The Rappahannock River runs 195 miles through the Virginia Piedmont to join the Chesapeake Bay in Gloucester County. After passing Fredericksburg, Virginia, the Rappahannock becomes a tidal and brackish estuary that encompasses the river’s last 50 miles. The Rappahannock River is a popular place for recreational fishing and paddling. Migratory fish species were previously impeded by several dams along the Rappahannock, but these have been removed, making this river the longest free-flowing river in the Eastern United States. (Based on American Rivers.)