Where Two Rivers Become One

Just northeast of Front Royal, near the little community of Riverton, two rivers meet and become one. The South Fork of the Shenandoah has flowed north for nearly a hundred miles up the long valley between Massanutten Mountain and the Blue Ridge. The North Fork has come down its own winding path on the far side of the mountain.

Here, at last, they join, and from this confluence the Shenandoah River proper begins its journey north to spill into the Potomac at Harpers Ferry. The name Shenandoah is often said to mean daughter of the stars, a poetic phrase whose true origin in the languages of the region's Native peoples is uncertain, but the name has stuck for centuries. Because of these braided forks and gentle currents, Front Royal has come to call itself the canoe capital of Virginia.

Outfitters cluster along the riverbanks here, sending paddlers out on both forks and the main stem in canoes, kayaks, rafts, and inner tubes. The water runs from beginner friendly flatwater to livelier intermediate runs, sliding for long stretches between the wilderness of Shenandoah National Park on one side and the George Washington National Forest on the other. Herons stalk the shallows, smallmouth bass hold in the pools, and the same river that once carried Hell Town's rowdy boatmen now carries families drifting lazily downstream on a summer afternoon.