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Please check out booking page for the most up to date departure times, since each activity length varies and so start times vary. Trips to depart FRRA on the hour. On weekdays we depart 9:00AM -3:00 PM and Weekends 9:00AM -5:00PM. For all activites we control when we people on the river so they have enough time to comfortably make it back to FRRA during daylight.
NOTE: We have earlier trip launch cutoffs for our longer trip and during the low light hours of fall. The launch times available to guests will be evident in the “Book Now” portion of the site, and are adjusted as necessary to take water levels and river flow speed into account.
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Tubing: Our 3 mile tube trip lasts 2-4 hours depending on water levels and river flow speed. When levels and flow speed naturally decrease over the summer we will offer shorter mileage options. Please ask us about shorter trips if you have limited time, and ask us about our most affordable“do it yourself” tube trip.
Canoeing/Kayaking: Our 3 mile trip is 1-2 hours, our 9.5 mile trip is 4-6 hours, and our 15 mile trip is 5-10 hours. Estimates are for guests with intermediate skill level paddling steadily and moderate river flow rate when the river is at around 2.0 feet at the Front Royal Gauge.
Rafting: Our 3 mile trip is 2-3 hours, the 9.5 mile trip is 5-8 hours. Estimates are for guests with intermediate skill level paddling steadily and moderate river flow rate.
Stand Up Paddleboard, Canoe & Kayak Rentals: Guests choose the amount of time they paddle in one hour increments. Launch at FRRA’s own private boat ramp, paddle around to their heart’s content, and return to launch point. We rent by the hour but because you largely launch yourself, you can start whenever you’re ready, you’ve received your orientation safety talk, and your choice of boat is available.
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No. All minors (under the age of 18) must be accompanied by a parent or guardian
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We recommend dressing for weather, but it depends on your choice of boat.
Tubing – this is a “get-wet” situation so a bathing suit is ideal, but anything you’re comfortable staying wet in is fine. We offer tubing when the combined temperature of the river are expected to be approximately 150 degrees. Consider a light long sleeve shirt and pants if constant direct sun is going to be an issue for you.
Kayaks/SUPS/Canoes/Rafts – these boats are available during our entire season so guests need to think about dressing for the weather. We always recommend layers in cool weather. We recommend fleece, wool or other synthetics be worn as your first layer against your skin, not cotton, except for in the heart of summer because wet cotton will suck the heat out of your body. We always recommend a waterproof/windproof light jacket or shell be brought or worn to cut wind, or keep you dry if you experience a rain shower.
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Our headquarters at 1847 N Royal Ave, Front Royal, VA is the meeting place for all excursions on the river.
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Guests are free to bring an array of their own drinks. NOTE: you may rent an insulated cooler bag from us for you to transport your food and drinks on the river and to keep them cold. During warm weather bring plenty of water and we recommend Nalgene style bottle (no glass please). A quart per person is a good goal unless you’re going on a longer trip. We have sinks or a hose to fill water bottles if necessary but during hot weather if you forget to fill up at home. Please note alcohol can serve to dehydrate rather than hydrate so plan accordingly. Never drink water straight from the any river, the Shenandoah included.
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NO! Please Please don’t bring any glass on any of the trips. It’s far too easy to break glass, and once in the river it’s impossible to recover, and is very difficult to contend with. So “cans or plastic only” please.
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Yes, you may bring a cooler for all of our trips or rent various cooler options from us. Please reserve your cooler options while you make a reservation.
Tubing: If you’re tubing, and you are going to bring your own cooler, consider renting a “cooler tube” which is a tube designed to float your cooler alongside your tube. You may also rent an insulated cooler bag in place of a traditional hard cooler, which clips to the handle of your tube, and can make maneuvering your tube easier than a cooler tube. Please add this option while you’re making a reservation.
Kayaking/Canoeing/SUP/Rafting: All of these options allow you to bring cooler in the boat. You will only be able to fit a very small cooler if you’re kayaking, please consider renting an insulated cooler bag if you don’t have a small cooler. Canoes/SUP’s and Rafts are much less limited in space within reason. Please add this option while you’re making a reservation.
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We operate rain or shine, with very few exceptions. However, during the reservation time of your trip, if it’s raining where we are located and you decide you don’t want to participate, you may reschedule to another available time/date, or obtain credit to use toward a future trip or gear, with no expiration.
