See all 3 routes on Coal River
West Virginia | Southern West Virginia / Walhonde Water Trail
Coal River
The Forks of Coal public access to Alum Creek Lions Club Park
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
Loading the route coverage map.
Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
Use the gauge context and hourly forecast to verify local conditions before launching.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Short 3-mile Coal/Little Coal confluence reach from The Forks of Coal to Alum Creek Lions Club Park, with Lock 4 as an intermediate decision point and Tornado as a downstream proxy.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
The Forks of Coal public accessThe Forks of Coal is a public lot but lies at the Little Coal–Big Coal confluence; confirm the carry path, current, parking, and legal staging before launching.
Take-out
Alum Creek Lions Club Park public boat accessThe brochure describes Corridor G and Lock 4 options, but this card uses The Forks of Coal and Lions Park to avoid the off-channel printed bridge coordinate. Do not park on highway shoulders or private/railroad property.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The Forks of Coal is a public lot but lies at the Little Coal–Big Coal confluence; confirm the carry path, current, parking, and legal staging before launching.
- The brochure describes Corridor G and Lock 4 options, but this card uses The Forks of Coal and Lions Park to avoid the off-channel printed bridge coordinate. Do not park on highway shoulders or private/railroad property.
- Alum Creek Lions Club Park is a named public access anchor; confirm ramp condition, signage, club/event conflicts, and downstream continuation boundaries before landing.
Watch for
- USGS 03200500 discharge outside the 200–5,000 cfs conservative screen, a sharp rise, or a mismatch between downstream Tornado telemetry and confluence conditions.
- Confluence current, Lock 4/low-head structure hazards, shallow riffles, strainers, submerged debris, private banks, cold water, traffic/rail crossings, and limited cell service.
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
No approved route photos yet
Start the gallery with shots of the access, river character, or any detail that helps paddlers know what this run actually looks like.
Score & sources
Data and sources
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Coal River at Tornado, WV |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Target band | 400 cfs to 2,000 cfs |
| Low threshold | 200 cfs |
| High threshold | 5,000 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official and local sources |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Conservative Coal/Little Coal screen reused from USGS 03200500 April–October daily-mean inference: roughly 200 cfs low, 400 cfs planning floor, 2,000 cfs upper planning band, and 5,000 cfs high-water stop; no official L-4 runnable range published |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Named route corridorThe Forks of Coal to Alum Creek Lions Club Park; 3 mi L-4 full public-access variant
The current Coal River Water Trail brochure names L-4 as a 3-mile Corridor G-to-Lions Park trip with Lock 4 as an intermediate decision point. Its printed Corridor G coordinate is off-channel near Fuquay Creek, so the route uses WVDNR's The Forks of Coal public lot as the verified start.
- Public access endpointsThe Forks of Coal 38.2670,-81.8052 to Alum Creek Lions Club Park 38.2994,-81.8108
WVDNR District 5 lists both endpoints as public access lots. Confirm the Forks carry path, confluence conditions, Lions Park ramp, and any event/maintenance closure before staging.
- GaugeUSGS 03200500 discharge telemetry
Official same-river gauge used for the route planning screen; verify current value and trend before launch.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
Share your trip
Keep exploring
More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
Quick answers
Coal River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Coal River?
Paddle Today watches Coal River at Tornado, WV and treats 400 cfs to 2,000 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Coal River route start and end?
This route starts at The Forks of Coal public access and ends at Alum Creek Lions Club Park public boat access, about 3 mi on the water.
Is this Coal River route good for beginners?
This is listed as an easy route, but conditions still matter. Check today's score, water level, weather, and access notes before you go.
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.