About
Front Royal Outdoors
Our journey started in 1968 at a campground just south of Front Royal, VA with a few aluminum canoes and a love of the Shenandoah Valley and the Shenandoah River. Back then we were known as Front Royal Canoe Base and we only strapped canoes on cars, instructed our guests on river put-in and take-out locations along their way. In the mid-1970s we bought a shiny new 15 passenger Dodge van and an eight hauler canoe trailer, started the river outfitter phase of the business, changed the name to Front Royal Canoe Company and took the bold move of manufacturing our own brand of Royalex canoes. In 1981 our founder bought the property on the river where we still operate. Shortly after the move to the riverside location, kayaks were added to the fleet, followed by tubes and then rafts.
Today our staff enjoys providing top quality equipment to our guests from mid-March to early November. In 2012 we purchased an additional piece of riverside property that houses our unique lodging opportunities. Today we have grown into a premier canoe and kayak paddlesports retail store, full-service river outfitter offering hundreds of canoes, kayaks, tandem kayaks, rafts, specialty fishing kayaks, stand-up paddleboards & tubes. We still have our tried and true river store for those last minute trip items.
For the people that work here, it’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle, and we all become family. The river gets in your blood and you’re hooked. The spirit of the river flows through our veins and always brings us back to her. The eagles and ospreys that fly the river corridor each morning guide the way. So join us on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley and allow us to share our story and this journey with you.