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Advantage Valley: An Outdoor Lovers’ Paradise

Whether you're visiting for a 3-day weekend or recently moved here, you'll quickly fall in love with all this stunning region in West Virginia has to offer.

By Cary Estes on October 21, 2023

Kayak down one of the pristine rivers in the Advantage Valley of West Virginia.
Jeff Adkins

Outdoor recreation in West Virginia, specifically in the Advantage Valley, is easy to find – just follow the trail.

Whether it’s hiking, paddling, horseback riding or zooming around in an all-terrain vehicle, there is a well-maintained pathway to accommodate all manner of activities. Along the way, residents and visitors can soak in the magnificent mountain landscapes and meet plenty of other outdoor enthusiasts who are enjoying the same thing.

“Our region is a growing outdoor recreation mecca for people to explore and discover,” says Bill Currey, chairman and founder of the Coal River Group, which oversees the 88-mile Coal River Water Trail. “We have everything that you would want in terms of both land and water trails.”

Ride an ATV through the Advantage Valley.
Nathan Lambrecht

Go for a Thrill Ride

A prime example is the Hatfield-McCoy ATV Trail System, which has grown steadily in usage since officially opening in 2000. The nationally recognized system provides more than 1,000 miles of managed trails along 10 different routes, such as the Ivy Branch Trail, running for approximately 60 miles between Huntington and Charleston.

“The ATV trails are huge in this area,” Currey says. “They bring in thousands of people from all over the country. That’s a major draw for outdoor recreation.”

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia
Jeff Adkins

Ride the Rivers

When you think about outdoor recreation in West Virginia, whitewater rafting definitely comes to mind. But more recently, kayakers and canoers have been flocking to some of the area’s calmer waters, thanks in part to the creation of river trails that provide numerous boat-launch and takeout areas.

The Coal River Water Trail encompasses three separate but similarly named waterways: the Big Coal River, the Little Coal River and the Coal River. Combined, there are 20 launch/takeout spots, an average of one approximately every 4.5 miles.

“Our rivers are fairly fast but shallow, so they’re not really suitable for large watercraft. But they’re perfect for kayaking,” Currey says. “Our trail is extremely convenient to use, which is why we’re drawing so many people to the area. We now have more than 18,000 visitors using our water trails every season.”

The Little Coal River begins in Madison (Boone County) and runs through Tornado (Kanawha County), where visitors can learn more about the history of the region at the Coal River Science & Education Center.

In addition, several thousand kayakers come together each summer for YakFest, a two-day festival in St. Albans that includes a 12-mile community kayak float along the Coal River Water Trail, dubbed the Tour de Coal.

Ritter Park in Huntington, WV
Jeff Adkins

Traverse the Trails

The Elk River plays a supporting role in the newest addition to the West Virginia State Parks system: the Elk River Trail. Following a portion of the old Coal and Coke Railway, this rails-to-trails system will run for nearly 75 miles from Clendenin to Gilmer Station once it is finished, making it one of the longest rail-trails on the East Coast.

“This trail has the rugged and beautiful nature of the Elk River and a rural setting, but it’s always close to amenities,” says Ken Tawney, Elk River Trail Foundation president, noting that the trail basically runs parallel to Interstate 79. “There are a lot of different opportunities on the trail – hiking, biking, horseback riding, along with river access for kayaking and fishing – that make it one of the best outdoor recreation areas around here.”

Several wildlife management areas located in the region provide up-close views of various animals, birds and water species. These include the 1,096-acre Green Bottom WMA along the Ohio River in Mason County; the 1,425-acre Upper Mud River WMA (as well as the 306-acre Mud River Lake) in Lincoln County; and the Elk Hills Bird Sanctuary in Kanawha County.

And it is easy to meet other outdoor enthusiasts in the Advantage Valley area through a number of clubs and businesses such as the Jewel City Kickball League in Huntington, and Robert’s Running & Walking Shop in Huntington and Charleston, which organizes regular group runs and training programs.

“There’s just a lot to do in the area, with a lot of projects going on and more planned,” Tawney says. “Our goal is to make this an even more attractive area to people for outdoor recreation.”

Canaan Valley Resort in West Virginia
Canaan Valley Resort

Hit the Slopes

Undoubtedly, some of the high points of outdoor recreation near the region are resorts such as Snowshoe Mountain and Canaan Valley, winter wonderlands for skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing.

The area reaches elevations of nearly 5,000 feet and regularly receives more than 150 inches of snow each year.

“With a name like Snowshoe, you’d expect that winter is king,” says Shawn Cassell, digital marketing and public relations manager for Snowshoe Mountain, which has been open as a ski resort for nearly 50 years. “We’re far enough south that most people don’t think of us as a winter destination. But we have some of the highest mountains on the East Coast, and some of the snowiest winters. That lends itself well to skiing.”

Then when the temperatures rise and the snow melts, many of those skiing paths are being transformed into mountain biking trails for summer usage. In fact, the area has become so well-known for mountain biking that the world governing body of cycling, Union Cycliste Internationale, held the MTB World Cup Finals at Snowshoe in 2019 and again in 2021.

“Mountain biking has become to summer what snow skiing is to winter,” Cassell says. “It seems like there is a new trail popping up every week all around here. Summer has really taken off for us, and mountain biking is a big part of the reason. We’re trying to build trails and keep pace with the growth. There’s also great hiking, golf and world-class trout fishing.”

Mountain bikers traverse scenic trails in the Advantage Valley of West Virginia.
Kurtis Schachner

A Trail to a Brighter Future

When Dave Knight first heard details of the plan to create a 73-mile rails-to-trail route running from the town of Clendenin to Gassaway, he says he “got choked up.” That’s because as a longtime Clendenin-area business owner, Knight says he understands the economic benefits that can develop from this type of outdoor attraction.

“We’re a small town, and we need to bring in people from out of town and out of state to help spur our economy,” says Knight, who runs Yak House Rentals, a rental business for kayaks, tubes and bikes, and is president of 25045 – A New Clendenin, a local economic development group.

Following along the old Coal and Coke Railway route, the Elk River Trail meanders near both its namesake river as well as Interstate 79. Approximately 50 miles of trail have been completed, with the entire route due to be connected by next year.

“This trail isn’t even finished and we’re already seeing an impact,” Knight says. “When it’s done, that’s when things are really going to boom.”

According to the Elk River Trail Town Development Plan, an investment of approximately $4 million over the next 10 years to construct infrastructure along the trail can result in $250 million in new sales activity over the next 15 years. The town of Clendenin made an initial investment by paving a 1-mile section of the rail trail through town, with plans to pave another 1.2 miles.

“A lot of businesses are being attracted to the area based on the trail being built,” says Ken Tawney, Elk River Trail Foundation president. “We’re already seeing tremendous development with several new restaurants, house rentals and recreation businesses.”

Tawney says efforts also are underway to create more boat launch and takeout spots along the river that include lighting and parking, with a goal to have at least one launch site every 5 miles. Combined, these investment projects would result in nearly $390 million in regional economic activity and support nearly 200 full- and part-time jobs across different sectors of the economy, according to the development report.”

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