8 of the Best Spots for Kayaking in Northern Virginia

  • Author: Devin Henry
  • Last Updated: November 30, 2023
Table of Contents

Living in Northern Virginia puts you in one of the country’s most unique locations. The reason is that you’re only minutes from D.C., one of the most densely populated regions in the nation, while remaining close to some wonderful outdoor activities you can access any time you wish.

Kayaking in Northern Virginia is particularly popular because the Potomac River makes it easy to explore up and down its shores, and there are lakes everywhere. You’re sure to find some great spots to put your kayak in the water every time you head out, and many of these waterways pass historical sites along the way. 

You’ll undoubtedly find some favorite kayaking locations as you get to know Northern Virginia better. This guide will take you through some of the lakes and rivers you won’t want to miss if you’re a kayaking enthusiast. 

8 Great Areas for Kayaking in Northern Virginia

Everyone’s different when it comes to kayaking, as some people need a destination to reach, such as a historical site or beach, while others feel like the journey is the only destination they need. Kayaking in Northern Virginia provides both experiences, often on the same trip. Here’s a look at some of the top places to take your kayak in the region:

1. Old Town Alexandria’s Waterfront 

a group of kayaks stored in Old Town Alexandria’s Waterfront 

Perhaps the area’s best-known spot to kayak is in the Potomac River in the area around Old Town Alexandria. This spot is excellent if you’re looking to paddle in a central location because you can launch your boat from pretty much any park or parking lot in this part of town. It’s also possible to kayak right up to some of Northern Virginia’s most famous historical sites.

2. The Occoquan River Paddle Route 

You won’t want to miss the long, peaceful paddle route in the Occoquan Reservoir when exploring Northern Virginia by kayak. You can start this 40-mile trek in multiple spots, including Sandy Run Regional Park and Fountainhead Regional Park, as both venues have parking and boat launches. This route will take you through dense forests, and you can even get off your boat and explore some hiking trails on foot as you travel.

3. Burke Lake Park

A lot is going on at Burke Lake Park, including a golf course, some playgrounds, multiple picnic areas, and a miniature train. Escaping all that bustle is easy, though, because the lake also offers some outstanding kayaking opportunities. You can launch your kayak from the boat ramp, marina, or any of the parking lots and escape to a secluded bay in the wilderness in a matter of minutes. 

4. Algonkian Regional Park

8 of the Best Spots for Kayaking in Northern Virginia 1

The Potomac River becomes far less busy once it winds northwest of Washington, D.C., and that’s precisely where you’ll find Algonkian Regional Park. This site as a whole is quite large, featuring a golf course, a waterpark, and multiple picnic shelters, and you’ll also find hiking trails through the woods there. It’s easy to put your kayak in the river from the boat launch near the main parking lot, and you can explore unpopulated Tenfoot Island, Sharpshin Island, and Van Deventer Island once you’re out on the water.

5. Mason Neck State Park

Mason Neck State Park sits just outside the community of Lorton and is a well-known bald eagle habitat. You can also launch a kayak from this park when looking to explore Kanes Creek, Belmont Bay, or the Potomac River. The park feels secluded, even though it’s just outside some major metropolitan areas, and there’s a boat launch and parking lot on its west end that act as the perfect departure point for your kayak trip.

6. Lake Anna

Lake Anna sits in a secluded area between Richmond and D.C. that’s part of a state park. The lake is long and narrow and features various creeks and bays, giving you more than enough places to explore as you paddle through the wilderness. There’s a beach and campground in Lake Anna State Park that act as an excellent point to begin your paddling journey, but you’ll find dozens of potential starting spots if you look hard enough.

7. Lake Accotink

a person enjoying the scenery while kayaking at Lake Accotink

Lake Accotink might not be for the experienced paddler because of its small size, but the park offers a great spot for families to get on the water in their kayaks. This tiny lake also provides access to Accotink Creek, so you can venture up through a residential area in West Springfield, VA. The park is surrounded by forests, despite its central location, and you’ll also find a beach, a mini-golf course, and a sizable parking lot at the venue.

8. Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Regional Park 

Leesburg, Virginia, is home to Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Regional Park, a Civil War historical site with guided tours and living history events. The park also features hiking trails and a boat launch, where you can start a paddle in the Potomac River near Harrison Island. This spot offers two different experiences, depending on which direction you travel: The Maryland side of Harrison Island is full of farmland, while the Virginia side is pure wilderness as you head south.

Kayaking in Northern Virginia can be as straightforward or as challenging as you wish. Some spots are secluded, while others are busy, so you can select where you head based on how you feel that day.

Get Expert Help With Northern Virginia Real Estate

Northern Virginia is full of outstanding outdoor activities that will ensure you’re happy, healthy, and active when living here. Kayaking is a popular pastime because of these waterways, and you’ll find countless other activities to keep you busy as well. 

Nomadic Real Estate can assist as you lease or rent a home in Northern Virginia or the rest of the Metro D.C. area. We also offer property management services if you’re looking to rent out your house in the region. Contact our team today for help with any of your real estate needs.

Share via Email
Share on Facebook
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Twitter
Get help from DC's top real estate team.
Founded in 2005, Nomadic is the go-to full service real estate firm in the DMV. We've helped thousands of landlords, investors, and residents and we would love to connect with you next.
Get in touch today!

Check out more of our blog posts below!

Or search for a different topic:
2018 Inc. 5000 List
Voted Best Property Manager in DC Badge
Top Company Cultures Award Best Company 2018
Equal Opportunity Housing

Navigate

Resources

Join Our Newsletter!

We promise we won’t spam you – you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact Us

Copyright © 2023 Nomadic Real Estate. Sitemap.

Facebook-f Instagram Twitter Youtube
Scroll to Top

Thinking of selling? Get an instant property value report:

Download Sales Comps

Enhanced Reporting

Your portal includes a selection of extremely useful reports. Reports are available in the “Reports” section, and are distinct from the financial statements. Unlike financial statements which are static records, Reports are dynamic real-time records that will update with current data every time you view them. 

Scroll down to learn more about Reports:

Navigate to the "Reports" module in your portal:

Owner Portal Reports
  • Keep in mind, these reports are dynamic records. They will refresh to display current information every time you view them. 

Enhanced Rent Roll Report:

Enhanced Rent Roll Report
  • The Enhanced Rent Roll Report will show the rent amount, last payment date, move-in date, lease expiration date, and security deposit amount for each of your tenants. 
  • It will also show a portfolio summary with occupancy percentage, vacancy loss, and more!

Unit Comparison Report:

Unit Comparison Report
  • If you own multiple units (or buildings) with Nomadic, you’ll get access to the Unit Comparison Report. 
  • This report enables you to quickly compare financial performance between your units at a glance without toggling between individual reports. 

Income Statement Month-Over-Month:

Income Statement by Month Report
  • The Income Statement Detail – Monthly Report serves as a month-over-month record of portfolio performance. You’ll see itemized income and expense categories and can track monthly. This report will update with fresh data every time you view it. 

Financial Statements

Financial statements will be published to your portal on a monthly basis. The statements are found in your Documents library, and provide a historical record of all financial performance. The statements serve as a snapshot of financial performance over a given period, and are static documents (unlike Reports, the statements do not update/change in real-time). 

Scroll down for more info about the Financial Statements in your Documents library:

The Documents area contains monthly financial statements:

Owner Portal Documents
  • The statements in the Documents are are static documents. They are posted to the portal once a month to serve as a historical record of financial performance. 

Download a statement to see month and YTD financials:

Owner Portal Property Statement

You'll also find a month-over-month operating statement:

Month over Month Statement

Portal Communication Tool

You can use your owner portal to communicate with our team. Any messages you send through the portal will go straight to your Account Manager. When we reply, you’ll get an email notification and you’ll also see the message in your portal next time you log in. 

