A (Scenic) River Runs Through It

Russell Fork River. Often called the “Grand Canyon of the South,” the Breaks gorge is, at 1,650 feet, the deepest gorge east of the Mississippi and the centerpiece of Breaks Interstate Park on the Virginia-Kentucky border. During weekends in October, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases 800 to 1,100 cubic feet per second of water from the Flannagan Reservoir, generating Class V technical whitewater on the Russell Fork as it sweeps through the narrow gorge. Skilled whitewater aficionados from around the world flock to the Russell Fork for “The Lord of the Fork,” an extreme Class V downriver race held the last weekend in October. The gorge affords world-class rock climbing, as well. Photo by Kyle LaFerriere.

After the Nottoway River meanders from Sussex into Southampton County, it waters the Cypress Bridge Swamp Natural Area Preserve—home to a 1,000-year-old grove of giant bald cypress trees, water tupelos, and the largest Carolina ash in the nation. At 72.5 miles, this southeastern stretch of the Nottoway is the longest designated segment in Virginia. It joins the Blackwater Scenic River at the North Carolina line, forming the Chowan River. Fish migrating up from the Chowan make this an outstanding spring fishery for shad and herring, while the Nottoway is home to a prized diversity of freshwater species, including the Roanoke bass, which is found only in a few Virginia waters. Photo by Kyle LaFerriere.

The James State Scenic River (formerly the Scenic Upper James River) runs 59 miles from the confluence of the Jackson and Cowpasture rivers in northern Botetourt County, through Rockbridge County, to Snowden, in Amherst County. This first reach of Virginia’s mighty James River also comprises the Upper James River Water Trail, a 63-mile, leisurely, multiday paddle through Class I and II rapids. It lies deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains and ends below Balcony Falls, inside the James River gorge. Campgrounds are spaced well for overnight trips. From Eagle Rock eastward, the river runs alongside the remains of stone locks and diversion dams—ruins from the 1851 James River and Kanawha Canal. The piers of the Buchanan Swinging Bridge also date from 1851, when it was a toll bridge. Photo by Kyle LaFerriere.

The Chickahominy River is normally a small, sluggish river that begins northwest of Richmond and runs along the border between Henrico and Hanover counties before turning south and flowing into the James. However, after periods of rain, the Chickahominy can expand into a swamp as much as a mile wide, and it famously became an obstacle during Union General George B. McClellan’s failed attempt to capture Richmond in 1862. The designated segment is just 10.2 miles long, ending at the New Kent County line, but the river goes on to form Chickahominy Lake at Walker’s Dam. Both the river and lake are known for good fishing above and below the dam. Photo by Kyle LaFerriere.

Called “one of the finest brook-trout rivers in the Shenandoah National Park” by FlyFisherman.com, the Hughes River flows southeast from Stony Man Mountain to join the Hazel River in Culpeper County. The headwaters, within the park, are home to wild brook trout, while the majority of the river, from the park boundary line to the Hazel, is designated scenic and is stocked with both rainbow and brown trout. Most sources advise packing both hiking shoes and waders for fishing the Hughes, as the best spots are a mile or two down a trail. Fishing is best in the spring and fall, but summer can also present opportunities if the water level doesn’t get too low. Photo by Kyle LaFerriere.