Stokes County, NC – A River Runs Through It

Stokes County, NC. Neill Caldwell – The Stokes News

Experience the mighty Dan River flowing from the northwest in Westfield at Jessup Mill Access, to southeast at Pine Hall Bridge Access. The Dan passes through the Sauratown range keeping waters cool and refreshing for kayaking, canoeing, or river tubing. In the northwestern section fishermen find pleasure at Jessup Mill or Harts Access, here Brown Trout are easily reeled in from their eastern most native habitat.

No, it’s not a lazy river like in some water park. The Dan River is a living, vibrant river that can turn treacherous after just a couple of days of heavy rains. Stay updated with river conditions on the websites and social media accounts of Stokes County, The Dan River Company, General Dan Tubing Company, or Hillside Dan River Tubing. Each of the three river outfitters can assist in helping you enjoy a river adventure as you get into a “Stokes State of Mind”. Outfitters are educated about points of interest on the Dan River and provide shuttle or equipment rental, letting you sit back enjoy the ride and flow of the mighty Dan.

For 57 miles it cuts diagonally across Stokes County from the northwest to the southeast losing about 500 feet in elevation as it goes. The Dan offers great outdoor recreation activities for boating, paddling, tubing, fishing and swimming. But it pays to do your research, and to have a plan. Especially for transportation to get back to your starting point.) And yes, there are places on the Dan where there are Class I, II, & III rapids. Public access locations in Stokes County include Jessup’s Mill (Collinstown Road in Westfield), Harts Access (Hwy 704 in Westfield). Hanging Rock Park Access (Flinchum Road in Danbury), Moratock Park, Snow Creek Access & Hemlock Golf Course in Walnut Cove.

In 2017, the Piedmont Land Conservancy transferred a large tract of land in northwest Stokes County to state wildlife for hunting and fishing. The Hill Farm Game Land includes almost two miles of access to the Dan River. The access is welcomed by Triad trout fishing enthusiasts because the Dan offers them the nearest option for pursuing the popular game fish. The Dan also hosts sizable populations of smallmouth bass, rare species of freshwater mussels, and a large variety of sucker fish. The river offers a myriad of opportunities for catching catfish, large-mouthed bass, sunfish and many more.

Make a splash into cool mountain waters of the Dan River, dip your feet in a refreshing waterfall as it rushes by your skin flowing to the ground at Hanging Rock State Park. Stokes County, North Carolina is the perfect Mountain Getaway, surrounded by rural landscapes, remote locations and vacation rental accommodations away from traffic jams and large cities.

The perfect mountain getaway, closer than you think. www.hangingrock.com