I have been to SML several times, but never thought I found the best way there. I will coming down 81...better to go to Roanoke and cut over or get off earlier and take 60/501/122....or...

Just do a map quest of the route and it will give you the shortest time or shortest distance route.

Hellbender, as Carrington suggested go to Google for a route.

Please be careful on Virginia roads. The State Police and County deputies are watching the roads as fines now go to the counties and the counties are counting on that income.

There is no direct route from I-81 to SML. It also depends where on SML you will be staying as it is a very large body of water and getting to your motel is easier said then done.

Get a Virginia state road map and look how Routes 24, 122 and 116 go by the lake and pick one that will get you to your motel.

Where ever you are staying can give you directions, too.

Have fun and let us know how you do. 

Hahaha...well, it is BECAUSE I went to GOOGLE that I am asking....GOOGLE's death merchants had me get off 81 at Buchanan and take 43 over the blue ridge...DON"T EVER, EVER, EVER do that! I am not exaggerating when I say it nearly killed me and the next week I had to get new brakes. I wouldn't trust Google to send me down to the corner. Ever since then I have been taking 220/460/221 to Bedford and over that way, but you double back on yourself doing that. Last year I went through Roanoke, but that was semi confusing with a lot of time on sorta residential streets.

It depends where you are in MD I live at SML and I am from MD. I travel back to MD to fish with my buddy on bay. I was from Charles Co I go down 301 south then right on route 3 west thru Fredricksburgs to left on Route 20 thru Orange VA to right on Rt 33 to left on 29 south at Ruckerville follow 29 south to Lynchburg right on 460 west then left on 122 at Bedford then follow to SML. From SML it takes me 4 1/2 hours to get to Solomons Is 8-)

we are near DC so we get 66 to 29 and just follow that to lynchburg and then ( i forget the name of the road) we get to 122 and follow that to moneta. we have a place in near westlake

and we have taken both the 29 route and the 81 route. the way down 81 just seems very boring because 81 is just so long and boring. 29 has more places to stop for food as well as you can stop in Char.ville