"Shenandoah River and Valley" Top 5 Page for this destination Winchester Things to Do Tip by Ewingjr98

The Shenandoah River runs 150 miles through western Virginia from Port Republic into the Potomac at Harpers Ferry. The lowest 20 miles of the river are in West Virginia, while the rest of the river and its tributaries flow through Virginia. Around Front Royal, the Shenandoah is famous for Canoeing and the city of Front Royal was named by the Virginia legislature as the Canoeing Capital of Virginia.

The Shenandoah River Valley is bound to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians, the town of Roanoke in the south and Harpers Ferry in the north. Some of the key cities in the valley include Staunton, Harrisonburg, Winchester, Lexington, Waynesboro, and Front Royal.

During the Civil War the Shenandoah Valley a key agricultural region for the Confederacy was used as an attack route for Confederate raids on Maryland, Washington and Pennsylvania; because of this strategic importance it was the scene of three major campaigns.

Over half of the land int he valley is used for farming and ranching. This is Virginia's top livestock region, as is apparent by the huge horse farms you'll see when driving through the area.

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Downriver Canoe Company, along with several competitors, offers canoe trips on the Shenandoah River, just outside of the Shenandoah National Park. The Downriver Company is located near the northern end of the park in the town of Bentonville, just 10 miles south of Front Royal, off US 340. We did a 7 1/2 mile trip from a starting point called "Burners Ford." As soon as you enter the water you encounter a set of Category I rapids... though small, they really surprised us and caused some difficulty and wet feet. At about halfway, you will hit a set of Category II rapids that you will hear long before you see. If you follow the Company's guidance and stay left, these will be exciting, but uneventful. Unfortunately, after these Cat IIs, the river is very calm and it offers no real challenges. The last mile or two gets almost boring as you have to paddle pretty hard to move at a decent speed.

Throughout our trip, we saw dozens of turtles sunning on partially submerged logs, as well as a lot of fish. We also encountered some geese and a few farmer's cows who decided to enter the water just as we were going by...

Cost per canoe is $39.00. It is enjoyable, especially for beginners, but the end of the trip is slow and somewhat boring.