Shenandoah River

The Shenandoah River /ˌʃɛnənˈdoʊə/ is a tributary of the Potomac River, 55.6 miles (89.5 km) long with two forks approximately 100 miles (160 km) long each.^[3] One is in the U.S. states of Virginia while the other in West Virginia.

Shenandoah River
Crossing the Shenandoah River in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Shenandoah River drainage basin
Location
Country	United States
State	Virginia, West Virginia
Towns	Harper's Ferry, WV, Front Royal, VA, Luray, VA
Physical characteristics
Source	North Fork
- location	Shenandoah Mountain
2nd source	South Fork
- location	Port Republic
Source confluence
- location	Front Royal, VA
Mouth	Potomac River
- location	Harpers Ferry
- coordinates	39.3226009°N 77.7277704°W / 39.3226009; -77.7277704[1]
- elevation	246 ft (75 m)[1]
Length	56 mi (90 km)
Basin size	2,937 sq mi (7,610 km2)
Discharge
- location	Millville, WV[2]
- average	2,755 cu ft/s (78.0 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
- left	North Fork (Shenandoah River)
- right	South Fork (Shenandoah River)

The river and its tributaries drain the central and lower Shenandoah River valley. They also drain the Page Valley in the Appalachians on the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in northwestern Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.^[4]

Geology

Dream Lake, inside Luray Caverns

The Shenandoah Valley sits on limestone. The fertile soil made it an attractive place for early settlement. It continues to be a major agricultural area of Virginia and West Virginia.

Some karst topography is evident, and the limestone has a great number of caves. Several have been developed as commercial tourist attractions. These include Luray Caverns, Shenandoah Caverns, and the Skyline Caverns.

On the riverbank a few miles above Harpers Ferry, West Virginia is said to be a cave with an opening just large enough for a rider on horseback to squeeze through. It widened in the interior to a spacious room where hundreds of Col. John Mosby's raiding troops are said to have hidden from pursuing Union cavalry.^[5]