A 1969 report by the Commission of Outdoor Recreation entitled "Virginia's Scenic Rivers" recommended the establishment of a State Scenic Rivers System. The enabling legislation for such a system was enacted by the 1970 General Assembly in the form of the Scenic Rivers Act, Title 10, Chapter 15, Sections 10-167 through 10-175 of the Code of Virginia.

The Scenic Rivers Act states in part: "It is hereby declared to be the policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia that rivers, streams, runs and waterways including their shores and immediate environs which possess great natural and pastoral beauty constitute natural resources, the conservation of which constitutes a beneficial public purpose."

Virginia Senate Joint Resolution No. 44, passed in 1980, directed the Commission of Outdoor Recreation to make a study of the North and South Forks of the Roanoke River, from their confluence to their headwaters in Montgomery and Floyd Counties to determine if they were suitable for inclusion in the Virginia Scenic Rivers System. This study involved only an investigation to determine if the resource met the criteria for scenic river designation. Therefore the report does not address alternative resource uses, the development of a conservation plan, or specific designation recommendations which would be necessary if the rivers were determined to qualify for inclusion and designation sought.

For the purposes of this report, the study corridor included the entire 17 miles of the South Fork of the Roanoke and 27 miles of the North Fork of the Roanoke in Montgomery County.