First, thanks in advance for the help.
I am going to be visiting my brother in Richmond over the 4th of July and would like to paddle some flat water with him since he is a beginner. I will be bringing (2) 14' touring/rec kayaks up and looking for a place to drop in and take out that would be easy for a beginner.
I visited him a couple of months ago and we went to a park(island) that had some whitewater but after that it looked pretty smooth. It was downtown but I can't remember the name. It looked like we could drop in just after the rocks and have a pretty safe paddle.
The question is is there anything downstream of that that a beginner would have to worry about? Where is the best place to take out and how long of a paddle can we have safely?
Is there are any other recommendations for a better flatwater/river paddling spot close to Richmond?
Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated, he really enjoyed kayaking on the lake in NC and would like to get him going more often.
Need put in take out suggestions for out of towner
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Various lakes around are nice for flatwater kayaking, including Pocahontas State Park. For the James, you can go downstream from the 14th street takeout all the way out to the ocean, if you want to 
Since it is tidal, it's best to time it with the tides.
Also on the James, Huguenot Flatwater down to Pony Pasture is a quick run... Anywhere between Scottsville and Richmond is gonna be pretty flat...
Since it is tidal, it's best to time it with the tides.Also on the James, Huguenot Flatwater down to Pony Pasture is a quick run... Anywhere between Scottsville and Richmond is gonna be pretty flat...
I love the smell of Neoprene in the morning...
"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man." - Heraclitus
"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man." - Heraclitus
Here is a link to a google map of various flatwater locations in the richmond area
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 762817&z=8
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 762817&z=8
Mikey wrote:Also on the James, Huguenot Flatwater down to Pony Pasture is a quick run...
A word of caution on this particular stretch... There is a low head dam about a mile below the Huguenot bridge that you should portage. It's "Z Dam" on this map: http://originmedia.gatewayva.com/photos ... /river.htm . Also, on the far left side of the map is Bosher's dam - another serious drowning machine if you paddle the sections above the Huguenot flatwater and Willey bridge.
Generally, I think that if I have the opportunity to paddle, and I've got something else to do or I feel like I shouldn't go for some reason, then I force myself to go and I always have a great time. So, I guess when in doubt -- Go, Paddle. -- Tommy Hilleke
Re: Need put in take out suggestions for out of towner
Welcome! You probably went to Belle Isle on the James. If you are interested in the section below, I would start at the 14th St. Takeout on Sandy's Dad's map and head downstream due to several rapids below Belle Isle. The Falls of the James ends right at 14th Street; it's tidal below that. Ancarrows landing on his map is also a great place to start/end, and Dutch Gap @ Henricus Park is another spot to find buried "treasure."Milkman wrote:I visited him a couple of months ago and we went to a park(island) that had some whitewater but after that it looked pretty smooth. It was downtown but I can't remember the name. It looked like we could drop in just after the rocks and have a pretty safe paddle.
The question is is there anything downstream of that that a beginner would have to worry about? Where is the best place to take out and how long of a paddle can we have safely?
Have fun!
Don't know how long a trip you want, but another (short) option is put in at Watkin's Landing and take-out at James River High School. Both put in and take out can be accessed from Rt. 711 (Robious Road in town and name changes as you travel west). Put in is designated boat landing and take out is in Robious Landing Park near the high school. Mileage is about 3 - 4 miles and it is flat, flat, flat. Bosher's dam is downstream quite a ways so no worry about that. The only issue you might encounter is motor boats / jet skis -- not like on a crowded lake, but maybe a couple here or there.
Also check with a local flatwater group on meetup: http://www.meetup.com/VA-Paddlers/ for more ideas.
Hello Milkman,
On the James south of Richmond near Colonial Heights you can launch at at the Dutch Gap public ramp, paddle a short distance south and explore the Dutch Gap Conservation Area. This is a very scenic area and is an easy flatwater paddle. Further to the east I can recommend York River State Park and Little Creek Reservoir near Williamsburg.
A great flatwater trip if you want to make a day of it is to launch at Powhatan Creek Park near Williamsburg and paddle the ca. 10 mi round trip to Historic Jamestown. It starts as a narrow tidal creek that widens as it winds through estuary and marsh to meet the James at Jamestown Island. Lots of ospreys, wild rice, water lilies, swimming critters, and history for this area. The paddle is ideal for beginners or those with little paddling experience in light touring/rec boats as long as they can handle about 10 or so miles. Tidal influence is fairly mild but I'd recommend going a few hours before Jamestwn Island low and return on the incoming to get a little free ride.
The Map link sandysdad posted above (which I believe he created) has all of these locations and directions.
On the James south of Richmond near Colonial Heights you can launch at at the Dutch Gap public ramp, paddle a short distance south and explore the Dutch Gap Conservation Area. This is a very scenic area and is an easy flatwater paddle. Further to the east I can recommend York River State Park and Little Creek Reservoir near Williamsburg.
A great flatwater trip if you want to make a day of it is to launch at Powhatan Creek Park near Williamsburg and paddle the ca. 10 mi round trip to Historic Jamestown. It starts as a narrow tidal creek that widens as it winds through estuary and marsh to meet the James at Jamestown Island. Lots of ospreys, wild rice, water lilies, swimming critters, and history for this area. The paddle is ideal for beginners or those with little paddling experience in light touring/rec boats as long as they can handle about 10 or so miles. Tidal influence is fairly mild but I'd recommend going a few hours before Jamestwn Island low and return on the incoming to get a little free ride.
The Map link sandysdad posted above (which I believe he created) has all of these locations and directions.
Last edited by ayornamut on Sun Mar 08, 2015 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Thanks everyone for the help, great group of people here.
Let me read through everything posted and digest it a bit. Now I have lots of options!
Sounds like Colonial Heights would be a great paddle to take the cameras on so we may end up doing that.
Again thanks for your help and whoever put the google maps map together that is excellent.
~Milk
Let me read through everything posted and digest it a bit. Now I have lots of options!
Sounds like Colonial Heights would be a great paddle to take the cameras on so we may end up doing that.
Again thanks for your help and whoever put the google maps map together that is excellent.
~Milk