Best Virginia Lakes for Boating

36 Virginia lakes meet our boating bar — each has a cited public-access or conditions signal behind it. Top of the list: Smith Mountain Lake in Bedford County. Ranked by public boat ramps and marinas, then surface acres; surface acreage and live readings are shown where published.

Public boat ramps come from VDWR open data; marinas from OpenStreetMap; surface acres from USGS NHD or cited research.

  1. 1

    Smith Mountain Lake

    Bedford County, VA20,600 acres

    10 marinas

    See full conditions & things to do
  2. 2

    Claytor Lake

    Pulaski County, VA4,472 acres

    2 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  3. 3

    Leesville Lake

    Pittsylvania County, VA3,270 acres

    2 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  4. 4

    Briery Creek Lake

    Prince Edward County, VA845 acres

    2 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  5. 5

    Lake Frederick

    Frederick County, VA117 acres

    1 public boat ramp · 1 marina

    See full conditions & things to do
  6. 6

    Lake Anna

    Louisa County, VA13,000 acres

    1 marina

    See full conditions & things to do
  7. 7

    Lake Chesdin

    Chesterfield County, VA3,100 acres

    1 public boat ramp

    See full conditions & things to do
  8. 8

    Lake Moomaw

    Alleghany County, VA2,530 acres

    1 public boat ramp

    See full conditions & things to do
  9. 9

    Diascund Reservoir

    James City County, VA1,110 acres

    1 public boat ramp

    See full conditions & things to do
  10. 10

    Sandy River Reservoir

    Prince Edward County, VA740 acres

    1 public boat ramp

    See full conditions & things to do
  11. 11

    Laurel Bed Lake

    Russell County, VA330 acres

    1 public boat ramp

    See full conditions & things to do
  12. 12

    Burke Lake

    Fairfax County, VA218 acres

    1 public boat ramp

    See full conditions & things to do
  13. 13

    Great Creek Watershed Lake

    Brunswick County, VA212 acres

    1 public boat ramp

    See full conditions & things to do
  14. 14

    Mill Reservoir

    Amherst County, VA189 acres

    1 public boat ramp

    See full conditions & things to do
  15. 15

    Nottoway Lake

    Nottoway County, VA188 acres

    1 public boat ramp

    See full conditions & things to do

More best-of lists for Virginia lakes

Virginia boating — frequently asked

What is the best lake for boating in Virginia?

Smith Mountain Lake in Bedford County tops the list — 10 marinas. 36 Virginia lakes qualify for this list overall.

How is this Virginia boating list ranked?

Every lake on the list has a cited public-access or conditions signal — never an opinion. We rank by total public ramps (VDWR) + marinas (OpenStreetMap), then by surface acreage (USGS NHD). LakeVibe doesn't invent rankings: a lake only appears here when the data already supports it.

Which Virginia lakes are best for boating?

Our top picks are Smith Mountain Lake, Claytor Lake, Leesville Lake, Briery Creek Lake. Tap any lake for its full conditions, things to do, and where to stay.