The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States. It is about in length. It crosses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River. The river drains an area of which is about 6% of Virginia. Much of the watershed is rural and forested. But it has experienced increased development in recent decades because it is so close to the Washington, D.C. suburbs.