Shenandoah River at Morgans Ford (Route 624)

Warren County, Virginia

Shenandoah River at Morgans Ford: This river access point is beside the Morgans Ford Bridge where Manassas Run joins the river. The large gravel parking lot slopes into the river for launching trailered boats. This launching spot could be used to float 5 miles downstream to the Farms Riverview Boat Landing. Warren Dam is about three miles upstream from here. Water Levels:
1) Avoid Floating/boating when the water levels are over 4.o feet on the USGS Front Royal Gage
2) Avoid Floating/boating when there are large objects floating in the river (floods pick these up)
3) Avoid Swimming in muddy or very discolored water
4) When levels are under 1.2 feet at the USGS Front Royal Gage this float becomes very shallow for floating/boating. Leave extra time. Wear good river shoes. Staying as Safe As Possible:
River recreation carries inherent risk of injury, drowning or death. Shenandoah Riverkeeper always suggests people use one of the many river outfitters that exist along the river to rent you a tube/boat/raft and put you on an appropriate float. But for people with some experience or those who would like to venture out on their own you may wish to heed some general guidelines Including:
1) Bring much more water than you think you'll need
2) Wear your life preserver
3) Wear closed toed secure river shoes or tennis shoes at all times
4) Don't drink water from the river
5) Bring wet weather gear even on the hottest days (long summer thunderstorms can give you hypothermia)
6) If you have an open cut or scrape keep it out of the river
7) If you get a cut or scrape from the river, clean it out very very thoroughly right away and make sure no debris/algae or dirt remains in the cut. Disinfect. Keep Dry. River infections are extremely serious. If you suspect infection is developing in a cut after having contact with the river then seek medical attention immediately - emergency care if your doctor is unavailable. Signs of river infection are increasing redness or prolonged soreness, increasing swelling, wound odor and/or fever.
8) In cool weather dress in warm layers. Never wear cotton against your skin and this includes t-shirts and jeans.
9) Be aware of where you are in the river and become familiar with what your take-out point looks like if you're doing a float so you don't miss it and get stranded after dark.
10) Avoid wild animals
11) If thunderstorms develop you should have a plan which usually includes finding a place that reduces your chance of being struck by lightning and/or being hit by a falling branch or tree in high winds.

COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality
  • No data available

  • Current Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample. Shenandoah Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available.
For water quality icon legend, click:  
Current Weather
15°C
Clear and sunny
Monitoring Frequency

Shenandoah River at Morgans Ford (Route 624) is not sampled

Source Information

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has assumed responsibility for bacterial testing of the state's streams and rivers in order to determine general water quality and to determine suitability for direct contact recreation. This bacterial testing takes place infrequently. Therefore, Shenandoah Riverkeeper does not feel there is enough information to make daily or weekly advisories on the safety of valley waterways.

Virginia's beaches, incidentally, are monitored on a weekly basis by local health department officials. In the coming year, Shenandoah Riverkeeper may begin to advocate for increased monitoring of our most recreationally popular reaches of river in order to be able to provide the same level of information to the estimated quarter million annual recreational users of the Shenandoah River, that beach-goers enjoy.

For educational purposes, Virginia considers a waterbody suitable for direct contact recreation when fewer than 8 out of 1000 users are expected to experience illness from direct contact with the water. This illness reate corresponds with instantaneious bacteria levels of 235 colonies of E-Coli bacteria/ 100 ml of water. Over time, if 10.5% or more of all samples at a given river location show more than 235 colonies of bacterial per 100ml, then that segment of stream is deemed "impaired" by the state, which means it does not meet standards for direct contact recreation.

Shenandoah Riverkeeper hopes to provide more information over the ensuing months to help guide users in their choice of access locations on the Shenandoah.

Read more
Water Quality Graph

Shenandoah River at Morgans Ford (Route 624)

Warren County, Virginia

COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality
  • No data available
  • Current Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample. Shenandoah Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available.
For water quality icon legend, click:  
Current Weather
15°C
Clear and sunny

Shenandoah River at Morgans Ford: This river access point is beside the Morgans Ford Bridge where Manassas Run joins the river. The large gravel parking lot slopes into the river for launching trailered boats. This launching spot could be used to float 5 miles downstream to the Farms Riverview Boat Landing. Warren Dam is about three miles upstream from here. Water Levels:
1) Avoid Floating/boating when the water levels are over 4.o feet on the USGS Front Royal Gage
2) Avoid Floating/boating when there are large objects floating in the river (floods pick these up)
3) Avoid Swimming in muddy or very discolored water
4) When levels are under 1.2 feet at the USGS Front Royal Gage this float becomes very shallow for floating/boating. Leave extra time. Wear good river shoes. Staying as Safe As Possible:
River recreation carries inherent risk of injury, drowning or death. Shenandoah Riverkeeper always suggests people use one of the many river outfitters that exist along the river to rent you a tube/boat/raft and put you on an appropriate float. But for people with some experience or those who would like to venture out on their own you may wish to heed some general guidelines Including:
1) Bring much more water than you think you'll need
2) Wear your life preserver
3) Wear closed toed secure river shoes or tennis shoes at all times
4) Don't drink water from the river
5) Bring wet weather gear even on the hottest days (long summer thunderstorms can give you hypothermia)
6) If you have an open cut or scrape keep it out of the river
7) If you get a cut or scrape from the river, clean it out very very thoroughly right away and make sure no debris/algae or dirt remains in the cut. Disinfect. Keep Dry. River infections are extremely serious. If you suspect infection is developing in a cut after having contact with the river then seek medical attention immediately - emergency care if your doctor is unavailable. Signs of river infection are increasing redness or prolonged soreness, increasing swelling, wound odor and/or fever.
8) In cool weather dress in warm layers. Never wear cotton against your skin and this includes t-shirts and jeans.
9) Be aware of where you are in the river and become familiar with what your take-out point looks like if you're doing a float so you don't miss it and get stranded after dark.
10) Avoid wild animals
11) If thunderstorms develop you should have a plan which usually includes finding a place that reduces your chance of being struck by lightning and/or being hit by a falling branch or tree in high winds.

Monitoring Frequency

Shenandoah River at Morgans Ford (Route 624) is not sampled

Source Information

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has assumed responsibility for bacterial testing of the state's streams and rivers in order to determine general water quality and to determine suitability for direct contact recreation. This bacterial testing takes place infrequently. Therefore, Shenandoah Riverkeeper does not feel there is enough information to make daily or weekly advisories on the safety of valley waterways.

Virginia's beaches, incidentally, are monitored on a weekly basis by local health department officials. In the coming year, Shenandoah Riverkeeper may begin to advocate for increased monitoring of our most recreationally popular reaches of river in order to be able to provide the same level of information to the estimated quarter million annual recreational users of the Shenandoah River, that beach-goers enjoy.

For educational purposes, Virginia considers a waterbody suitable for direct contact recreation when fewer than 8 out of 1000 users are expected to experience illness from direct contact with the water. This illness reate corresponds with instantaneious bacteria levels of 235 colonies of E-Coli bacteria/ 100 ml of water. Over time, if 10.5% or more of all samples at a given river location show more than 235 colonies of bacterial per 100ml, then that segment of stream is deemed "impaired" by the state, which means it does not meet standards for direct contact recreation.

Shenandoah Riverkeeper hopes to provide more information over the ensuing months to help guide users in their choice of access locations on the Shenandoah.

Read more
Water Quality Graph

  Beach Location Water Quality
Front Royal, Virginia
Front Royal, Virginia
Front Royal, Virginia
Front Royal, Virginia
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