The Shenandoah River is a tributary of the Potomac River, approximately 150 mi (241 km) long, in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. The principal tributary of the Potomac, the river and its tributaries drain several lateral valleys in the Appalachians on the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, mostly in northwestern Virginia.
It is formed near Front Royal by the confluence of South Fork (the longer branch) and North Fork. It flows northeast across Warren and Clarke counties, then into West Virginia, crossing the extreme eastern tip of the state. It joins the Potomac from the south near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
The Shenandoah valley is underlain by limestone. The fertile soil made it a favored place for early settlement and it continues to be a major agricultural area of Virginia and West Virginia. Some karst topography is evident and Luray Caverns near Front Royal is a popular tourist attraction.
Geography of Virginia | Geography of West Virginia | Rivers of Virginia | Rivers of West Virginia | Chesapeake Bay Watershed | Potomac River Watershed | Clarke County, Virginia | Jefferson County, West Virginia | Warren County, Virginia | Rivers of Virginia | Rivers of West Virginia
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the
"Shenandoah River".
Home Page • arts • business • computers • games • health • hospitals • home • kids & teens • news • physicians • recreation• reference • regional • science • shopping • society • sports • world