In the summer most guests decide a little rain may help keep things cool.
RECOMMENDATION: If you know you’re averse to being on the river during rain, please consider obtaining trip insurance from us for 10% of your reservation cost which allows cancellation/refund up to one hour before your reservation time
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Yes. We have used our experience to determine levels at which it is either inadvisable or unsafe to recreate on the river in your chosen “vessel”. Tubes have the narrowest window. Rafts have the largest window due to their inherent stability. Please check our booking pages for the status of our various types of river trips as they relate to water levels and flow, since levels change every day and are not predictable far in advance.
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Yes, you can fish. The Shenandoah is famous for smallmouth bass fishing and sunfish. Please keep in mind two things; first you will need a property Virginia Freshwater Fishing license which would need to be acquired online before you arrived at FRRA. We don’t sell fishing licenses.
Secondly, consider what river boat you’re choosing for the day. You can fish from a tube but most choose not to because they’re designed for lounging in, not necessarily sitting up to fish. Also, if you’re in close proximity to others either due to groups being near you on the water or there being people in your boat, so be mindful not to cast or fish in such a way as to risk hooking anyone else.
Finally, fishing in inflatable tubes is not recommended, get the point!? LOL
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First, hold onto your paddle. Second, if the river is flowing quickly, get on the upstream side of your boat and assume the floating safety position on your back with nose and toes out of the water, feet facing downriver. Float freely nudging off objects with your feet until either you float aground, or you enter slow water. Then you can consider what to do next.
Tubing: If possible, find knee deep water then climb back on being sure not to slip and fall onto the hard bottom of the river.
Kayaking: move boat to shallow water so you can flip it to drain water, and then get back in the way we showed you at orientation.
Canoeing: Move it to slow and/or shallow water so you can lift one end of your upside-down canoe out of the water substantially, then flip the boat back to its upright position. This should give you an upright boat with much less water in it. The shallower the river generally the more water you’ll be able to get out with the flip maneuver.
If you have two people, this is more ideal. Position one person at each end of the canoe and slowly turn the canoe from upside down, to sideways, then lift and let the boat shed water and once nearly empty, rotate canoe to upright position.
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Yes, you will be required to paddle your vessel with the paddle provided to you as part of your rental, or with you hands if you select to tube with us. You will be required to paddle and self-navigate on all of our trips since there are no guides.
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If you have an open wound, please don’t attempt a river trip. We’ve found the very best defense against an infection is to keep wounds out of the river and dry. There are bacteria in every river in the world that can get into a wound and cause infection. . The risk of infection increases the longer a cut is submerged in the water and we suggest never planning an outing if you have an open wound. If you acquire one on the river that doesn’t constitute an emergency, keep it dry as much as possible and come find a staff person at the end of the trip to show you where our first aid supplies can be found.
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Waterborne infections are quite rare, especially if you follow our precautions and keep them dry. But they do happen, and seeking care for a river infection is an urgent matter, not to be pushed off or ignored for any amount of time. Often you can tell a wound is developing an infection if it:
- becomes more sore than the wound itself
- if your skin around the cut becomes red and /or swollen especially if that red area starts to expand
- if a white discharge occurs from the wound or you notice a unpleasant odor
- If you develop a fever. A fever related to a river-borne infection needs to be considered an emergency.
If any of these symptoms occur following exposure of a cut to the river then please stop what you’re doing, even if inconvenient, and go directly to your doctor or the emergency room for treatment.
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Please arrive a 30 minutes before your scheduled trip time especially on weekends and holidays. We begin our safety talk and orientation five minutes before each hour (8:55AM, 9:55AM etc) and guests must attend our safety talk and orientation in order to participate in all of our activities.
Arriving early gives you a chance to check in, get your wrist band, acquire any extra equipment you might need, and tend to details, then make the safety orientation.
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Our age restrictions are strict, and are chosen after decades of experience in order to help ensure you will have a successful day.
All participants must be 5 years old to participate in with an adult in tubing, canoeing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP). For Rafting we’re happy to accommodate participants as young as 4 years old. These are our minimums and there are no exceptions.
