Sherando Lake Group Picnic Shelter

Sherando Lake Group Picnic Shelter, also known as the Williams Branch Group Picnic Shelter, is part of the Sherando Lake Recreation Area — often called the jewel of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and a very popular destination where families picnic in the shade and relax on the sandy beach. The shelter was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936, and several of the tables and benches the CCC built are still in use under it. It can accommodate up to 50 people. Amenities include a covered shelter with four picnic tables, a double pedestal grill, a fireplace under the shelter, additional picnic tables surrounding it, and a bathroom with flush toilets nearby. The shelter can be reached by vehicle on a short service road, with parking for 40 cars immediately adjacent. The picnic shelter reservation fee covers access to Sherando Lake for the reservation holder only; all other guests are responsible for the appropriate day-use fee, which can be paid onsite. The day use area closes at 9 pm or dusk, whichever comes first, and the main gate at the state road closes at 10 pm — visitors not staying overnight in the campground need to exit before then. The 25-acre Lower Lake offers swimming in a designated area with a sand beach, an accessible ramp to the water's edge and a beach bathhouse with changing and shower facilities. Fishing and boating are available outside the designated swimming area, with stocked trout waters in spring and fall; visitors need the appropriate Virginia fishing license, National Forest stamp and trout stamp. Boats with gasoline motors are not permitted on the lower lake — electric trolling motors, canoes, kayaks or similar only — and a hand-carry ramp is available adjacent to the parking area. The 7-acre Upper Lake is fishing only, also stocked in spring and fall; boats are allowed but must be hand-carried, parking is in a small area below the group camp, and swimming is not allowed there. Hiking trails surround the area, from a short walk around the lake on the Lakeside and Cliff Trails to a day hike up the mountain on the White Rock Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway. For the more adventurous, longer day hikes and backpacking trips run up the Blue Loop Trail to the Torry Ridge Trail to Bald Mountain and beyond; Bald Mountain used to be the location of a fire lookout tower. The shelter is a short walk from the lower lake, with its sand beach, shaded grassy area and bathhouse. The lake is spring- and stream-fed by Back Creek, so the water stays refreshingly cool all summer long. Gas, groceries and firewood are available at convenience stores and local vendors along the state road to Sherando Lake, ice can be purchased at the visitor center during operating hours, and additional supplies can be found in Stuarts Draft, about a 15-minute drive away. The Blue Ridge Parkway, with its scenic overlooks and ridgetop views, is a short 3-mile drive up State Route 664 from the entrance, and Wintergreen Resort offers a golf course and ski area within 10 miles.