Hollywood Rapids

Hollywood Rapid, named for the cemetery on the hill across the river, is one of the largest rapids where the James River passes through the Fall Line. Drill holes in the rocks show how people long used the power of falling water to catch fish in traps and nets anchored into the granite, and the holes also resulted from fisheries or quarrying efforts. Later, sluices and waterwheels powered machinery on Belle Isle during the Industrial Revolution. The whitewater forms as water tumbles over and around the rocks, creating air bubbles that improve water quality by increasing oxygen used by plants in the river. V-shaped tongues of smooth water mark the safest passages through this challenging rapid, which skilled boaters use to navigate it.

Richmond, Virginia · United States