Welcome to Crooked Creek Retreat. This property’s location offers the best of Lewis Smith Lake, Bankhead National Forrest and Historic Downtown Cullman Alabama. We are located in Crane Hill Al. & 15 miles west of Interstate 65. Enjoy swimming, fishing, bird watching and boating on Lewis Smith Lake. The Bankhead National Forrest borders part of the lake creating many beautiful scenic bluffs. Enjoy a few day trips by driving to many of the Bankhead National forest hiking trails & it’s 1,000 waterfalls. Pack a lunch and go exploring. Each season you will have a variety of opportunities to attend different festivals, fishing tournaments & activities because of this property’s central location. Our guest Retreat is built on a densely wood lot that has a gentle slope with a walk-in shoreline & dock. The property is located in Crane Hill on the Crooked Creek area of Lewis Smith Lake. It is about one hour south of the Huntsville airport & about one hour north from the Birmingham airport. During your stay If you need a break from lake life the Bankhead National Forest has hiking trails, walking paths & waterfalls. Day or night head 20 minutes east to historic down town Cullman Alabama. Enjoy some antique shopping, fine dining restaurants, a farmers market, brewery & family friendly casual dinning choices with live entertainment. For an up to date Cullman City calendar please review Cullman’s website for city events, festivals & special events throughout the year.
Our Crooked Creek Guest Retreat was complete January 2021 and is ready for your arrival. The guest house has a private entrance & is In the lower walk out level of the main house. Your windows all face the lake, forest & patio. It is not possible to enter the main house or guest house internally between either home. The guest retreat has a private patio with seating for six, a dedicated gas grill, fire pit with 6 chairs & free parking for 2 vehicle’s including space for a toy trailer. You’re welcome to bring a wagon or golf cart to help transport your lake gear or kiddos up & down to the dock. The back yard, shoreline, 2 hammocks, path swing, fire pit and dock are all included in your rental. The shoreline is wide open & flat.its a great place to play corn hole, horse shoes or ball with your family. Your privacy is very important & will be respected. The property is very peaceful due to the fact it has two empty wooded lots on either side of the house providing a 400ft buffer between the closest neighbors in any direction. Throughout the year the homeowners may be in residence & have two standard poodles Lily & Beaux. If you have any needs they can be reached by a call or text. Please note the property is in a very rural area. Expect to see and hear many different kind of wildlife including birds, deer, cows, chickens, goats & critters. Once your off the interstate you will drive on twisting, winding, hilly country roads. The WiFi & cell service is iffy in the Smith Lake area. ATT provides the best cell service in the area. If you don’t have ATT cell service it recommended to print off your driving directions for when you get off Interstate 65 on your way to Crooked Creek Retreat. Your gps will cut in & out while you are driving. Please note google maps will drive you a mile past Crooked Creek Retreat address. If you’re going to be boating I highly recommend purchasing a lake map at Whitlock Gas Station on your way in. Your cell phones gps will cut in & out while your out on the lake. The lake has over 642 miles of shore line & it’s easy to get lost.
It’s imperative to know that Alabama Power regulates the entire lakes water level at any given time. Lewis Smith Lakes water level changes seasonally & can be tracked on any smith lake app. When booking ANY rental on Lewis Smith Lake it’s important to note Lewis Smith Lake has THREE different kinds of water front property descriptions. Deep water, year round water & seasonal water. Each offers different experiences with different perks. Traditionally Crooked Creek Retreat dock is floating March through August. You can swim, float, boat, fish, jet ski from the dock during this time. The water around the shoreline and dock are very calm & safe for swimming, floating, paddle boarding & kayaking. Guest are welcome to tie up their boat & jet skis on the east side of the dock. Owners keep their ski boat on the boat lift & pontoon on the west side of the dock. Beach chairs are perfect to sit at the shoreline to watch little ones play in the shallow water. Arrow Head bar & grill is a short kayak ride away & periodically open. Order in or carry out breakfast lunch or dinner on the weekends. FYI: Seafood boils is great on the weekends! Drifters on the lake & Trident are two good restaurants on the lake you can get to by boat or car. During the fall & winter Crooked Creeks Retreat dock is not floating. Weather permitting during this time you can walk out to the channel & drop in the kayaks, enjoy fishing & go for long walks along the shoreline. Depending on the amount of rain between December-March Alabama Power will allow the water table to rise above normal water level. During this time if the water is above regular pool you might have to kayak to the dock. The closest public boat launch is a 5 minute boat ride away at Arrow Head Park Park. Smith Lake Park public boat launch is about twenty minute car ride away & over a hour boat ride.
