Self-Guided James River Paddle - Horseshoe Bend to Buchanan

• As defined by law, the river and riverbed, including all sandbars and beaches, are considered public property. We ask that you stay within these borders. NO TRESPASSING on private property.
• Absolutely NO LITTERING around the area. Please be aware that there are no garbage services along the river, so kindly ensure you take all your belongings with you. No glass or styrofoam is allowed on the James or Maury rivers.
• NO PROFANITY.

Yes, all our participants need to be able to swim without the aid of a life jacket. Due to the reason that much of the river is very remote, with rescue taking several hours to reach groups.

The American Whitewater Affiliation Scale of River Difficulty:

Class I: Easy. Fast-moving water with riffles and small waves. Few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training. Risk to swimmers is slight; self-rescue is easy.

Class II: Novice. Straightforward rapids with wide, clear channels that are evident without scouting. Occasional maneuvering may be required, but rocks and medium-sized waves are easily missed by trained paddlers. Swimmers are seldom injured, and group assistance, while helpful, is seldom needed.

No, for the safety of the dogs and our guests, we do not allow dogs on our trips.

Customers must be physically able to get in and out of rental equipment without assistance and they must be able to self-rescue if required.

The river depths will vary from knee-deep to over 10 feet deep in spots.

If you are late and we have started, you may have to wait until a later trip. So, it is advised that you arrive early and be on time for your orientations.

No, we require advance reservations for all trips.

Patrons recklessly causing damage to canoes or other paddling equipment will be charged.

We won’t put a boat on the river by itself when the combined air and water temperature is under 100 degrees or when the water temperature in the James is under 55 degrees and the Maury 50 degrees. We always reserve the option to move your trip to another if the conditions on your reservation are unsafe or the water is too low. We will also move anyone we deem not up to the reserved trip to an easier, safer trip. Remember that the more challenging a trip is, the more possibility there is for injury or property damage. Customers are responsible for themselves, those in their group, and all personal and rented equipment.

Yes! If you have your own canoe or kayak and would like to paddle this section of river, just select the shuttle option at checkout. Canoes or kayaks only.

We have carefully scouted and mapped all our trips and have established sites for all our access and take-out points. We monitor river conditions daily and only launch trips when water levels permit.

We have a small fleet of whitewater rafts, and when water levels permit, they can be a great option for many parties. Rafts offer a very stable and safe paddling platform in higher water levels, making them great when taking small kids or novice paddlers. Rafts can hold two to six paddlers, allowing for a unique group river experience. Rafts require at least two adult-sized customers to paddle. They work best when the James River is above 3.0 feet or higher on the Buchanan river gauge. We typically have these water levels from April through early June. Rafts also work great for spring overnight camping trips.