Overview:
The North River’s headwaters are located in the Reddish Knob area of George Washington National Forest, ensuring spectacular water quality for the river as it enters the Shenandoah Valley. The North is a small, swift river as it leaves the National Forest and enters the Valley in Stokesville. Although it has widened considerably by the time it reaches Bridgewater, it maintains a surprisingly steep gradient and high velocity until nearly reaching Weyers Cave. The North is scenic throughout its length despite frequent houses that are visible from the river. Be cautious or avoid the Stokesville to Natural Chimneys stretch of river, which has many dangerous strainers.
Recommended Trips:
- (Daytrip)
- (Daytrip) Bridgewater to Route 276 (full day trip)
- (Overnighter) Bridgewater to Port Republic
Directions to Put Ins and Take Outs:
View North River in a larger map
North River Campground:North River campground is located on a spur road of FR 95. From Stokesville, follow FR 95 west, passing Todd Lake campground. Take a left at the T intersection where a small wooden sign directs travelers to the campground, which is one mile away. From the Braley Pond area, take Dividing Ridge Road (from Rt 250 where there is a sign for Braley Pond) north; turn right at the T intersection onto FR 95, then continue straight onto spur road to North River campground. The campground is a large island; a convenient put in is by the gate at the top of the campground loop.
Stokesville: Park at roadside pull off approximately a half mile west of the 1 lane trestle bridge over the North River; the bridge is at the intersection of Rt 730 and Rt 718. Or drive a little further up and put in on the Little River approximately 150 feet above its intersection with the North River.
Natural Chimneys: The Route 731 bridge is located just north of Natural Chimneys; this may be a good put in to avoid strainers but still run the smaller portion of the North.
Bridgewater: There is a small public park that can be used as a put in located on the east side of Rt 42 on the north side of the river.
Weyers Cave: There is no good put in at the Rt 276 bridge a mile north of Weyers Cave, with a very steep bank on the north side of the river and private land on the south side. If you must use this take out ask permission of the homeowners on the west side of Rt 276.
Sections of River to Run:
North River Campground to Stokesville: This five mile or so trip passes through a very scenic gorge with numerous rock cliffs and hemlock groves. After the put in there is an easy section flowing over a loose rock bottom, followed by small ledges interspersed with an occasional boulder garden and chute. You will notice a trail cross the creek several times, beginning with the gate at the put in. At the third crossing there are a couple of large rocks that tend to pick up strainers, followed by a hard right turn. For the first three miles or so there are no large drops, but in a few places it is necessary to proceed very cautiously because there are likely to be several river wide strainers that require a portage, some of which may be in fast moving water. After passing under a suspension footbridge, prepare for the hardest rapid of the trip, a double ledge near the Girl Scout camp. This double ledge consists of a slide that veers left into a cliff, then turns hard right before passing over another four foot sloping ledge. The first ledge often has wood on the left side of the rapid, where most of the water is going. It is not possible to see the end of this first slide until you are fairly close to committing, so I recommend approaching this rapid on river right, indicated by a horizon line and high cliff on the left. The second ledge is best run on river left at lower water levels, when the rest of it is very shallow. There is a decent recovery pool below this double ledge at lower water levels. This section of the North River is runnable if the Stokesville gauge reads 100 cfs or greater. At 100 cfs, this is a class II+ run, but should not be undertaken by novices because of frequent strainers. At significantly higher water levels this run increases greatly in difficulty because pools wash out, waves become much larger, and it can be much harder to eddy out before strainers.
Stokesville to Natural Chimneys: Above the one lane Stokesville bridge and below the Little River confluence are several class 1 to 2 wave trains in beautiful National Forest. Below the Stokesville bridge the river braids and unbraids several time, and there are numerous strainers in all the channels around the islands. As of March 2008 I would not recommend running from Stokesville to Natural Chimneys. Note that Rt 758 crosses the river here at a ford, so do not attempt to drive across if there is enough water to canoe.
Natural Chimneys to Bridgewater: The river appears to become less strainer prone below Rt 731, but I’m not certain that it does. There is a 10 foot or so dam just upstream of the Rt 42 in Bridgewater, so taking out in the vicinity of Round Hill, perhaps on the west side of town, is recommended.
Bridgewater to Weyers Cave: At the Bridgewater put in the North is wide and flat, but it soon winds around a long series of islands before leaving the town. If you are arriving in the evening, there is great camping on the large islands just downstream of Bridgewater, and there are several sites that can be accessed from the river right channel. There is a one lane bridge that crosses the North between Bridgewater and Rt 11; this crossing is not on the Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer.
