Smith Mountain Lake Community Park
Park
39 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
C−Outdoors
Outdoors in North Shore
North Shore has 5.1 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Smith Mountain Lake Community Park (2.1 mi). 49 acres are parks and preserves, 13 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 24% of U.S. towns · #227 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
under 1%
45 acres · of 14.0 sq mi of land
Trails
5.1 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
49 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
4
4 beaches · 4 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Shore have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Shore is ahead of 24% of U.S. towns, #227 of 253 in Virginia. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Shore’s overall grade.
Conserved landunder 1% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%C−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (49 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home0% of residents within a half mile of a park · VA 76% · U.S. 72%D−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 24%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 10%
Water is 32% of North Shore’s area (6 of 20 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read under 1%.
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in North Shore. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Smith Mountain Lake Community Park, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Scruggs Boat Launch
Park
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
45 conserved acres
under 1% of North Shore’s land. Water is left out: North Shore has 14.0 square miles of land and 6.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages North Shore’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County45 ac
Not recorded45 ac
Local Park · 89 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Mountain Lake Community Park Local Park | Not recorded | 89 | Open |
Things to do
11 places to go in North Shore
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in North Shore
4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in North Shore
Smith Mountain Lake Community Park PlaygroundIn Smith Mountain Lake Community Park
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in North Shore
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in North Shore
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
2Tennis
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
John Craghead HouseBuilding · listed 2022
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in North Shore: April and August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 51 | 59 | 70 | 77 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 79 | 70 | 59 | 50 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.4 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in North Shore →
Next door
North Shore and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Shore | under 1% | 0.4 | 13 | under 1% | C− |
| Westlake Corner | 4% | 0.5 | 120 | 8% | B |
| Union Hall | under 1% | 0.7 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Penhook | 2% | 1.3 | 5 | 6% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Shore
Where can I hike in North Shore?
The longest trail networks: Smith Mountain Lake Community Park, 2.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Shore is conserved land?
under 1% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Virginia town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on North Shore’s trails?
Smith Mountain Lake Community Park and Scruggs Boat Launch don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near North Shore?
2,383 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Shore or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 49 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does North Shore have?
Ahead of 24% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #227 of 253 in Virginia. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from North Shore neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →