surrounding the lake - it's a beautiful place to spend a day. Bring a picnic and plan to make it an experience!

This marina is a quaint and relaxing "jumping off point" for getting out on the pristine Lake…read moreBrandt. For just $6 you can bring your own kayak, SUP, or canoe to launch on their sandy little beach. Or you can rent one of their kayaks. Even on weekends with decent weather I've seen them mostly available on the spot. There are also options for an annual pass, fishing, and even a paved ramp to put in motorized boats. You could also very easily just sit and relax here by the waterside or stroll around. But if you want to get on the lake, this is the prime spot. Bird watching along the shoreline is great from the vantage point of the kayak. With a vast array of birdsong to ID, you can even see kingfishers ducking, diving, and doing anything to ruin your chances of proving they exist with a photograph. But at least you can enjoy a quiet and relaxing float to ease the soul.

My fiancé and I had a wonderful time if it would've not rained the whole time we could've been able…read moreto swim.

We stayed at campsite 39 from Sunday to Monday, so we had the place ourselves from Sunday afternoon…read morethrough Monday morning. Well-appointed tent sites w/overlooks through the woods down to the lake w/a picnic table & trash hook, prkg for multiple vehicles , and a fire pit w/room for tents of any size and chairs/hammocks. Easy walk to the restrooms/showers & they have a ranger that makes rounds throughout the day/nite. Super easy drive to the lake for kayak put-in and swimming section. Very clean, safe and a great price!

I came to this campground after I looked on line to see if I could fish during the night for…read morecatfish. The answer came back that registered campers could but not general public. Park day use areas close down at 10 PM. According to the Internet, they only close these fishing areas at 10 PM for daytime visitors but last registered campers fish all night. At 10PM, we were asked to leave the fishing pier. I mentioned what the Internet said and the ranger seemed baffled and said that it's not true so we had to leave. He did say he would look into it because it was important to him that people had the right info. Problem is, during the summer, in this part of the country, the water gets hot and the fish go deep. Being a bank angler, it's impossible to catch any catfish during the day, they only come shallow at night. The bass fishing is the same. Fishermen and hunters pay for the bulk of what it costs to keep these parks operational yet when we would like to use them, we get the shaft. This quote is from the VA Outdoors Management : A lot of our funding to help conserve wildlife and habitat comes from public spending on things like fishing and hunting licenses, tags, or stamps, boat registrations, and via a federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition. Those sources of financial support have helped us protect hundreds of species and their habitat for over 100 years, but there's always more we can do for Virginia's wildlife. That's where you come in. You too can become a steward of the outdoors by supporting our work or working with us -- whether you hunt, fish, and boat or simply enjoy the outdoors. So, you can see what I'm saying. It is not right or fair that everyone else gets to do what they want but we flip the bill for it. Then our rights keep getting tanked. They put hiking trails and bike trails and beaches for swimming, but keep taking away hunting and fishing rights and they keep raising the prices. Hunters and fishermen are always on the bottom of the list of whom these people cater to. It's not fair or just. At the very least, we should be able to fish when we want especially when that is the only time those fish will bite!!!

This park is one of those ones that feels like a private to public site; the majestic house at the…read morelakefront has been turned into a visitor center. The visitor center has a room or two of exhibitions on hydrology and wildlife but is not anything big. I came seeking a New Year's hike and expecting some scenery while being unsure if the amount of trails available would be enough. I managed to spend a solid two hours circumnavigating the place. In summer, swimming and boating are more likely the activities du jour, and it appears to be an excellent place for such activities. While the park looks close to the highway on the map, it feels like being at a park and there isn't any road noise. Like most VA state parks, they do charge for parking (waived for New Year's Day).

Our group of 8 rented a pontoon boat from SMBR this weekend. The owners Jason and Jenny were great…read moreto work with. They even delivered the boat and picked us up to return. We will definitely return and rent from them again. Friendly, flexible and accommodating - thanks so much Jenny!

Exceptional service.. lovely houseboat - the one we stayed on for 3 days was called the Millie…read more"T".. we rented jet skiis and a motor speed boat for one of the days.. we had such a blast! The houseboat had a slide on the rooftop deck that was so fun to use. We had packed food for ourselves so that we did not need to leave the houseboat for those 3 days. That way we maximized our time in the water! Would love to do this trip again!

The pricing here for a pontoon boat is one of the best you'll find in Smith Mountain. The trade off…read morefor that price is boat speed. Our boat was SLOW. Ever other boat was passing us in the lake, including every other pontoon boat. The boat itself was clean and worked well but was a bit torn up and dented in places. Only other complaint was the horn and radio not working - supposed to be used to signal danger, etc. They said we had to use the whistle instead of the horn. We asked if we could just get a different boat and the woman replied "I think none of our boats have horns that work."

A beautiful little hidden gem tucked away! It was a beautiful day and I wanted a spot to eat my…read morelunch and found this park. My picnic table was right by the water. If you don't see this lake on the map, you will miss it!

Water is so calming! If you're stressed or overwhelmed I suggest you find a body of water! This…read morelake is stunning. There are two trails to walk, lots of green grass for picnics, two play structures and they offer boats! You can also fish!