See all 3 routes on Little Coal River
West Virginia | Southern West Virginia / Little Coal Water Trail
Little Coal River
Donald R. Kuhn Juvenile Center to Upper Waterways Park
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
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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
Shorter Little Coal L-2 reach from Donald Kuhn to the Upper Waterways public access, with an upstream Danville gauge proxy and nearby campground context.
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
Donald R. Kuhn Juvenile Center public accessDonald Kuhn and Upper Waterways are public access anchors, not permission to use adjacent private, railroad, or utility property; confirm the carry paths and signs before unloading.
Take-out
Upper Waterways Park public accessThe brochure also identifies Lower Waterways Park as a possible take-out. This card intentionally selects Upper Waterways to keep the endpoint named and separately auditable.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Donald Kuhn and Upper Waterways are public access anchors, not permission to use adjacent private, railroad, or utility property; confirm the carry paths and signs before unloading.
- The brochure also identifies Lower Waterways Park as a possible take-out. This card intentionally selects Upper Waterways to keep the endpoint named and separately auditable.
- Carry water, spare layers, and a repair kit; the route is shorter than L-1 but still has limited exits and unreliable cell service.
Watch for
- USGS 03199000 discharge outside the 80–1,100 cfs conservative screen, a sharp rise after rain, or a mismatch between upstream gauge telemetry and local conditions.
- Shallow riffles, restoration structures, strainers, submerged debris, private banks, cold water, and Corridor G road/bridge traffic.
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 | Little Coal River at Danville, 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 | 125 cfs to 400 cfs |
| Low threshold | 80 cfs |
| High threshold | 1,100 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official and local sources |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Initial conservative Little Coal screen from USGS 03199000 seasonal statistics: about 80 cfs lower bound, 126 cfs median, 419 cfs 75th percentile, and 1,110 cfs recent maximum |
| 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 corridorDonald R. Kuhn Juvenile Center to Upper Waterways Park; 7 mi L-2 variant
The current Coal River Water Trail brochure names L-2 and describes 5- or 7-mile Water Ways take-outs; WVDNR separately lists Don R. Kuhn and Upper Waterways Park as Little Coal River public access lots.
- Public access endpointsDonald Kuhn 38.1375,-81.8365 to Upper Waterways 38.1811,-81.8491
WVDNR District 5 lists both endpoints as public lots. Confirm current parking, ramp/carry path, and campground/event closures before staging.
- GaugeUSGS 03199000 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
Little Coal River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Little Coal River?
Paddle Today watches Little Coal River at Danville, WV and treats 125 cfs to 400 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Little Coal River route start and end?
This route starts at Donald R. Kuhn Juvenile Center public access and ends at Upper Waterways Park public access, about 7 mi on the water.
Is this Little 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
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.