Bill Queen, Vice President Coal River Group, Walhonde Water Trail Development Chairman

Newly completed Boat Take Out  located at Gateway Shopping Center in St. Albans, WV. The WV Department of Natural Resources built the structure at the request of the Coal River Group. The Take out is a milestone in the development of the Walhonde Trail. The Trail now has DNR official Take outs located on every Trail Segment along the 88 mile Water Trail.
Many Thanks to the support and assistance the CRG has received from the WV DNR and the Land owner Mohler Lumber Company.

YES WEST VIRGINIA WE HAVE A TRAIL

It took four years of hard work and thousands of hours of volunteer time but southern West Virginia now has a sanctioned Water Recreation Trail. Bill Currey, President of the volunteer watershed Coal River Group that is working in the Coal River tri-county region announced that the signs marking over 20 public access sites are now going up.
Many people have asked, " What is a Water Recreation Trail?"   Currey explains, " The Trail is one that is open to the public and utilizes an existing river or rivers to serve as the trail."
The state' s newest water trail has been christened the WALHONDE WATER TRAIL.

Bill Queen the Chairman of the Trail development committee notes. " The name Walhonde is a shorter version of Walondesippi, which was what the Delaware Indians called the Coal Rivers. Queen has been a driving force behind the scenes in the development of the Trail system. He personally paddled all of the Coal Rivers (100 miles) and has pinpointed all of the access sites and developed detailed plans for implementing the trail system.

The water trail, like many land-based rails to trails and similar public recreation trails, is open and available to everyone. Currey says,  We have utilized the many public access sites which are provided by the WV DNR along with four newly proposed access sites to provide the public with safe locations to park automobiles and launch non-powered light boats."
"The WV DOH has been very helpful in our efforts to establish the trail. They provided advice and support in terms of developing the signage program for the Access sites. WV DEP has provided our group with funding and assistance for the purchase and design of signs that will be located within the DNR public access locations. Of course, the WV DNR has made the program possible by acknowledging the Walhonde Trail and committing to adding much needed public access locations in the St. Albans area." ,. Says Currey. By working together with the Coal River Group volunteers the State agencies have been able to bring many resources together to accomplish the development of a great new recreational asset for southern West Virginia" .
 The Group raised most of the money for the trails development from small grants provided by the Boone County Commission, the Lincoln County Parks and Recreation Commission and with help from the WV Department of Highways, WV DEP and WV DNR.

The WV DEP has been particularly helpful to the Group. Support for the group from the WV Stream Partners has provided the all important funding that has allowed the CRG to move so rapidly ahead with its water improvement and trail program, Currey noted. Without the support of this Watershed development program our volunteers could never have been as successful as we have been.
Ed Hamrick, a former Director of the WV DNR, serves as a liaison for the Coal River Group with State and Federal Government agencies. He works for the Mid-Atlantic Highlands Action Program (US EPA) as a state liaison and works within the WVDEP for this activity.
A full-color, informative Trail Guide is being published which will assist visitors in making decisions as to what section of the 100-mile trail to paddle, fish or kayak.
The Water Trail begins on the Big Coal River at Whitesville. The Trail Head for the Little Coal River is at Madison and the trail ends in St. Albans at the Kanawha River.

Answer: A series of planned river trips on the big, little and lower Coal rivers.

1. Can the public use the trails? Yes and its FREE!
2. Where are public launch sights? See the following link WV DNR until The Walhonde Guide is complete. http://www.wvdnr.gov Click on Public Access. Look under Boone, Lincoln and Kanawha counties for Big, Little and Coal Rivers.
3. Who created the trail system? The Coal River Group, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to preserving and bringing life back to the Coal Rivers.
4. I've heard there are no fish in the coal river? You heard wrong, fishing and fish are thriving on the Coal Rivers, just click on the Fishing button on the navigation panel on the left of this page to see some of the fish anglers have caught.
5. Can I swim in the Coal? It's a river... it can carry many types of bacteria and serve as a breeding ground for germs... that is why we want to clean it up. No one can guarantee your safety so enjoy the rivers at your own risk.
6. What kind of boats should I use? The upper coal rivers ar shallow but navigable by most light boats for the entire length... check our river gauge reports to determine what levels the rivers are flowing to ensure a fun trip.
   

DATA SHEET-WOLHONDE WATER TRAIL
Description: The Water Trail is designed to provide public access to the Big, Little and Coal Rivers. The Trail utilizes Public Access sites owned or leased by the WV DNR.
The trail has been designed by the Coal River Group, a non-profit Watershed Improvement Group.
The Water Trail begins at Whites, WV and extends for approximately 30 miles to the junction of the Big and Little Coal Rivers at Alum Creek. The Little Coal River Trail segment begins at Madison, WV and extends along that river watershed to the junction of the Big Coal River at Alum Creek, WV. The Water Trail continues from the junction of the two upper rivers at Alum Creek down the Coal River to Kanawha River at St. Albans, WV.
TRAIL SEGMENTS:
The Water Trail is designed to provide trips for users of approximately 8 miles in length. (A trip of this length is normally the maximum that an average boater can paddle in a 6-hour day trip.)
The Trail traverses areas that are extremely remote and in some cases the route will provide little or no access to public roads or easily accessed contacts with emergency phones or residents. Thus the typical trip segment must be planned carefully by the traveler to ensure safety.
Trail put in sites presently available are being described and identified in a brochure-style Trail Guide now being prepared by the Coal River Group.
Areas not presently offering Public Access sites include the section of Coal River from Upper Falls to St. Albans. The WV DNR has committed to building three public access sites in this area in the near future.
Communities that the trail passes include: Whitesville, Sylvester, Racine, Peytona, Ashford, Emmons, and Alum Creek on the Big Coal Rive and on the Little Coal River the communities include: Madison, Danville, Julian and MacCorkle. The lower Coal River area includes the towns of Tornado and St. Albans.

This map of the Walhonde River Trail indicates the approximate locations of nine 6 to 12 mile trip recommendations. The Coal River Group is going to publish a detailed trip guide that will help the public use the river. Contributions are being accepted for this purpose, please send in a donation to aid in making this guide a reality.