This is lovely reservoir park along River Road (northwest of downtown Fredericksburg, but on the…read moresouth bank of the Rappahanock River). It's only a 7 minute drive from the Wegmans in the Carl D. Silver Parkway megaplex. As you enter on the left side, continue past the mini-parking lot along a gravel road. At the end, there's a larger parking lot (upper lot) and the smaller parking area (lower lot). On a Sunday morning in late September, it was calm and peaceful on the reservoir. On weekends from 12pm-5pm, the nature center is open for kids. This is a great place for boating (they have kayak and canoe rentals) and easy hiking. Not so ideal for running because the trails are narrow and full of tree branches (hazardous if you're not watching your step). A river path is a good option for walking (but not ideal for jogging). Across River Road at the "bottom of the hill", there's a public boat ramp that's worth a quick peek for a view of the river. At the far left, walk toward the open space and path along the river. After a short walk of 200 feet, you'll get a clear view of how rocky and shallow the river is - as well as bowls in the ground which may been cannon redouts (used during the Civil War). It's amazing to see both the Union and Confederate forces built cannon redoubts on both sides to prevent people from crossing the river at this shallow and relatively calm area. Enjoy!

Pros: Beautiful, calm lake, with chances to see wildlife and public restrooms are available…read more Cons: Driving down the dirt hill toward the water can be treacherous due to long, wide, deep trenches. Also, this lake allows remote controlled boats, so if someone is using it to speed around the water, we kayakers have to steer clear. Noisy and annoying. Finally, we used our own kayaks and PDFs and the cost was $10.

Fun experience for floating down the river! Great service, chill vibes, great staff... I'd go back!read more

Tubing Review: We had an amazing time. Was is exhausting,…read moreyes. Worth it, yes! Owen was great. He was a great driving the stick shift bus back to the outfitters. It was nice being dropped off and picked up. We did have issues with our card online, but when I called in to book, Nancy was helpful. She got us all situated and sent an email to confirm. We filled out waivers online which was a breeze. We watched a quick safety video, picked up our lifevest and were on our way. The water was the perfect temp, and it was clear. Tips: bring snacks and water. You are out there 4-5 or longer hours. Especially if the water is low, which ours was. We used a waterproof bag and had no issues. We used a tube with a cup holder which was nice. I wore my life vest out of precaution even though I can swim, plus it made it comfortable for my to use it as a neck rest. I've noticed people mention in previous reviews that the bus was dirty ect. Um, you're in the woods. If you get picked up after many other groups the bus will be dirty as everyone is wet coming out of the water no matter what activity you choose. I would not own a brand spanking new vehicle for this type of environment and job. Used is best and saves money I'm sure. Wear a hat and sunglasses, put in that sunscreen. Bring a waterproof phone case/bag. You will have no service out there so put it on airplane mode and use it as a camera.

The glamping was great. Near the highway and the train but amenities were great. Massanutten tent…read morehas amazing views but the blue ridge tent is closer to the parking area and showers. The inside was spacious and fit us 5 comfortably. We did the short rafting trip which was perfect for young kids. Jumped off the raft several times for some swimming. Everything went very smoothly with the staff, and they had a food truck on the property where we enjoyed lunch.

What a good HAWT time!…read more We came on a Saturday, mid August, and had a good, relaxing time. Besides the heat trying to take me out, I had absolutely no complaints. Front Royal Outdoors had their logistics in order from start (parking) to the brief bus ride, all the way to finish (exit). Our party all opted to do the deluxe tube (approximately $41 for the entire experience) that offered more support (a place to hold your beverage of choice) and the possibility to maximize on one's lazy river experience. As an FYI, every "order" of course came with a life jacket. The river itself was calm and effortless, for the most part. I think our experience was a little over 3.5 hours. My only recommendation would be to hydrate and find a time/date where the heat is not doing what it does best.... drains ya.

Convenient and easily accessible location - about a mile off the Potomac River near the 301/Harry…read moreNice Bridge in KG County. The folks who own the Machodoc Creek Marina are knowledgeable, professional, friendly, and helpful. Awesome place to rent a slip, get your boat serviced, or go kayaking, canoeing, or paddle boarding!

What a great place to launch a boat and enjoy the day. We went and rented kayaks, then enjoyed the…read moreviews and weather. It is clean, affordable, easy to access, beautiful and nature positive. A great place for friends and family.

