The James River Gorge is a water gap created by the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

in Central

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. The Gorge is deep as measured from Highcock Knob to the James River and is approximately long. The James River forms in western Virginia near the border of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

and initially flows south through the

ridge and valley province The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending ...

of the

Allegheny Mountains The Allegheny Mountain Range (; also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less devel ...

, turning northeast when it comes to the western edge of the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virgin ...

near Buchanan, Virginia. From Buchanan the river flows along the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains until it joins the Maury River near the town of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and then it turns southeast and begins its descent over the Balcony Falls rapids and through the James River Gorge. The rocks of the gorge are metamorphic in nature with the oldest exposed outcrops being from the Proterozoic Era. To the south of the river the peaks of the

James River Face Wilderness The James River Face Wilderness is an 8,907-acre area located near Natural Bridge, Virginia that is protected by the Eastern Wilderness Act of Congress to maintain its present, natural condition. As part of the National Wilderness Preservation ...

dominate and to the north the peaks of Big Rocky Row and Little Rocky Row Mountains form a dramatic backdrop to the river far below. Multiple trails, including the Appalachian Trail go through the gorge and provide spectacular vistas of the scenery both at river level and from the peaks to the north and the south.

References

{{coord, 37.596, -79.392, type:landmark_region:US-VA_dim:10000, display=title Canyons and gorges of Virginia Water gaps of Virginia