Roanoke River
| Roanoke River Staunton River | |
|---|---|
Map of the Roanoke River watershed | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia, North Carolina |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of North and South Forks |
| • location | Lafayette, Virginia |
| • coordinates | 37°14′15″N 80°12′49″W / 37.23750°N 80.21361°W |
| • elevation | 1,194 ft (364 m) |
| Mouth | Albemarle Sound |
• location | Plymouth, North Carolina |
• coordinates | 35°56′33″N 76°41′42″W / 35.94250°N 76.69500°W |
• elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Length | 410 mi (660 km) |
| Basin size | 9,680 sq mi (25,100 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Roanoke Rapids, 133.6 mi (215.0 km) from the mouth |
| • average | 7,802 cu ft/s (220.9 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 818 cu ft/s (23.2 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 261,000 cu ft/s (7,400 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Albemarle Sound |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Big Otter River, Falling River |
| • right | Dan River |
The Roanoke River (/ˈroʊ.əˌnoʊk/ ROH-ə-nohk) runs 410 miles (660 km) long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains southeast across the Piedmont to Albemarle Sound. An important river throughout the history of the United States, it was the site of early settlement in the Virginia Colony and the Carolina Colony. An 81-mile (130 km) section of its lower course in Virginia between the Leesville Lake and Kerr Lake is known as the Staunton River, pronounced /ˈstæntən/, as is the Shenandoah Valley city of that name. It is impounded along much of its middle course to form a chain of reservoirs.
Staunton River is also the name of the northern political district of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, where a large section of the river serves as the boundary between Campbell County, Virginia (to the north) and Pittsylvania County (to the south).
The Roanoke River State Trail is a paddle trail which follows the lower portion of the river, from Roanoke Rapids to the Albemarle Sound.