Madison River Park

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Madison River Park Lindsey Bridge Dam was constructed in late 1960s for purpose of pooling water for the Town of Madison and is the Town's main water intake.

Madison River Park at the Dan River off Lindsey Bridge Road is a destination location in your back yard with options for paddling, canoes, kayaks, fishing, tubing and much more. In 2017, the Town discovered that the dam was in structural disrepair and at extreme risk of failure if not repaired soon with failure ceasing the Town's ability to provide necessary water to the township, businesses, county and future growth demands. The estimated cost to fully replace the Dam was approximately 8 million dollars and totally exceeded out budget capability. About the same time, it was also discovered that an endangered species, known as the Roanoke Logperch was disappearing from our area due to the dam. The Logperch swims upstream and was unable to "jump" our dam to continue their journey. Following these discoveries, collaborative efforts were fast paced between the Town of Madison, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, Dan River Basin Association, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Kris Bass Engineering, LKC Engineering, The Conservation Fund, Duke Energy and Rockingham County Education Foundation to protect the Town's water intake and the Roanoke Logperch. With this, Madison River Park was created to secure current and future water supply demands for Madison, restore erosion below the Dam, remove a barrier to open more than 50 miles of river habitat for an endangered species and create a waterpark for variety of recreational purposes including paddling sports, fishing, and tubing.

08/02/2026

Due to recent rainfall and additional expected, please do not enter waterways as the current and river levels, especially, are at dangerous levels.

The Dan River is currently 5 feet higher than its normal stage, flowing at more than 5-times the normal flow rate at nearly 4,100 cubic feet per second. With additional runoff, the Dan is not expected to crest until Monday morning.

As the end of summer is quickly approaching, we understand how much you are hoping to make the best of every moment, however your safety and the safety of first responders is paramount.

It could be until the end of the week, at the earliest, before river levels and flow rates return to their normal levels throughout the county.

08/02/2026

The river is raging this morning due to storms upstream yesterday. Please be safe

This was the disaster left at the Madison River Park on Lindsey Bridge Road after the holiday weekend. The River Park h...
07/06/2026

This was the disaster left at the Madison River Park on Lindsey Bridge Road after the holiday weekend. The River Park has several trash cans and we had a dumpster placed on Friday, July 3, 2026 to help with garbage overflow. Garbage has been an ongoing issue which is why we installed the dumpster but this, these pictures, this trash - just too much. The dumpster was half full - meaning all of you who just threw your trash around the can, on the ground and in the river could have easily walked to dispose of these items in the dumpster.

This is absolutely disgusting and a complete disrespect of the Park. Further, the pictures show a lot of b**r cans, johnny bootleg bottles and big empty bottle of patron - all of which are PROHIBITED!!

The Madison River Park is for pleasure, adventure and relaxation - it is NOT a Party Zone or a Landfill. If you want to party and throw your plates, b**r bottles, food waste and trash on the ground then do it at your house - we do not want this mess at our River Park.

Below is a list of prohibited activities at the Madison River Park including consumption of alcoholic beverages, fires, grills, and littering to name a few.

Please be respectful of the park, this is a family venue, we want people to enjoy it and feel safe while doing so. Please clean up after yourself and do not drink alcoholic beverages while visiting the park. Police will be monitoring this area more frequently and ticketing violators.

Please be cautious of concrete truck coming in and out of the park today and Wednesday. They will be delivering the con...
06/08/2026

Please be cautious of concrete truck coming in and out of the park today and Wednesday. They will be delivering the concrete to establish walking trails which is huge part of the Madison River Park Downtown. Please give these trucks the Right-of-way and do not block them.

Remember, portions of the park are still under construction and work will continue until the project is complete. The contractor worked with us to open the take out - so, please be considerate of the continued work.

Can you say..........HAPPY DANCE, HAPPY DANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!The Madison River Park is OPEN and take out is available at th...
06/05/2026

Can you say..........HAPPY DANCE, HAPPY DANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Madison River Park is OPEN and take out is available at the Madison River Park Downtown.

Few things you need to be aware of with parking at the River Park Downtown and before drifting away from the shore at the River Park:
1. If you are tubing with MadTown, you can park in their parking lot at the intersection of Murphy and Water Street.
2. Everyone else should follow Water Street to the parking lot at the new take out point. It is a full parking lot including sidewalks and landscaping.
3. You may see numerous signs stating "this area closed" "no trespassing" or "not an entrance" - This is 100% for your safety and you should not attempt to enter restricted areas.
4. You will see "No Parking" signs at the emergency access ramp. Do not park or block this entrance.
5. All outfitters should pickup their tubers in the take out parking lot.
6. As you will see below, the Steps are still under construction and will be blocked for access. Do NOT enter this area.
7. You may see construction equipment along Water Street. This equipment belongs to the contractor and is personnel property.
8. When nearing the take out, please look for signs stating "THIS IS YOUR DESIGNATED TAKE OUT POINT." This is a shallow beach area where you will exit the River. You will also see a sign stating "This is Not an Exit" right before the designated take out point.
9. BE SAFE, BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND WEAR A LIFE VEST. THIS IS A NATURAL RIVER THAT IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING.
10. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be on the lookout for upcoming changes at the Madison River Park with new signage and gate removal. We hope to have this completed next week when signs are ready for pickup.

