Agency-listedVirginia DWR · dispersedFreeOpen today
Smith Mountain Cooperative WMA
Dispersed · public land · VA · 37.01470, -79.56327
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Ask about this camp →The land manager lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
Can I go now? — Smith Mountain Cooperative WMA · public land · VA
Open today Year-round per the agency record.
public land record: “Year-round” Read against the calendar on 2026-09-18; with JavaScript your browser re-checks it against today.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Smith Mountain Cooperative WMA
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,755 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Smith Mountain Cooperative WMANIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Smith Mountain Cooperative WMA · public land · VA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- ShShower3 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- PPropane7 mi
- +Urgent care11 mi
- HHardware11 mi
- MMechanic11 mi
- RxPharmacy12 mi
- LLaundry12 mi
- OOutfitter12 mi
- EVEV fast charger19 mi
- AAir-up21 mi
- WWater25 mi
- DDump30 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 25-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 4 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Smith Mountain Cooperative WMA
Access
Dispersed
Land
public land · dispersed
Elevation
1,755 ft
State
VA
Coordinates
37.01470, -79.56327
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Smith Mountain Cooperative WMA · public land · VA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townUnion Hall · ~6.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelCarl's Place · ~4.0 mi
- Propane / LPGLake Mart & Deli · ~7.0 mi
- Dump station~30.0 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~4.2 mi
- PharmacyGretna Drug · ~11.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~10.8 mi
- HardwareCapps Home Building Center · ~11.0 mi
EV charging — from Smith Mountain Cooperative WMA · public land · VA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger18.6 mi straight-line W — Duncan Ford Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Rocky Mount, VA (at a public site) · RED_E · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 37 within 50 · 189 within 100 · 442 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)22.3 mi — Bedford, VA - Tesla Supercharger, Bedford
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO27.3 mi — City of Roanoke, Roanoke
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)21.7 mi — Berglund Ford Buick GMC, Bedford, VA · Blink Network · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — E&S Mart's Two Sisters Tap Room and Deli - Tesla Destination, Altavista, 17.4 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 447281 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Smith Mountain Cooperative WMA · public land · VA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomVisitor Center · ~12.0 mi NW · NPS
- RestroomVINT MP 120.45 B466 RM PA Loop A Front CS · ~26.1 mi NW · NPS
- RestroomVINT MP 120.45 B467 RM PA Loop A Walk In Sites CS · ~26.1 mi NW · NPS
- RestroomVINT MP 120.45 B465 RM PA Loop A Back CS · ~26.2 mi NW · NPS
Open Smith Mountain Cooperative WMA elsewhere
Other camps near Smith Mountain Cooperative WMA
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Turkeycock Mountain WMA~15.4 mi
- White Oak Mountain WMA~20.1 mi
How we know this — Smith Mountain Cooperative WMA
Fire rules
It is unlawful to leave a campfire unattended. From February 15 to April 30 campfires are allowed only between the hours of 4:00 PM and midnight.
Open season
Year-round
Stay limit
14 nights (up to 14 consecutive nights)
Permit
A new regulation (4VAC15-20-155) effective January 1, 2021 makes it unlawful to camp on Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) without written authorization. There is no charge for camping authorizations at this time. Camping authorization can be obtained from the Go Outdoors Virginia website or any DWR license agent. Any person 17 years of age or older who does not possess a valid hunting, fishing, trapping license or boat registration is required to purchase an access permit or Restore the Wild membership, which includes an access permit, to visit and utilize a WMA.
Area rules
Camping is only allowed in previously cleared locations; no vegetation can be cut to make room for a camp. It is unlawful to camp within 300 feet of any lake or facility (building, boat ramp, etc.). Camping is prohibited in certain other areas as displayed on WMA maps, publicized on WMA kiosks or where posted as "No Camping."
Source
public land records
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Virginia DWR Wildlife Management Area, Bedford and Pittsylvania counties. DWR flags this WMA as offering Primitive Camping. NO FIRES. DWR's General WMA Rules state camping is allowed on Smith Mountain Coop WMA but no fires are permitted. Land is owned by Appalachian Power Company and co-managed by DWR. Two primary parking areas open year round. Camping authorization required (free, Go Outdoors Virginia, listed under Special Licenses). Anyone 17+ also needs a VA hunting/fishing/trapping license, boat registration, Access Permit or Restore the Wild membership. Primitive camping up to 14 consecutive nights and no more than 14 nights in any 28-day period. Camping only in previously cleared locations; no cutting vegetation. Unlawful to camp on or within 300 ft of any boat ramp, fishing lake or facility, or where posted. Campfires may not be left unattended; Feb 15-Apr 30 campfires are allowed only 4:00 PM to midnight. Food must be stored so wildlife cannot reach it. Pack it in, pack it out. COORDINATES ARE A COMPUTED REPRESENTATIVE POINT inside the largest tract of DWR's own boundary polygon (4040.1 acres of 5015.4 acres total across 3 tract(s)), NOT a surveyed campsite. DWR states there are no established campsites on WMAs. Sources read 2026-08-17: https://dwr.virginia.gov/wma/ (Primitive Camping amenity flag) | https://dwr.virginia.gov/camping-on-wmas/ | https://dwr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/media/wma-rules.pdf (General WMA Rules) | boundary geometry from https://services.dwr.virginia.gov/arcgis/rest/services/HUB_Layers/DWR_WMA_Boundaries/FeatureServer/0 WMA page: https://dwr.virginia.gov/wma/smith-mountain-cooperative/ | auto:agency-trust 2026-08-18: state agency GIS record with a source URL and coordinates, confidence not low. Fee value is the agency's own, not field-checked. Not field-verified -- confirm access, road conditions and fire rules before you go.
Season
Read from the agency's own season / closure text in this record (data/conditions.py) and checked against the calendar. The words we read are printed under the verdict at the top of the page.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Smith Mountain Cooperative WMA
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Smith Mountain Cooperative WMA
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →