| Difficulty | I-II |
| Length | 27 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 5 fpm |
| Gauge | S F Shenandoah River at Front Royal, Va |
| Flow Rate as of 38 minutes | 1.07 ftbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | April 6, 2024 |
Comment by a paddler / reader: I just ran an 11 mile section of this river yesterday. Put in was by the low water bridge near Luray, VA. We stayed at the campground run by Shenandoah River Outfitters. It's a good group and if you don't have two cars they will shuttle you for $20 a boat. Camping was $6.00 a night. The river was nice, about 2 ft over normal. I have run this section before and it normally takes about 4 - 5 hours, depending on how much play you do. The river was very clear. I could watch the shadow of my boat in some sections. It was also running a little bit faster than normal. The trees were turning colors and it was a crisp, sunny day. The normal small ripples were a little bigger today, but nothing difficult. Compton's Rapid was nice, just big enough to do a little surfing in. All in all an enjoyable day.
Ed Evangelidi testifies:
One of the classic novice runs in Virginia. Lots of small ledgy rapids and great scenery. The fearsome Compton Rapid (Cl 2) is spotted when you come to a nice rock outcrop on the right, a view of elevated train tracks in the gap below that and, as the river turns slightly left, a much bigger rock outcrop below and to the right. You might also find lots of spectators enjoying the boating mishaps here. The problem is that novice boaters can only run a rapid straight on and the rapid demands a turn in most choice of routes. Then if the boaters start to take on water in the upper part, they enter a wave train that will often swamp a canoe. Scout your route and don't sit up on a canoe seat. Bring scuba tanks to recover lots of watches, bottles of sunscreen, etc. at the bottom of the rapid. There is one other rapid further down with a surprise low horizon line that is not much of a problem if you spot it in time and pick a route. Approach the low-water Bentonville takeout bridge with caution if it is high water. The South Fork Shenandoah is also popular with some marathon distance paddlers who like the stretch from
...The fearsome Compton Rapid (Cl 2) is spotted when you come to a nice rock outcrop on the right, a view of elevated train tracks in the gap below that and, as the river turns slightly left, a much bigger rock outcrop below and to the right. You might also find lots of spectators enjoying the boating mishaps here. The problem is that novice boaters can only run a rapid straight on and the rapid demands a turn in most choice of routes. Then if the boaters start to take on water in the upper part, they enter a wave train that will often swamp a canoe. Scout your route and don't sit up on a canoe seat.
Jul 16, 2017
My brother and I ran this river on July 15, 2017 for the first time. If you look at the maps in the pictures it is 44 miles long and they have mile markers on the trees along the way. You can pretty much put in and get out at anyone of those points. We camped at low-water bridge campground at mile 28 ($31/night has showers and free coffee). Drove down to Island Ford Road for the put in which was around mile 16. Did 12 miles. All class one with a few little fun spots. Nothing difficult. It was low-runnable at the time. Scraped the bottom a few times but nothing you couldn't get over and nothing that will damage your kayak. A lot of tubers out there that are shuttled and chartered. If you're looking to be around zero people, this isn't for you, but a lot of fun with people on the water and saying hi as you pass by. The ledge right after mile marker 23 is kind of fun. That's the photos I also uploaded. I screen-capped 'Map my Ride' and you can see the route we took specifically from bottom to top.
Jul 16, 2017
We put in around 16 at the bottom (River flows NORTH) and got out at 28