S.F. Shenandoah at Eastham Park, Front Royal

South Fork Shenandoah River at Eastham Park at the end of Luray Avenue in Front Royal, is one of the best family accesses to the lower South Fork. It's an up and coming access point on the south-west side of Front Royal. Excellent for hand launching canoes/tubes and also has a concrete boat ramp for shallow running power boats. At summer flows this is one of the best places for supervised kids with river shoes and life preservers to play in the river. Parent's please judge the safety here. But this is a relatively shallow and gradually sloped river bottom with a lot of sand. There is plenty of room in a paved parking lot and Front Royal has created a wonderful riverside park setting with restrooms, a sun shelter, picnic tables, paved walking path, and a dog park. Distances to nearby river accesses: Karo Landing is 7 miles upstream. Front Royal Golf Course is 5 miles downstream on the Main Stem Shenandoah River. Morgans Ford is about 11 miles downstream, but boaters beware of the 20' dam that must be portaged on river left about 7 miles into the float. Staying as Safe As Possible: River recreation carries inherent risk of injury, drowning or death. Most people cease using the South Fork when the Front Royal USGS River Level Gage is above 4.0 feet due to high flow volume. The river becomes very hard to navigate by canoe below 1.4 feet on the gage. Shenandoah Riverkeeper always suggests people use one of the many river outfitters (Downriver Canoe, Front Royal Canoe, Shenandoah River Outfitters) which exist along the river to rent you a tube/boat/raft and put you on an appropriate float and make recommendations about when the river is unsafe for recreation. 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 and avoid the river when it's high or fast flowing from recent rain 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. 12) Boat and fish with a partner