Further Guidelines for Success:
Stand Up Paddle-boarding (SUP) – we find participants are most successful when they’re at least 8 years old
Canoeing – we strongly recommend participants be at least 12 years old to control a Canoe from the back/stern. Guests as young as 5 years old can occupy the front paddling seat if an adult is in the rear paddling and steering, or they can occupy the third spot on the floor in the center of the canoe. Two young children may be able to fit in the third spot but this is a parent’s choice and required careful consideration since kids are wiggly and often bored if they are just sitting throughout the trip.
Kayaking – we recommend participants be 10 years old in order to participate as a solo kayaker
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Sneakers or sandals with a heel strap are a must. Flip flops, while awesome generally, just don’t cut it for river and we can’t let guests wear them for our trips. Why? Because they come off AND they don’t protect against encounters with pointy sharp rocks or shells etc. You can expect your feet to get wet during all activities.
We try to stock an array of affordable river shoes if you get caught without proper footware.
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Absolutely yes. Food is a very nice thing to have on the river and you are free to pack food and bring it. You may also rent an insulated cooler bag from us for you to transport your food and drinks onto the river and help keep the temperature down. Ice is normally available as well, if you don’t bring your own.
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In most cases, we are not going to stop you from bringing alcohol with you on the river, but please read and understand a couple of things for all of our river trips, especially for our kayaking, canoeing, rafting and SUP trips:
Drinking alcohol in public in Virginia is illegal and doing so puts you at risk of arrest. Alcohol impairs your ability to be safe, to keep your friends and family safe, and reduces your ability to tolerate both cold and hot weather if you decide to bring alcohol, please consider moderation and set your mind on behaving yourself since we will have many other families and friends on the river with you.
Guest who arrive in a fairly obvious intoxicated state will likely be asked to return when they are sober.
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Within 24 Hours of Your Reservation: Unless you acquired our trip insurance during your reservation process, if you cancel within one day of your scheduled trip we are unable to refund any of your money because we reserved a space for you, and staffed according to the number of reservations. (See the exception to this policy under “What if It’s Raining”
24-72 Hours Before Your Reservation: Unless you acquired our trip insurance during your reservation process, if you cancel with less than 72 hours from your scheduled trip, up to 24 hours before you reservation, you may either reschedule (pending availability) or receive a credit to be used in the future, with no expiration.
Over 72 Hours: You may cancel outright up to 72 hours before your scheduled reservation time slot and reschedule, receive credit to be used toward a future reservation, or ask for a full refund.
If You Have Trip Insurance: Guests who have acquired our trip insurance during the reservation process, may cancel their trip up to one hour before your scheduled reservation time.
We understand that plans change or things come up. Therefore, we have a cancellation policy that tries to be fair to our guests and our business, since we do expend resources in advance of all trips and often if we’re busy, your reservation may fill a time slot that we can’t refill with short notice. So our reservation considers how far in advance you cancel and generally our ability to fill your slot.
Are you shaky about your plans or are you hesitant to get on the river in non-ideal weather, then please consider adding our own trip insurance during your reservation process.
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Yes, all participants must read and sign our Participation Agreemenent/Liability Waiver. In most cases you will be prompted to fill this form out online during the reservation process.
All participants under the age of eighteen must have a parent or guardian sign the form on their behalf.
With our Participation Agreement/Liability Waiver form, we try to inform our guests abouty many of the risks associated with their activity, and ask for their acknowledgement of those risks and agreement to waive liability for our business in the event of an unforeseen injury.
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In an emergency the first phone call is always to 911. Warren County, where we operate, has a water rescue team and is our first line of defense in an emergency.
If you have a minor injury, and you deem yourself able to continue, you are welcome to call us to see if we have a way to come find you but this can be complicated and difficult especially if you’re unable to tell us where you are. So getting yourself down the river may be the best solution.
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A common question! Our 3 mile trip contains mostly mild current and has one or two Class I rapids, defined by Wikipedia as “Fast moving water with riffles and small waves. Few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training. Risk to swimmers is slight; self- rescue is easy”
Our 9.5 mile and 15 mile trips are similar to the three mile float but have several Class II rapids defined by Wikipedia as “Straightforward rapids with wide, clear channels which are evident without scouting. Occasional maneuvering may be required, but rocks and medium-sized waves are easily avoided by trained paddlers. Swimmers are seldom injured and group assistance, while helpful, is seldom needed.”
