Roanoke River

Roanoke River
Staunton River
Roanoke River in the Wasena neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia
Map of the Roanoke River watershed
Location
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia, North Carolina
Physical characteristics
SourceConfluence of North and South Forks
 • locationLafayette, Virginia
 • coordinates37°14′15″N 80°12′49″W / 37.23750°N 80.21361°W / 37.23750; -80.21361
 • elevation1,194 ft (364 m)
MouthAlbemarle Sound
 • location
Plymouth, North Carolina
 • coordinates
35°56′33″N 76°41′42″W / 35.94250°N 76.69500°W / 35.94250; -76.69500
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Length410 mi (660 km)
Basin size9,680 sq mi (25,100 km2)
Discharge 
 • locationRoanoke Rapids, 133.6 mi (215.0 km) from the mouth
 • average7,802 cu ft/s (220.9 m3/s)
 • minimum818 cu ft/s (23.2 m3/s)
 • maximum261,000 cu ft/s (7,400 m3/s)
Basin features
ProgressionAlbemarle Sound
Tributaries 
 • leftBig Otter River, Falling River
 • rightDan River

The Roanoke River (/ˈr.əˌnk/ ROH-ə-nohk) runs 410 miles (660 km) long[1] through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States.[2] A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains southeast across the Piedmont to Albemarle Sound. An important river throughout the history of the United States, it was the site of early settlement in the Virginia Colony and the Carolina Colony. An 81-mile (130 km) section[3] of its lower course in Virginia between the Leesville Lake and Kerr Lake is known as the Staunton River, pronounced /ˈstæntən/, as is the Shenandoah Valley city of that name. It is impounded along much of its middle course to form a chain of reservoirs.

Staunton River is also the name of the northern political district of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, where a large section of the river serves as the boundary between Campbell County, Virginia (to the north) and Pittsylvania County (to the south).

The Roanoke River State Trail is a paddle trail which follows the lower portion of the river, from Roanoke Rapids to the Albemarle Sound.[4][5]

  1. ^ "Roanoke River Basin" (PDF). www.deq.state.va.us/vrrbac/. Virginia Roanoke River Basin Advisory Committee. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ "Roanoke River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  3. ^ "Staunton River". www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/waterbodies/display.asp?id=175. Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference SL2021-180 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference AboutRRP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).