See all 3 routes on Little Coal River
West Virginia | Southern West Virginia / Little Coal Water Trail
Little Coal River
Boone County Water Park to The Forks of Coal public access
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
Long 12-mile Little Coal L-3 reach from the Boone County Water Park north ramp to The Forks of Coal public access, using Danville 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
Boone County Water Park north public accessBoone County Water Park is a public campground/boat-access anchor; confirm the north ramp, campground gate hours, and event/maintenance closures before launch.
Take-out
The Forks of Coal public accessThe Forks of Coal endpoint replaces the brochure's off-channel Corridor G coordinate. Confirm the public lot, carry path, confluence conditions, and legal vehicle staging before committing to the float.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Boone County Water Park is a public campground/boat-access anchor; confirm the north ramp, campground gate hours, and event/maintenance closures before launch.
- The Forks of Coal endpoint replaces the brochure's off-channel Corridor G coordinate. Confirm the public lot, carry path, confluence conditions, and legal vehicle staging before committing to the float.
- Intermediate parks and campground sites are not automatic bailouts. Land only at open, signed public access and do not continue into L-4 without a separate route plan.
Watch for
- USGS 03199000 discharge outside the 80–1,100 cfs conservative screen, a sharp rise, or a mismatch between upstream Danville telemetry and lower Little Coal conditions.
- Shallow riffles, restoration structures, strainers, submerged debris, private banks, cold water, Corridor G bridge traffic, confluence current, 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 | 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 | Conservative Little Coal screen reused from USGS 03199000 seasonal statistics: about 80 cfs lower bound, 126 cfs median, 419 cfs 75th percentile, and 1,110 cfs recent maximum; no official L-3 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 corridorBoone County Water Park toward Corridor G / The Forks of Coal; 12 mi L-3
The current Coal River Water Trail brochure names L-3, gives a 12-mile route, and identifies the north Water Park ramp and bridge-area take-out. Its printed longitude places the bridge marker off the Little Coal channel near Fuquay Creek, so the route uses the WVDNR-listed The Forks of Coal public access for a verifiable endpoint; the brochure's approximately 15-mile drift note remains visible.
- Public access endpointsBoone County Water Park 38.1811,-81.8491 to The Forks of Coal 38.2670,-81.8052
WVDNR lists both the Water Park/Upper Waterways chain and The Forks of Coal as public Little Coal access lots. The Forks endpoint replaces the brochure's off-channel bridge coordinate; confirm the carry path, parking, and any confluence/traffic hazards 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 Boone County Water Park north public access and ends at The Forks of Coal public access, about 12 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.