What does this mean? Well, we can tell you that people flip boats of all kinds in all types of water. Capsizing, however is fairly rare in flat water, happens occasionally in Class A and Class I rapids, and is more common in class II rapids.
In rapids, the water does accelerate and there can be obstacles in the flowing water which increase your likelihood of capsizing. Generally, the more experience you have the better you become at balancing and stabilizing your boat and avoiding a capsize.
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Tubing: approximate cutoff is 225 poinds in our regular sized 44” tube and 300 pounds in our 48” tube. We have a mixture of tube sizes to accommodate different sized guests, please ask our staff to select the right size for you.
Canoes: Canoe become less stable and more prone to capsize the more weight you put in them. We’d loosely recommend a 500 pound cutoff for the canoes we use.
Kayaks: Our kayak manufacturer recommends no more than 225 pounds in a single kayak
Rafts: While they don’t really rate commercial rafts for weight, the rafts can handle large loads. We find that rafts lose mobility and are difficult to paddle and control when the raft thas more than 1000 pounds in it. Feel free to use that as a loose guide.
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The heavier the passenger the further down the boat is pushed down into the water and the more it wants to flip upside down and eject its passenger. The larger your body the harder it can also be to properly get onto a boat, especially if the water is deeper. So these are guideline cutoffs to help avoid a situation where guests get very frustrated, injured or stranded.
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There are some potentially significant difficulties that can occur during participation in our river activities if you are experiencing a physical limitation or injury:
Our guidelines are as follows:
Tubing: we recommend that you have enough agility to stand on uneven ground, balance, and lower yourself safely into the tube with your free hands. If you don’t have use of your hands or arms we’re afraid tubing will be difficult because tubers must paddle, steer and move themselves around the river with their bare hands.
Kayaking and Canoeing. In our guided kayaking and canoeing business Ashby Gap Adventures, we tell people that if they feel mobile and agile enough to ride their bicycle in an urban city, then you will likely be agile enough to balance in and maneuver a canoe or kayak in the complex currents of the Shenandoah. If riding your bicycle in an urban environment is something you wouldn’t consider then this might not be the right vessel or activity for you.
Raft: Every raft needs a leader. You, or at least one physically able agile person in your raft should be able to paddle while sitting on the edge of the boat. Two agile paddlers is better. Other than that, you need to be able to get into the raft while standing on uneven ground or in the water in order to participate and then exit as well. Unless the raft experiences a very rare puncture, rafts are comparatively stable vessels on the river. Guest should remain vigilant to avoid sharp objects while in our rafts.
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When in the outdoors, please be vigilant of developing weather so you don’t get caught without a plan. Everyone needs to determine their own plan for thunderstorm response because situations are infinitely different. We look to and refer to the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) for guidance and recommendations.
Lightning and Thunderstorms: If you’re on the river and thunderstorm develops, prevailing advice from NOLS is to exit the river and find the safest terrain ashore. There’s no substitute for familiarizing yourself with their recommendations but we’ll boil a few of them down for you here.
If Lightning Or Thunderstorms Develop: NOLS Recommends the Following:
- Be vigilant and take precautions the moment you become aware of a storm in the vicinity.
- Exit the river and expeditiously find the safest terrain possible (more in a moment)
- Spread your group out.
- Assume the “NOLS lightning position” which means you put your feet together, crouch down in a ball, and wrap your arms around your knees. If you’re unable to obtain or stay in this crouched position then you may substitute kneeling or sitting but ball up as much as possible. Keep your feet together.
Where to Go During Lightning: Moving to the best terrain available is an art and cloud-to-ground lightning is somewhat random and difficult to predict. But if you avoid standing in water, being next to or touching tall trees, being isolated in a field where you’re the tallest object, or being next to or touching any linear conductors like fences or railroads, then you’re likely minimizing the chances you will experience issues with lightning.
NOLS clearly recommends moving to the best terrain available first, then assuming the lightning position second.
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No. There are no lifeguards on the Shenandoah River or at our Location. Swim and boat at your own risk
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Generally 1-4 feet with areas as deep as 16 feet.
While during much of the year the river appears shallow, there are places over your head. This is why we insist that guests always wear their Personal Flotation Device – PFD (aka Life Preserver) which just reduces our guest’s drowning risk when forced to swim, and they can’t touch the bottom, and just makes for a more enjoyable day.