Beautiful and relaxing. Loved our horses. They offer lessons, trail rides, tubing, and more…read more Remember to tip your guide!

Our guide was a younger guy, I think he was 19 or so, and he was fantastic. My bf and I went on a…read moretrail ride and he made us feel quite comfortable considering both of us hadn't ridden in 10 years. We got a bit of a history lesson of the region and what life is like out in Culpepper during. I would have taken horse riding lessons from this center for sure.

Rowed with my school, great marina, well kept. The cox and boat house were great! River was nice as…read morewell!

Just bought a paddleboard and was searching for places closest to my house. I knew about this one,…read morebut didn't initially know that I had to have a season pass to the nova Parks and this marina was more expensive on top of the regular annual pass. It cost around $150. And you can't get in to this marina without a key. The marina is great for kayak, canoe, paddleboard, not big boats. It's buggy there. No walking trails that I saw. Of the two times I've launched my paddleboard, one time was nice, the other time the current was fast enough that it kept spinning my paddleboard around, so I couldn't get anywhere. But I think it's probably usually calmer than that. There are no concessions or bathrooms. And that's the reason I won't get a pass next year.

This place is amazing! The staff if great and super friendly. The launch site is right there and…read moreyou escort yourself out. I like that because you dont have to wait for a bus or other people. The river portion is everything because it starts out slow then you drop into a few "just right" rapids. There is a spot to jump off some rocks, my son loved that! At the end you come out to a ricer beach area , where you can play in the water or walk your tube up to a shaded spot wnd wait for the bus. The bus is cool little way to end the trip! Plus you can get right back in the river and do it again!! Second time in a month I have come and keep getting new friends to experience it!

It is a shame to give this facility a bad review. The owner, Bill, was wonderful. The land and…read morefacilities were beautiful. The point of this review is not just to inform potential customers of the abusive treatment of staff but to try to reach Bill to let him know that he needs to change his staff. Candy, the seeming manager of the outfit, was positively awful and noted as a 'Karen' in other reviews. As stated in other reviews, Candy's abusive attitude while in a leadership position has also permeated other aspects of this organization, sometimes putting children in danger. Candy's abusive behavior includes but is not limited to yelling while contradicting what the owner had told us the night before, demanding 30 minutes before time to leave that we were to do a mandatory service project that she had mistakenly left off the official paperwork, and was not explained to those present until pack out. Candy's response to being questioned about the contradictory information was to alter and resend official paperwork and change the website afterward. When Candy was allowed to communicate directly, she remained silent when proven wrong and instead sent false emails regarding conversations to other organization members. Other than that, our canoeing instructor was gruff but incredibly knowledgeable. The students had the most comprehensive canoeing instruction I had ever seen, and the instructor enabled them to meet their goals. That said, if you go for canoe instruction and get Mike, he will scare the students if they are not forewarned. Please help your students to be active participants and answer questions. Pre-education in canoeing may also help as he tends to ask questions about things he has not yet introduced.

Excellent outfitter. Flexible times, easy to book, and prompt pickup. I would highly recommend…read moreSkyline and I will be using them again for future trips. Our first time using SCC was midweek on the Karo boat landing to Front Royal boat landing. We pretty much had the river to ourselves.

6 of us came out to tube with Brian on Saturday. Couldn't be happier with the experience and the…read moreservice. Brian communicated with us perfectly, was okay with us showing up late (we left late), was waiting for us. His equipment was perfect, he knew the river, gave us great instructions ... Will definitely be back. Oh yeah, and the river is awesome.

Absolutely loved hiking at Bear's Den Overlook! The trail was peaceful, well-maintained, and had…read morebeautiful scenery the entire way up. The hike itself was fairly easy and can be finish under a hour. It is dog friendly, fairly shaded, and trail is well marked. You can sit down on the rock ledges and look at the incredible panoramic views of the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains. There is a small parking lot. It's a perfect spot for a quick getaway from the city, whether you're going for sunrise, sunset, or just a relaxing day outdoors. After can hit up Bear Chase Brewery close by.

A great quick out and back hike! It took us about 20-30 minutes from the parking lot to get to the…read moretop with no breaks. Great view from the top and a quick walk to the bear den hostel from the top. Well maintained trail. Lots of parking even on the weekends although it can get rather crowded on the trail