Does Anyone Know anything about Lewis Smith lake? (homes, price)

Southlander · 06-12-2007, 09:24 PM

Oh! Canny.....

riverats · 06-13-2007, 11:09 AM

Sorry for the confusion. We are not developing National Forest property, but private lands owned by us within and adjacent to the governments lands.

deb1207 · 06-17-2007, 12:05 AM

Hello. I know about Lewis Smith Lake; I swam in it just the other day. Lovely place. I got off of I-65 coming from Birmingham at exit 304 I believe; there's a public beach at Smith Lake I think county park. Water is supposed to be third cleanest lake in USA. Nice. hope that's helpful.

jbb313 · 06-17-2007, 10:14 PM

Folks should not be mislead by the "National Forest" stuff in lake lot ads. We've been going up there for 40 years, & the Bankhead National Forest is nothing but a coal strip mine and a clearcut lumbering operation. Not at all like the developers portray it in order to sell their lots. You don't want to be in or near the national forest, as the coal and timber trucks ruin the roads and are very dangerous. Also, the lake is being stripped of it beauty (trees, waterfalls, etc.) by the developers.

jbb313 · 08-31-2007, 04:06 PM

It can drop 15 ft. by Labor Day, which leaves many docks high and dry. Most piers there are floating piers, as there is no reason to build a stationery pier, because of the fluctuating water levels. Also, even though there are some "level" lots, those are the ones where the water disappears during water drops. Most lots on the lake are steep, and you'll see some very expensive stairs built from the houses down to the lake. Some people are beginning to install "trams" to take them from their homes to their lake front. These can also be very expensive.

Southlander · 08-31-2007, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbb313

Folks should not be mislead by the "National Forest" stuff in lake lot ads. We've been going up there for 40 years, & the Bankhead National Forest is nothing but a coal strip mine and a clearcut lumbering operation. Not at all like the developers portray it in order to sell their lots. You don't want to be in or near the national forest, as the coal and timber trucks ruin the roads and are very dangerous. Also, the lake is being stripped of it beauty (trees, waterfalls, etc.) by the developers.

I suggest you travel farther north in Bankhead. I agree there is WAY too much clearcutting and strip mining, but there are still parts of the forest that are forested and beautiful. Brushy Creek...Lawrence County areas of it.

Sarges Dad · 09-02-2007, 07:15 PM

I hear the water is low from lake of rain this year. It is a nice lake.

Southlander · 09-02-2007, 09:53 PM

Here ya go: A shrinking lake: Dry-docked Smith Lake: Frustrations worsen as water disappears; problems impacting economy, man says (http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/070901/smith.shtml - broken link)

tuxedocat · 09-26-2007, 05:45 AM

I looked at Smith lake lots recently and did not like what I saw. I know there is a drought but it was extremely unsightly. Even without drought conditions I understand that the water level fluctuates 14-15 feet. The roads to some of the lots I looked at were extremely bad -- too hard to get to and took too much driving on bad dirt roads. The thing I think may be good about that lake is that supposedly the water is cleaner than some. The pollution in some of the lakes and rivers is so bad we should not eat the fish. It's great fun to catch fish you can eat.

tuxedocat · 09-26-2007, 05:51 AM

PS -- A long time ago, when I was a child (I'm 53 now) there was a strip mining area that was filled with water and it was the same blue color as the water in smith lake. It was real deep and people were not supposed to swim in it but sometimes they did and I think there were some drownings. I am wondering if this lake had something to do with the old strip mining pits and they filled it with water.