Several rivers, including the South Fork of the Shenandoah River and the Jackson River are popular for canoeing and float fishing. Most every ranger district has a recreation area that features a lake offering flat water paddling. Trout Pond Recreation Area in the Lee Ranger District features 17 acre Rockcliff Lake, which is (surprise, surprise) well stocked with trout. Lee is also home to the less developed Hazard Mill and High Cliff canoe camps.

Brandywine Lake Recreation Area in the Dry River Ranger District features a 10 acre lake off limits to motors -- so no messy wakes to deal with. Warm Springs Ranger District offers some of the most concentrated recreation in the forest. Bolar Flat at Lake Moomaw is the big draw here. Walton Tract is much more off the beaten track. Cowpasture River is floatable for 3 miles in national forest land, then more beyond. For whitewater, the Maury River is formed just above Goshen Pass where the Cowpasture and Little Cowpasture join forces. This is a stunningly pretty run, generally Class III amping up to Class IV at certain times of year. Access is off of Route 39.

While in the Pedlar Ranger District, head for Sherando Lake. This lake is another that's off limits to motor boats, making for a low aggravation paddling experience. There is also a network of streams in this area, some of them runnable. Check at the ranger district.