Research reveals the following facts about Smith Lake:
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- What: "earthen dam," one of the largest of its kind in the eastern United States
- Type: earth and rock-filled
- Elevation 510' ASL (above sea level)
- Cost: $29 million project
- Generators: Two (2) generators, rating 78,750 kilowatts each
- Dam size: the lake is held by a manmade 300 ft earthen dam, approximately 2,200' long - one of few in the country, and among the largest
Rock Creek, Smith Lake
- Reservoir Size: Approximately 21,200 acres of deep clean clear emerald green water
- Shoreline Size: over 642 miles of shoreline
- Volume: the volume of the lake is approx 1,670,700 acre feet
- Length: A debatable length, depending on water level, from end-to-end is about 35 miles
- Watershed: the watershed area is over 900 square miles (drainage area 944 square miles), with a retention time of about 435 days, a maximum depth near 264 feet, and surface elevation at 510 feet
- When: Alabama Power Company began construction on 11/25/1957, the dam was dedicated on 5/23/1961 "Dedication Day", and was put into service on 9/5/1961, its "In Service Date," aka its "Birthday." That's right, Smith Lake has a few "birthdays" that we celebrate! On Dedication Day, the dam was formally named and other formalities executed, but there wasn't yet adequate water behind the dam to actually make the lake full as we know it today. However, later that year near the "In Service Date" the lake was full far ahead of the anticipated period and was actually a lake nearer to a proper pool level so that the dam was able to be truly "In Service;" therefore, we celebrate 9/5/1961 as its birthday each year.
- In service: As stated above, the dam entered service in 1961 on September 5 after record rainfall that year helped to fill the lake much earlier than expected
- Where: completed in 1961 by Alabama Power Company primarily for energy purposes, impounding the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River
- Why: The lake was created as a source of energy, its history begins with the need for hydroelectric power. However, it also provides flood control, recreation and economic opportunity, irrigation and drinking water, plus it is a fish and wildlife habitat nestled on its northwest end into the southern side of the treasured William B. Bankhead National Forest which holds the Sipsey Wilderness Area and the treasured headwaters of the lake area.
- Water levels: The water level of Smith Lake averages in fluctuation from near 496', normal winter pool, to 510', normal summer pool, and can be more or less depending on rainfall and watershed conditions. Drawdown average of about 14' from late summer pool to winter pool is known to be a very normal occurrence. APC operates an average generator schedule that can be seen on their site apcshorelines.com, or through their "Smart Lakes" app, where they inform the community of current conditions. Local property owners know to stay aware of the 520' and 522' and 524' marks on their properties in times of extreme weather, and diligently keep watch on conditions during those weather events to provide timely maintenance for floating docks, shorelines, and property. Only floating docks are allowed on Smith Lake due to these expected fluctuation periods. There is a spillway, a manmade built-in relief system, built across the road from the Smith Lake Dam boat launch area that would become operable at a 522' flood level, and to date it has never come into play, and remains an emergency-only relief.
- Shape: The lake offers a few wide open bays, but most all channels are long and narrow and winding through the three counties it lies in. There are countless creeks, coves and sloughs feeding off the channels begging to be explored. At times the lake visually resembles a river as it has easy shore visibility of both sides at all times, but it is not a river and has no discernable current. The overall shape of the lake has been said to resemble a crooked "W" if viewing focus is the 3 main channels of Ryan Creek, Rock Creek and Sipsey.
- Location: located in the center of North Alabama, about 35 miles north of Birmingham off I65 and about 45 miles southwest of Huntsville off I65. A normal drive from Birmingham or Huntsville is about an hour to the central lake area and about 2.5 hours from the Nashville, TN area. (see map below)
- The lake lies within 3 counties: Cullman, Walker & Winston
- By road each of the anchor capital cities (Cullman, Jasper and Double Springs)—imagine them in a triangle formation—are on average, about 45 mins apart
- Another anchor city, Arley, AL is known as the "Heart of Smith Lake" and actually lies in a geographical heart formation on the lake. See our article about this!
- Depths: water depths in the deep channels can average around 150 ft+ depending on water levels. As the land slopes into the lake, there can be very steep underwater drop-offs to deep water in some areas, others offer a more gradual slope into 30-50+ depths in the shallower areas of the lake. There are sandy bottom areas, rocky shoreline areas, and sheer rock cliff areas depending on the terrain surrounding a location. The average depth is often reported to be about 65-70' if considering full lakeside depths (shallowest to deepest).
- River: The Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River, Alabama's well-known and only wild and scenic river, flows through the Bankhead National Forest and through the Smith Lake area, releasing into the Black Warrior River area below the dam.
- Creeks/Branches: many dozens of beautiful creeks/streams/branches feed into the lake, the main creeks/channels are mostly known locally as Sipsey Fork, Rock Creek, and Ryan Creek. Other well known creeks or areas are: Ryan Creek's Goat Island bay area, Simpson Creek, Miller Flats, Sulphur Springs/Lick Branch, Pigeon Roost, Coon Creek, Crooked Creek, White Oak Creek, Dismal Creek, Bear Branch, Clear Creek, Brushy Creek, and Yellow Creek, but there are so many other creeks and branches. A detailed google map is linked below.
