Visit the South Fork of the Shenandoah River

Paddling on the peaceful Shenandoah River.

Jeff Holland

The South Fork of the Shenandoah River is quite curious, in that it flows from south to north. It rises near Port Republic and runs about 97 miles downstream north to Front Royal. There it joins with the North Fork to form the main stem of the Shenandoah River, flowing northeast to meet the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry. Massanutten Mountain lies in between the South Fork to the east and the North Fork to the west. The river is more than 100 yards wide along most of this stretch, and the bottom is corrugated bedrock, with ridges coming to the surface when the water is low.

The river is great for kayaking. While kayaking in the South Fork you flow around several languorous bends, often with the forested ridge of Massanutten Mountain rising a thousand feet in the background and sheer rock cliffs close by on the eastern bank. You can see bald eagles not so high overhead, ospreys diving for smallmouth bass and eastern kingbirds doing their aerobatic best, dashing out from the branches of the overhanging sycamore trees to snatch bugs mid-air. If kayaking isn’t your thing you can also go fly fishing, running, hiking, or biking.

If you want to try something new, this is a great place to go bikeyaking. How do you bikeyak? Just leave your car at the take-out point, peddle your bike up to the launch point and paddle back down to the car. There are a number of rivers and streams around the Chesapeake Bay watershed where you can engage in bikeyaking without the bother, expense and carbon footprint of a second car. As an added bonus, it gives all of your muscle groups a good workout.

The beauty of the South Fork is that it meanders, snake-like, up Page Valley in between Massanutten and the Blue Ridge, home of Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive. There are numerous public access points as well as a variety of places to stay if you were to choose to stay overnight. There are privately-owned cabins along the river, or you can camp at Camp Roosevelt Recreation Area.

There is plenty to do and see in the Shenandoah River.

This is an abridged article originally written by Jeff Holland.