I do want to send a BIG Shoutout to everyone that worked with us to make this opening happen including Backwater Environmental and their Attorney, Madison Town Attorney, Rockingham County Economic and Tourism, Madison Emergency Personnel, Madison Rockingham Recuse Squad, Madison Mayodan Recreation Department, Madison Public Works and everyone involved in this process.

So, Y'all have FUN and enjoy what nature has to offer. As always - BE SAFE, WEAR A LIFE VEST AND ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Little teaser..............Check back tomorrow at 10:00am for an official announcement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
06/04/2026

Little teaser..............Check back tomorrow at 10:00am for an official announcement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're mad, you going to be mad, we're all mad................But, we regret to inform you that the Madison River Park wi...
05/21/2026

We're mad, you going to be mad, we're all mad................

But, we regret to inform you that the Madison River Park will close immediately and not reopen until the take out under the NC 704 bridge is complete. Until 4:00 this afternoon, Thursday, May 21, 2026 we thought all was a go and tubers, kayakers, etc would be able to exit the river safely at the new Madison River Park Downtown beach access. That was until we received notice advising that opening the site to unrestricted public recreational use while construction operations remain ongoing may materially increase the risk of injury to third parties and may create uncertainty regarding responsibility for site security, maintenance, damage to the work, and liability arising from public use of incomplete improvements.

With this and in consultation with our Town Attorney, we were advised that it would be negligent to open the Madison River Park since there was no viable take out at the Downtown Park and normal take out location. Further it is a huge safety issue and we should and have always chosen safety first.

I can say that no one is happy about this, the Board of Aldermen and Town Management were extremely distraught with having to close the park. We don't like it and we know you don't like; however, we can not take any risk of someone getting injured. Our priority is safety first - We sincerely apologize as we have no choice but to close both the Madison River Park and Madison River Park Downtown until the take is safely accessible.

There's not enough ways to say we're sorry and that we are beyond frustrated😡😡😡 Our hope is that both parks will be open within 30 days.

Madison-Rockingham Rescue Squad conducted intensive swift water rescue training along the Dan River. They also provided...
05/20/2026

Madison-Rockingham Rescue Squad conducted intensive swift water rescue training along the Dan River. They also provided great Safety Tips to follow before getting on and while on the River. Thanks so much!!!

With warmer weather and Memorial Day right around the corner, we wanted to provide an update on the take point on the Da...
05/19/2026

With warmer weather and Memorial Day right around the corner, we wanted to provide an update on the take point on the Dan River under the NC 704 Bridge. This is the nearest public take out from the Madison River Park.

The ramp has been installed at the new and improved river take out point but the railing has not been installed as it is awaiting fabrication. With this, we highly encourage you to NOT use this take out point until it is completely finished.

But, don't panic, we have a great option for exiting the river................ The new beach access will serve as the main take out point for the moment. This access a little more than 1,500 feet upstream from the original access but on the same side. It also has a ramp, more shallow water directly at the shore and is a short walk to the designated parking area. Please see beach access which is the temporary take out circled in yellow on map below.

We already know that MadTown Tubing will be utilizing the beach access for tubers, kayakers, etc. and we encourage all outfitters and individuals to exit the river via the beach access.

We have been informed that numerous individuals have attempted to exit the river at Grogan's Riverfront, which is a private business. While we're sure they would love for you to visit, this is private property on the east side of the river that should not used as public access.

We are super excited for this next adventure known as Madison River Park Downtown.

Most Important *****STAY SAFE, WEAR A LIFE JACKET, BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDING****

***Attention - IMPORTANT INFORMATION***The Town is currently in the process of creating the Madison River Park Downtown ...
04/02/2026

***Attention - IMPORTANT INFORMATION***

The Town is currently in the process of creating the Madison River Park Downtown which will include new parking areas, walking trails, beach area, etc. The new park also includes a much needed renovation of the take out for tubers and others needing to exit the river safely.

**Please be advised that the old steps at the take out point have been completely removed in order to install new steps for a more efficient and safe exit from the river. Basically, this means if you put in at the Madison River Park there is no designated exit point or take out under the Hwy 704 Bridge at this time. The contractor performing the work has advised that new steps will be installed in less than 6 weeks, just in time for Memorial Day or what most outfitters consider "tubing season."

We can not stress this enough - SAFETY IS THE TOP PRIORITY. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO FORGO TUBING, KAYAKING, CANOEING AND THE LIKE UNTIL NEW STEPS ARE INSTALLED AT THE TAKE OUT POINT UNDER HWY 704.

Please stay safe while enjoying the river!!

Address

Lindsey Bridge River Access
Madison, NC
27025

Telephone

+13364270221

Website

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