- Protected areas: the northwestern side of the lake's watershed is surrounded by the 180k acre William B. Bankhead National Forest including Sipsey Wilderness in the southern portion of the Cumberland Plateau
- The Sipsey Wilderness "Land of a Thousand Waterfalls" lies within the Bankhead National Forest
- Terrain: many types of natural terrain exist all over the lake from end-to-end—flat lots that step gently into the lake, and more often beautiful high ground sloping sharply off the water on picturesque rocky banks offering grand views, as well as steep rock bluffs, deep ravines and rocky shorelines. A favorite feature for nice clear water year round is a good strong rock bluff shoreline.
- Access: getting to the lake is quick and easy - access the Cullman side primarily off I-65 from Exits 299, 304 & 309, and for the Walker side, off the Jasper veins from I-22, and the Winston side can be accessed through Cullman and Walker as well. For reference, distances from the popular 299 Exit from I65 are: about 40 minutes to Birmingham AL (40 miles), about 1 hour to Huntsville AL (60 miles), about 2 hours & 20 mins to Nashville, TN (150 miles)
Jamie & Amy Makemson, Photo by: The Lakeside Life
- Activities: there are so many activities to enjoy on Smith Lake:
- Boating - all kinds of motor operated or man powered vehicles (i.e. cabin cruisers, wakeboard boats, wakesurf boats, pontoons, jet boats, fishing boats, kayaks, canoes, jet-skis, even sailboats in designated areas, etc.)
- Watersports - enjoy anything you like such as wakeboarding, wakesurfing, wakeskating, waterskiing, slalom, kneeboarding, barefooting, hydrofoiling, wakefoiling, surf foiling, efoiling tubing, stand-up paddle boarding (SUP), etc. (and be sure to check out local watersports shop Lakeside Gear @lakesidegear or great pricing on special orders delivered locally to your door and Pine Valley Outdoor Living @pvoutdoorliving for rentals of lots of watersports equipment and recreational equipment.
- Fishing - enjoy angling on the reservoir or fly fishing below the reservoir on the peaceful waters of the Black Warrior River. You will find the lake area provides great fishing. Common catches are: Crappie, Bream, Striped Bass, Spotted Bass, White and Largemouth Bass; Channel & Flathead Catfish, and there are Rainbow Trout provided in the area below the dam for those who love fly-fishing - be sure to check out lessons at well-known Riverside Fly Shop.
- Wildlife spotting - there are abundant common wildlife in the area such as deer, fox, raccoons, groundhogs, chipmunks, etc. It has been reported there are small mountain lions, coyotes and small black bear in the area too, but these would be very few and far between if at all in any given season.
- Birdwatching - gorgeous birds commonly found in the southeast are proliferate here as well as Eagles, Blue Herons, Mallard Ducks, Canadian Geese, Loons, Kingfishers, many songbirds, hummingbirds, etc...
- And there are so many more general lake activities - swimming, camping, hiking - the possibilities are simply endless.
- Visiting Smith Lake Landmarks aka #spotsonsmith - find many of the favorite spots on Smith Lake through maps on our MAP page in the LOCAL INFO tab. We often cover these favorite spots in our magazine, and soon we'll have a page dedicated to these spots.
- AND... that's just ON the lake - the three counties that surround the lake offer so much more to do outside the lake area year round - such as the Jasper Main Street area in Jasper's historical downtown area, and the Cullman Warehouse District in the historical area of Cullman that lies near the old Train Depot and right beside Cullman's famous railroad tracks. A visit to the local Chambers of Commerce offer a wealth of information about the counties that surround the lake (see links below).
If you would like more information about our area, we encourage you to check with the local Chamber of Commerce for each city/county and/or the tourism boards in those areas. In true southern style and hospitality, they will all graciously provide even more detailed and factual information about their specific areas.
- Cullman Area - Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce and Cullman Parks, Recreation and Tourism
- Walker Area - The Chamber of Commerce of Walker County
- Winston Area - Haleyville Area Chamber of Commerce
We have gathered these facts from numerous sources for the benefit of our community, so please feel free to offer any edits. Call/text us at 256-708-7679 or email us at thelakesidelife@gmail.com
DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that this list is informational only. We are not attempting to claim we are the experts on all the details listed. Information is often provided by our readers, locals, or through random team research. It is the responsibility of each individual to make an informed, educated and personal preference decision about history and facts of the area they chose to believe. We are not responsible for presenting information legally as facts. Individuals must make determinations on their own by wisely weighing facts and statistics presented from comparable resources or personal research. Again, we are not responsible for exact legal facts as we are simply providing fun facts and figures to the best of our knowledge and research. We hope you enjoy. Thank you!