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 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.
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.
On the other side of the county, thousands make their home on the dual lakes of Smith Mountain and Leesville. 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.
In contrast to Smith Mountain, the growth along Leesville Lake, which divides Pittsylvania and Bedford counties, has been more relaxed. Realtors say 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 fishing also is good, with the state-record striped bass taken from its waters in 2000.