Augusta County will celebrate the grand opening of Crimora Park’s South River access site on Nov. 2 at 11 a.m.
Funded entirely through grants, this river access expands Augusta County Parks and Recreation department’s offerings and improves opportunities for recreation, fishing, tubing and boating.
“Prior to April 2022, when our first river access spot at Dooms Crossing officially opened, there was no publicly accessible spot in Augusta County where one could fish or launch a canoe on the South River,” said Andy Wells, director of Augusta County Parks and Recreation. “With Dooms and now Crimora, we can more fully enjoy the benefits of our county’s natural amenities.”
Crimora Park is located along the South River at the site of the former Crimora Elementary School.
The park boasts 500 feet of accessible river frontage and more than two acres of flood plain open space. It is approximately 4.5 miles downstream from Dooms Crossing, which is the closest public put-in, and 7.5 miles downstream from Waynesboro’s Basic Park access.
While Crimora had been previously used for boat launch and fishing, the site was not accessible or easy to use. New roadway access now provides closer parking for put-in and take-out of paddle watercraft and an improved gravel walking trail leads directly to the canoe ramp.
Parking lot improvements include installation of storm sewer to carry storm water under the parking lot; installation of heavy-duty, steel-backed timber guardrails; and the paving and striping of 14 parking spaces which includes room for trailer parking.
Funding for Crimora Park’s river access project was $120,000.
Crimora Park’s South River access will be open from dawn to dusk for fishing and launching kayaks, canoes and other non-motorized boats.
For information on fishing licenses, fish consumption advisories and fishing regulations, see the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources page at https://dwr.virginia.gov/fishing/.
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Crystal Graham
