The Rapidan River is the largest tributary of the Rappahannock River in North-central Virginia. The two rivers converge just west of the city of Fredericksburg. Sections of the lower the Rapidan River will soon be presevered by a conservation easement. The Rapidan River has its headwaters near Big Meadows in the Blue Ridge Mountains' Shenandoah National Park.

It was the scene of severe fighting in the American Civil War, and historic sites such as Ely's Ford, Chancellorsville, Brandy Station, Kelly's Ford, and Wilderness are nearby.

The name apparently is a combination of the word rapids with the name of Queen Anne of England.

Rapidan

Rivers of Virginia | Chesapeake Bay Watershed | Rappahannock River Watershed | Rivers named after women