See all 3 routes on Coal River
West Virginia | Kanawha County / Walhonde Water Trail
Coal River
Lower Falls to St. Albans Coal River Group access
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
Six-mile lower Coal C-3 reach from the Lower Falls pull-off to the St. Albans Coal River Group/Gateway-area access, using Tornado as an upstream gauge 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
Lower Falls public pull-offLower Falls is listed as a pull-off, not a developed ramp; confirm the carry path and safe shoreline egress before launching.
Take-out
St. Albans Coal River Group / Gateway-area public accessThe brochure uses a Gateway Shopping Center-area description while WVDNR names the St. Albans Coal River Group lot. This card uses the WVDNR coordinate and treats the brochure wording as a nearby landmark, not permission to use private shopping-center property.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Lower Falls is listed as a pull-off, not a developed ramp; confirm the carry path and safe shoreline egress before launching.
- The brochure uses a Gateway Shopping Center-area description while WVDNR names the St. Albans Coal River Group lot. This card uses the WVDNR coordinate and treats the brochure wording as a nearby landmark, not permission to use private shopping-center property.
- This card begins below Lower Falls and ends at the St. Albans access. Do not continue beyond the named take-out or land on private/industrial banks without separate permission.
Watch for
- USGS 03200500 discharge outside the 200–5,000 cfs conservative screen, a sharp rise, or a mismatch between upstream Tornado telemetry and lower-river conditions.
- Lower Falls shoals, shallow riffles, strainers, submerged debris, private banks, bridge/rail crossings, urban/industrial shoreline hazards, cold water, 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 | Initial conservative Coal C-3 screen reusing the 200–5,000 cfs April–October USGS 03200500 daily-mean inference; Tornado is upstream of this reach and no official C-3 runnable range is 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 corridorLower Falls to St. Albans Coal River Group access; 6 mi C-3
The current Coal River Water Trail brochure names C-3 as a 6-mile trip from Lower Falls to the Gateway-area St. Albans take-out; WVDNR reports the same corridor as 5.5 miles, so the brochure distance is retained and the discrepancy is documented.
- Public access endpointsLower Falls 38.3775,-81.8567 to St. Albans 38.3910,-81.8401
WVDNR District 5 lists Lower Falls as a Coal River pull-off and the St. Albans Coal River Group site as a public lot. Confirm shoulder egress, parking, signage, 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 Lower Falls public pull-off and ends at St. Albans Coal River Group / Gateway-area public access, about 6 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.