The Chowan River is a blackwater river formed with the merging of Virginia’s Blackwater and Nottoway rivers near the state line between Virginia and North Carolina. According to the USGS a variant name is Choan River.
Flowing for approximately 50 miles (80 km) before ending in the Albemarle Sound on North Carolina’s coast, the river drains about 4,800 square miles (12,000 km2) of land in North Carolina and Virginia.
Flowing through mostly swamp land with occasional high ground, the Chowan River grows to nearly two miles wide (3 km) at its opening to the Albemarle Sound. The river offers excellent fishing for catfish and largemouth bass. While tidal, the variation in tide heights in the Chowan River are normally less than one foot (30 cm) between high and low tide. The average depth is 16 feet and the maximum depth is 40 feet around Holiday Island.
The Eden House bridge on US Route 17 marks the border between the Chowan River and Albemarle Sound.
Significant tributaries include Bonds Creek, the Meherrin River, Bennett’s Creek (which connects the Chowan River with Merchant’s Millpond State Park), and the Wiccacon River.
