Smith Mountain Lookout is a short out-and-back trail. The road is mostly a rocky shelf road with switchbacks. One major rut can cause problems for less-built vehicles. If positioned correctly, there’s room up top for 3-4 vehicles. There isn’t much room to turn around, so if you aren’t comfortable turning around on a cliff, it might be best to hike up.
Smith Mountain Lookout sits at an elevation of 8,009 feet and became a lookout in 1908; the existing building was constructed in 1963 and was registered on the National Historic Lookout Register on September 29, 2020, US 1438, ID 130 nhlr.org