Roanoke River named third best spot for urban kayaking in nationwide vote

Add another claim to fame for Roanoke, Virginia.

After being nominated for USA Today’s Best Urban Kayaking Spot contest, the Roanoke River claimed third place in the nationwide voting on Friday.

USA Today recognized the 45-mile river for its beauty and said it was relatively easy to paddle aside from the two rapids near the gorge.

“Just to be mentioned with some of the cities that are on there is really awesome and I’m incredibly proud of all of the hard work we’ve done to get to this point,” Stephanie Long, with Roanoke Parks and Recreation, told 10 News earlier this month upon being nominated.

If you’re interested in traveling to the other nine spots, below is the full top 10:

1. Cuyahoga River - Cleveland, Ohio
2. James River - Richmond, Virginia
3. Roanoke River - Roanoke, Virginia
4. Bartram’s Garden - Philadelphia
5. Lady Bird Lake - Austin
6. Inner Harbour - Victoria, British Columbia
7. Clark Fork River - Missoula, Montana
8. Rideau Canal - Ottawa, Ontario
9. Potomac River - Washington, DC
10. Lake Union - Seattle