Here’s an overview of using the communication platform:

Click "Communications" and navigate to "Conversations":

Commincation Dashboard Screenshot
  • The communications module will contain a record of all messages that you create through the portal. 

Click the "New Message" button and send your message:

Owner Portal New Message Screenshot

Responses will show up in the conversation ticket:

Portal Conversation Response Screenshot
  • You’ll get an email notification whenever you get a response, and you’ll also see the message in your portal next time you log in. 

You can reply in-line using the comment box:

Owner Portal Comment

Each conversation will be logged in its entirety:

Portal Conversation Snapshot

Understanding the Ledger

Your portal includes a ledger with all transactions. The ledger is populated with data in real-time as transactions flow through our accounting software. Much of this information is also available in the Reports area, as well as the Statements in your Documents library, but the ledger is the most comprehensive resource for diving into the details. 

Please scroll through the sections below to get a better understanding of how to interpret the ledger. 

By default, transactions are sorted chronologically:

Owner Ledger Dates
  • The date reflected in the lefthand column is the actual transaction date, not the “bill date”. This is the date the transaction was actually processed. 

If you have multiple properties with Nomadic, you'll see the address for each transaction in the "Location" column:

Ledger Property Column
  • You can filter the ledger to look at just one property, all properties, or specific sets of properties. 
  • If you only have one property with us, you’ll just see the ledger for that property. 

The Description column displays the transaction type:

Owner Ledger Description Column
  • BILL: this is an expense transaction, such as for repair costs or management fees.
  • CHARGE: this is a transaction  billed to the tenant, most typically a rent payment. 
  • NACHA EXPORT: this is a credit we processed to your distribution account. This type of transaction is how you get paid! 

The Amount column shows the dollar value of each transaction:

Owner Ledger Amount Column
  • Positive Amounts: if an amount is positive, it reflects a transaction that is payable to you. Typically, this will be a rent payment that we collected from your tenants. On occasion, a positive number could also signify a journal entry or credit adjustment. 
  • Negative Amounts:  if an amount is negative, this is a transaction that is either payable to Nomadic or is an amount that has already been paid to you. Typically this will be for repair costs or management/leasing fees. Owner draws (net distributions into your checking/savings account) also reflect as negative amounts, since they have already been paid to you. 

The Account Balance column shows a sum of positive/negative transactions at a given point in time:

Owner Ledger Account Balance Column
  • Account Balance should always equal zero after a net distribution has been processed. When the balance is zero, this means that all expenses have been paid and you’ve received the remainder as net operating income, leaving a balance of zero (meaning: no one is due any money, as all funds have been distributed appropriately). 

Navigating the Propertyware Owner Portal

Your portal includes some extremely useful features that help you understand your property’s financial performance at a new level, with real-time transparency into every transaction.

Scroll through the snapshots below for an overview of portal navigation! If you need more help or have specific questions about using the portal, you can reach out to your Account Manager any time for a screen share. 

You can filter all info by date range or property:

PW Portal Filters

View a snapshot of income and expenses on your dashboard:

PW Owner Dashboard View

See every transaction in real-time on your ledger:

Owner Portal Ledger View

Statements and forms will be posted to your documents library:

Owner Portal Document Library

View a suite of real-time financial reports:

Portal Reports View

See a running list of all bills, and drill down for more detail:

Owner Portal Bills View

Under Bill Details, you'll find dates/descriptions/amounts and more:

Portal Bill Details

You can also communicate with your Account Manager through the portal:

Owner Portal Communication Tools

How do net distributions work?

Net distributions keep your accounting clean and simple. Each month we’ll collect rent from the tenants, deduct any repair expenses for the previous month and any management/leasing fees for the current month, and credit the remaining net operating income to your account. 

Net Distribution

You’ll receive a statement via email each time a net distribution is processed, and can view all transaction details in your Propertyware owner portal.