PERHAPS THE MAIN REASON more outdoors lovers don't know much about the Roanoke River is because it lies between two rivers nationally known for their fishing and floating-the James and New. Or maybe it's because people perceive the Roanoke, as it flows through Salem and Roanoke, as just a small, urban waterway. But consider the following: The Roanoke hosts two delayed-harvest trout sections- no other urban area in the state can claim even one. Another section looks for all the world like a rural excursion even though it courses through the city. A third float is about as citified as can be with scenic views of the Roanoke Star and downtown. And yet another trip flaunts some of the most exciting whitewater in Virginia. KEITH GRIFFITHS SMITH PARK TO TINKER CREEK The Roanoke Star is part of the scenery on the Smith Park junket. Canada geese and mallards, right, are part of the wildlife along the river. ALAMY.COM/STOCK-PHOTOGRAPHY/24E865C3-2921-4E7F-B413-7A1F8B59D302/1/KEITH%20GRIFFITHS.HTML LifeOutsideMag.com // Summer 2018 17http://www.LifeOutsideMag.com