Shenandoah River

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This article is about the river in Virginia in the United States. For other uses, see Shenandoah (disambiguation)

The Shenandoah River is a tributary of the Potomac River, approximately 150 mi (241 km) long, in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. The principal tributary of the Potomac, the river and its tributaries drain several lateral valleys in the Appalachians on the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, mostly in northwestern Virginia.

The Shenandoah is one of the rare North American rivers that flows to the north.

It is formed north of Front Royal at Riverton, Virginia, by the confluence of the South Fork (the longer branch) and the North Fork. It flows northeast across Warren and Clarke counties, then into West Virginia, crossing the extreme eastern tip of the state. It joins the Potomac from the south near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

The Shenandoah valley is underlain by limestone. The fertile soil made it a favored place for early settlement and it continues to be a major agricultural area of Virginia and West Virginia. Some karst topography is evident and Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia is a popular tourist attraction.

The Shenandoah River is mentioned in John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads," which associates the river with the state of West Virginia. In fact, both the Shenandoah and the also mentioned Blue Ridge Mountains are, with the exception of the tiny geological fingertip near Harper's Ferry, entirely within the state of Virginia.

[edit] Tributaries

• North Fork Shenandoah River
  • Cedar Creek
• South Fork Shenandoah River
  • North River
    • Middle River
  • South River

[edit] See also

• List of Virginia rivers
• List of West Virginia rivers

Potomac River system Cities and towns | Bridges | Islands | Tributaries | Variant names District of Columbia | Maryland | Pennsylvania | Virginia | West Virginia Streams shown as: Major tributaries • subtributaries • (subsubtributaries) • (subsubsubtributaries)

Tidal Potomac River Donaldson Run | Windy Run | Spout Run | Rock Creek | Tiber Creek | Rocky Run | Washington Channel | Anacostia River • Watts Branch • Hickey Run • Northwest Branch Anacostia River • (Sligo Creek) • Northeast Branch Anacostia River • (Paint Branch) | Four Mile Run | Oxon Creek | Hunting Creek | Broad Creek | Henson Creek | Swan Creek | Piscataway Creek | Little Hunting Creek | Dogue Creek | Accotink Creek • Daniels Run | Pohick Creek | Pomonkey Creek | Occoquan River • Bull Run • Broad Run • Cedar Run | Neabsco Creek | Powells Creek | Mattawoman Creek | Chicamuxen Creek | Quantico Creek | Little Creek | Chopawamsic Creek | Tank Creek | Aquia Creek | Potomac Creek | Nanjemoy Creek | Port Tobacco River | Pope's Creek (Maryland) | Gambo Creek | Piccowaxen Creek | Upper Machodoc Creek | Cuckold Creek | Wicomico River | Monroe Creek | Mattox Creek | Pope's Creek (Virginia) | St. Marys River | Yeocomico River | Coan River | Hull Creek Upper Potomac River North Branch Potomac River | South Branch Potomac River | Town Creek | Little Cacapon River • North Fork Little Cacapon River • South Fork Little Cacapon River | Fifteenmile Creek | Sideling Hill Creek | Cacapon River • Lost River • Trout Run • Capon Springs Run • Dillons Run • Edwards Run • Mill Branch • North River • (Grassy Lick Run) • (Tearcoat Creek) • (Bearwallow Creek) | Sir Johns Run | Warm Spring Run | Tonoloway Creek • Little Tonoloway Creek | Sleepy Creek • Meadow Branch | Licking Creek | Cherry Run | Back Creek • Hogue Creek • Isaacs Creek • Tilhance Creek | Little Conococheague Creek | Conococheague Creek • Back Creek | Opequon Creek • Abrams Creek • Mill Creek • Middle Creek • Tuscarora Creek (West Virginia) | Antietam Creek | Shenandoah River | Little Catoctin Creek | Catoctin Creek (Virginia) | Catoctin Creek (Maryland) | Tuscarora Creek (Maryland) | Monocacy River • Rock Creek • Marsh Creek • Toms Creek • (Middle Creek) • Double Pipe Creek • (Big Pipe Creek) • (Little Pipe Creek) • Carroll Creek • Linganore Creek • Bush Creek • Ballenger Creek • Bennett Creek | Little Monocacy River | Goose Creek • Little River | Broad Run (Virginia) | Sugarland Run | Broad Run (Maryland) | Seneca Creek | Difficult Run | Cabin John Creek | Dead Run | Little Falls Branch | Pimmit Run | Rock Run | Watts Branch Shenandoah River North Fork Shenandoah River • Cedar Creek | South Fork Shenandoah River • North River • (Middle River) • South River North Branch Potomac River Stony River | Abram Creek | Savage River | Georges Creek | New Creek | Limestone Run | Warrior Run | Wills Creek • Brush Creek • Little Wills Creek | Evitts Creek | Patterson Creek • Mill Creek | Dans Run | Green Spring Run South Branch Potomac River North Fork South Branch Potomac River • Mill Creek • Seneca Creek | South Fork South Branch Potomac River • Kettle Creek | Lunice Creek | Mill Run | Mill Creek | Big Run | Buffalo Creek Lakes and reservoirs Lake Accotink | Lake Anne | Lake Artemesia | Lake Bernard Frank | Lake Braddock | Breckenridge Reservoir | Brushy Fork Lake | Burke Lake | Dalecarlia Reservoir | Georgetown Reservoir | Jennings Randolph Lake | Kingman Lake | Little Seneca Lake | McMillan Reservoir | Mount Storm Lake | Lake Needwood | Sleepy Creek Lake | Stony River Reservoir | Tidal Basin | Trout Pond | Warden Lake