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  1. #1
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    Overnight Kayak / Hammock Camp - Recommendations?

    I just got a new kayak and Hennessy hammock and am looking for your recommendations on an overnight kayak trip in MD/VA/PA. Last year a few friends and I did the Harpers Ferry to Pennyfield lock paddle down the Potomac. That was a great trip, but I only had a regular tent. We will be doing that again this year.

    I can handle up to class III rapids if necessary, but class I-II is probably better. The Patuxent River in MD seems like a good possibility, but not sure if hammocks are allowed at the camp sites. George Washington National Forest also looks promising. Maybe even the Rappahannock River in VA.

    If anyone has a suggestion on rivers, riverside campsites or water trails, I would really appreciate the help.

    ^Scott

  2. #2
    Senior Member BuckeyeFan's Avatar
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    Last year, we did an over night float on the Shenandoah. Put in at Morgan's Ford and took out at SR-7. We camped river right between Burwell Island and mainland, just past SR-17.

    Pm if you want more specific detailsIMG_20190825_091333988.jpgIMG_20190824_135532062_HDR.jpgIMG_20190824_124152148.jpg

    Between the trees and above the ground.

  3. #3
    PopcornFool's Avatar
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    I used to work at the Rappahannock River Outfitters about 25 years ago. It was co-located (and co-run) by the owners of the Rappahannock River Campground (RRC) ... basically the same business. It's off the beaten path sorta-near Richardsville, VA. It's one of those places where the directions include: "you turn off the paved road".

    I'd drive a bus pulling a canoe trailer to ferry people, canoes, and kayaks up river to put in. Then folks would float down and pull out at the campground. Sometimes folks would put back in the next day at the campground and I'd pull them out down river and ferry them back to the campground. These two-day folks were usually Boy Scout troops or fishermen looking to maximize their time on the river. The nice thing about this, of course, is that they didn't have to preposition vehicles. We took care of their transportation needs. But then again, we also provided the canoes and kayaks; most folks didn't bring their own.

    The most common put-in for the two-day trip was Kelly's Ford. After spending the night at the campground, we'd usually pull folks out at Mott's Run. Here's the locations:

    Up River: there is a public (no fee) boat ramp at Kelly's Ford Bridge located here: Google Map - Kelly's Ford
    RRC: the campground is located here: Google Map - RRC
    Down River: there is a public boat launch at Mott's Run located here: Google Map - Mott's Run

    The entire trip is 24 miles on the water with RRC at roughly the mid-point. I found that it took most folks about about 6 hours each day (for our normal recreational paddlers). But it can vary for you of course depending on how high the river is and your paddling approach: less if you're an aggressive paddler just covering miles vs more if you make a lot of pit-stops (or long ones). It's mostly long flat sections with occasional Class I/II rapids. Very easy for most folks. It's not a wide river, you can easily paddle from bank-to-bank. This makes for nice fishing and spotting lots of wildlife that make their home in the woods along the banks. For example, it's not unheard of to spot pairs of Bald Eagles. The woods often grow right up to the banks which allows for floating in the shade of their branches during certain times of the day. The long, slow, flat sections are also great for swimming if you want to get out of the kayak to cool off.

    There are ample shallow banks and little island locations for temporarily pulling out to eat, relax, or respond to nature's call. Some of the property lining the river is not state-owned, but private property. A very small handful of those owners have restrictions and make their wishes clear - watch for posted signs. But most owners don't mind folks on the river pulling out for short stops. A few of the mid-river islands are large enough and permanent enough to support fairly good-sized groves of trees.

    One consideration though ... the Rappahanock is a watershed river. It's highest in the Spring after the snow melt. Following particularly strong rains in the early Spring, it can be dangerously high and fast and unsafe for a float. There always seems to be a death or two on that mild-mannered little river when folks underestimate it, but I think we're already pretty much past that point in the year. On the flip side, I wouldn't plan a trip in late summer either unless there's been a lot of rain through the hot months. The river tends to dry up late in the year, particularly in dry years, and you may wind up having to port your kayak and gear quite a few times over the shallow rapids sections where river has lowered to a trickle between the rocks. The best time to go is April - June (sometimes July or more rarely August if we have a particularly wet summer).

    I don't know what the hammock policy is at RRC, but it has always been private campground, so I can't imagine they would have any problems with it. I recommend contacting them in advance. I wasn't sure that they even still existed, but I found a Facebook site here. The place has changed owners many times over the years, so I don't know who runs the place now ... and like I said ... it's been 25 years, so I can't vouch for the quality of the campground. But it was a fabulous location when I was working there.
    ~ All I want is affordable, simple, ultralight luxury. That’s not asking too much is it?

  4. #4
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    Thanks guys. I will check out both the Shenandoah River and the Rappahannock River Outfitters. Both sound like great trips and I really appreciate the help!

  5. #5
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    Hi! I live near Waldorf, MD. I paddle the Patuxent River a couple times a year. I see no restrictions on hammock camping at the Patuxent Riverkeepers camp sites, though some don't have properly spaced trees available. I have camped at the Maxwell hall campsite and the Greenwell campsite by hammock with no problems. The Iron Pots site has a couple trees with the appropriate separation. The other sites are not as hammock friendly, but if you bring your own hammock stand they should also work.

  6. #6
    Senior Member jcksparow's Avatar
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    I highly recommend the Allegheny river in northwest PA. There's a stretch of over 100 miles of unbroken class 1 with no portages and dozens of federally designated wilderness islands you can camp on for free. River is controlled by the Kinzua dam near the PA/NY border, so it remains floatable virtually year-round.
    "Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates." -Mark Twain

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