It will come as no surprise to Virginia paddlers that their state’s river access laws are among the least boater-friendly in the Nation. Along with Colorado and Georgia, Virginia’s laws are rare in that they allow private landowners to prevent paddlers from using many rivers and creeks throughout the state. Rivers like John’s Creek have been deadlocked in debate for years, and remain in legal limbo. Elsewhere in the state, paddlers have been escorted off rivers, and access has been blocked.

While this may sound like a dire situation, Virginia is not a lost cause. Virginia’s neighbors all have superior, more nationally consistent river access laws, and many of them are reaping the benefits of river recreation. West Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Maryland all have local bustling river-based economies. These states also support use of all types of rivers by the public, which significantly adds to the quality of life of residents, public health, and the societal value of healthy rivers.

These benefits of accessible rivers have not gone unnoticed by Virginia state and local governments. Small communities are beginning to dedicate water trails on scenic rivers that flow through their areas. Franklin County, VA is among the most recent to create a publicly accessible “blueway,” which is located on the Pigg River. The State’s webpage itself urges visitors to “Dip your oars into more than 25,000 miles of Virginia’s rivers and streams that meander through some of the most beautiful country in the world.” They also offer service for rafting as well as canoeing and kayaking on their website.

Other states have formally recognized the societal value of public access to river, and have formally supported recreational paddling through a variety of strategies. The question is: Is Virginia ready to formally support public use of rivers, or are they content to let river-based tourism and recreation be something only their neighbors can offer?

American Whitewater has carried out numerous efforts to improve access to Virginia’s streams. In one case we bought a takeout - to John’s Creek - only to have a landowner threaten to charge any paddler to float down the Creek with trespassing. Currently we are working with the paddling community to advocate for stream access on a statewide level.