Indian Draft Hand Launch Boating Site
Boat ramp · on Jackson River · near Covington · Virginia
Open per USDA Forest Service recreation sites (boating)'s data, checked October 18, 2026. Seasonal gates, low water and storms are not always posted; check before you tow.
At the launch
- Type
- Boat ramp
- Fee
- Free
- Car parking
- Roadside shoulder
- Restrooms
- No restroom available
- Hours
- Day use only: open sunrise to sunset
- Managed by
- USDA Forest Service
- Website
- alleghanyhighlandsblueway.com
- Coordinates
- 37.86834, -79.98945
Conditions
- Weather forecast for this launch · National Weather Service
- Water level, water temperature at the JACKSON RIVER AT FALLING SPRING, VA gauge · USGS, 0.9 mi away on Jackson River
Water level
Latest reading loads here; without it, see the USGS page below.
USGS gauge JACKSON RIVER AT FALLING SPRING, VA, 0.9 mi from this launch on Jackson River: water level, water temperature, a reading every 15 minutes. Readings and history at USGS.
On the river
Low-head dams drown people every year: the current below the drop circles back and holds a swimmer or a boat at the face. Portage around them; stay well clear above and below.
- Low-head dam, 9.3 mi downstream: Covington Mill Dam No 1. · Virginia DCR run-of-river and low-head dams
- Low-head dam, 9.3 mi downstream: Covington Mill Dam No 2. · Virginia DCR run-of-river and low-head dams
Up to 10 river miles each way, from the agencies' inventories; not every hazard is listed and rivers change. Scout before you go.
On Jackson River
River in Virginia. All launches on Jackson River.
Community
Where people who use Jackson River talk about it.
Nearby launches
- Smith Bridge Hand Launch · 0.9 mi · Jackson River
- Petticoat Junction Hand Launch · 1.8 mi · Jackson River
- Johnson Spring Boat Launch · 3.4 mi · Jackson River
- Intervale Park and River Access · 3.4 mi · Jackson River
- Dry Run · 3.8 mi · Jackson River
- Fortney Branch Boat Launch · 4.2 mi · Lake Moomaw
Sources
- USDA Forest Service recreation sites (boating) record 5381.006951 · US federal government data, public domain
- Virginia DCR Water Access Points (statewide public access inventory, Virginia Outdoors Plan) record -79.9897,37.8685 · Public data (Virginia DCR), 'for planning purposes only'; credit Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Recreation Planning and Recreational Resources
Why it is listed as public: listed by USDA Forest Service recreation sites (boating) and Virginia DCR Water Access Points (statewide public access inventory, Virginia Outdoors Plan). Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.