Overview:
The Blackwater is an extraordinarily remote swampy river in southeastern Virginia, flowing parallel to Rt 460 (but not too close to it) before turning south and going through Franklin. Many stretches of this make for fantastic winter day trips or camping trips. There are no rapids, but in the upper reaches you will have to haul over a number of logs. The wildlife is fantastic. There are many mature bald cypresses and a good number of other hardwoods, one of which is the widest hollow tree I’ve ever seen. I highly recommend the Blackwater if you want to see what southeast Virginia looked like before the whites drained, ditched, and developed it. Few rivers are this beautiful and untraveled. There are few places I’d rather be in the wintertime. Don’t go when there are mosquitoes.
Note that there is a good long stretch I haven’t explored stretching from about Laurel Springs Road to Broadwater Road. This is probably a real nice piece of river, though more log jammed and congested in the upper part. The 10 to 20 miles above Broadwater would probably not be too log jammed, judging by the river width/volume at Broadwater.
Recommended Trips:
- (day trip) Hines Road or Alden Road and go to Laurel Springs Road (all day)
- (overnighter) Put in at Broadwater Road north of 460, go under 460, and take out at Unity Rd/W. Blackwater Rd, which is Route 603. This is only about 15 miles but goes slowly; allow almost 2 full days.
Directions to Put Ins and Take Outs:
View Blackwater River in a larger map
Hines Road take out is located on Hines Road a couple miles north of Rt 460 a few miles east of the Rt 156/Rt 460 intersection. It is not an official put in.
Laurel Springs Road take out is also an unofficial take out located just off 460.
Broadwater Road takeout is an unofficial take out north of 460 on Broadwater Road, about an hour and a half from Richmond.
Rt 603/Unity Road is an official take out on the west side of the river, north side of the road. It is about 12 minutes south of 460, can be accessed a number of ways.
Sections of River to Run:
Hines Road to Laurel Spring Road: For folks who love tiny rivers and don’t mind a few portages, put in at Hines Road or Alden Road and go to Laurel Springs Road. You will have to portage a good deal, sometimes for dozens of yards, but it is worth it for the swamp. Make sure you go in the winter after a rainy spell. Even a fairly short stretch this high up will take a long time because of log jams. Wear high rubber boots. This stretch is not for the faint of heart.
Laurel Spring Road to Broadwater Road: This is a long stretch that I haven’t run, appears to be significantly easier to navigate than above Laurel Spring Road.
Broadwater Road to Route 603 Unity Road: Bald cypresses and winding blackwater dominate this trip, which is about 14 miles and takes two days. You will need to slide over many logs, but shouldn’t have to get out of the boat very much. The banks are quite pretty when the main channel swings up against them, with mature pine and holly. I highly recommend stopping on the left bank 6 river miles below Rt 460 to get out and hike to the pine savanna managed by Old Dominion University with controlled burns. Here you will see what much of the southeastern part of the state looked like when settlers arrived. Due to the winding nature of the river, it will be quite difficult to estimate when you have gone 6 river miles without using a GPS. However, one way you can tell is when the main current runs up against the left bank for a spell and all the swamp is on your right. If you get to the point where the river channelizes you’ve gone a bit too far, but might could pull up on the left bank and walk back upriver to find the pine savannah. The really nice part of the savannah is about a quarter to half mile to the east of the river. There is a little dirt road that goes there, or you can bushwhack through the forest; just be prepared to get your feet wet. You will know when you’ve arrived at the savannah because there will be many pines with an extremely open, grassy understory. You’ll be able to see the burn marks on the trees. Note the giant pinecones on the ground. I wonder how large pines get in an environment like this. I doubt these are fully grown, but they sure are beautiful. After checking out this forest and getting back in your boat you are a few miles from the end of the trip, much of which is in a river with a channel.
Route 603 to Franklin: I haven’t canoed this, but the river appears to widen considerably and have much less swamp and much more channel. Because the swamp is the prettiest, most mysterious part, I’d recommend focusing the exploration in areas between the headwaters and 603.
