The Roanoke River Blueway is currently accessible at 17 local, state, federal, and private river access points. Amenities available at each Blueway access generally include parking, trash receptacle, and information kiosk, with some access points having additional amenities such as canoe/kayak ramps, restrooms, picnic shelters, and multi-use trails. One location, Green Hill Park, will have a handicap accessible fishing pier, and the river is viewable and can be fished from several locations along the Roanoke River Greenway, a paved multi-use trail which runs alongside the blueway.
The 45-mile Roanoke River Blueway (water trail) runs from the South Fork Roanoke River at East Montgomery County Park to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) Hardy Ford boating access at Hardy Road (634) in Bedford County at Smith Mountain Lake. The Roanoke River Flows flow through, connects or borders seven localities in the upper Roanoke River watershed including:
City of Roanoke
City of Salem
Montgomery County
Roanoke County
Bedford County
Franklin County
Town of Vinton
The Roanoke River Blueway provides river access for canoeing, kayaking, fishing, tubing, wading, wildlife viewing, and other recreational opportunities, while connecting to numerous local parks, Roanoke River Greenway, Tinker Creek Greenway, Mill Mountain Greenway, Blue Ridge Parkway, Explore Park, and Smith Mountain Lake. The Roanoke River Blueway also includes sections of the South Fork Roanoke River, Tinker Creek, and Back Creek.
