We Canoed the James River for 4 nights and 5 days on one of Virginia’s most scenic rivers. We Paddled 64 miles from the headwaters at Iron Gate to the Snowden Dam experiencing over 100 class I rapids, 20 challenging class II rapids, and the infamous Balcony Falls. Several Adults and Scouts tried fishing along the way and we camped nightly at wilderness river side locations. The crew particiated in a river clean up project and met the 50 Miler award requirements. BZ

DAY 1 Sun:

Goshen Scout Reservation | Lenhoksin.  Check-in, Swim Tests and set up camp. Round-Robin camp education, dinner and campfire program.

DAY 2 Mon:

Depart Goshen and Drive to Twin River Outfitters in Buchanan. Gear-up and Bus to Irongate near the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers. 11 mi paddle to Gala campground.  The brownies canoe past us, oh my!  The outfitter says the water is 10-12 in high, but wow those rocks seem to jump right out and hit the canoe. We're adding to our trail name list: Magnet can find any/every rock in the river, but also tires and campsites. We decide to collect tires as our service project.. 38 total.

DAY 3 Tue:

Paddle 17 mi from Gala to Oxbow farm, camp with cows watching us. :|

DAY 4 Wed:

Paddle 9 miles to Buchanan and stop at TRO for a briefing and lunch. Back on the James for 6 more miles.

DAY 5 Thur:

Paddle 12 miles from Arcadia to Wilderness Canoe Co. Pull the boats up the hill and help the TRO staff unload kayaks and load the canoes.  The brownies must have felt bad, they gave us some pizza!

DAY 6 Fri:

Paddle 7 miles through lots of rapids including the Balcony Falls, wonder why it wasn't as difficult as we thought? Wait at Snowden near the dam and then bus back to WCC for the vehicles. Drive back to Goshen and visit Webelos at Camp Ross. Glorious Showers!  Burgers on the grill and evening campfire.

DAY 7 Sat:

Up before 0500, pack and decamp before the staff has a chance to wake us. :)  Head to Harrisonburg for Waffle House then back to the VFW to clean up and get home.

Data & Resources:

James River Association Maps, Aerial, Satellite and Profile information

Terrain 360 On the water view for the entire river

Upper James River Water Trail Overview and Section Maps     BZ