Buckhannon & Tygart Valley River
Water Trail

What is a Water Trail?

Much like the info provided here by the National Park Service, a water trail is a designation given to a stretch of river to provide various benefits. Not all water trails are supported federally, however; states, municipalities, and local landowners can support these trails with different levels of protection. Some of the benefits of water trails include providing and expanding on water access, bolstering environmental protections for streams, increasing economic impact, strengthening community & landowner relationships, and helping spread education on issues such as safety, water quality, regulations, etc.

There are many more benefits to forming and protecting a Water Trail, so we encourage you to check out the information provided below and get involved!

Protect the water? How?

You may notice signs like the one pictured to the right as an example...

By setting clear rules for accessing and using a water trail, landowners are more likely to allow access (an ever-growing challenge for outdoor recreation) knowing that the stream and their property will be taken care of. In most cases, local government will want to protect these areas as well due to their recreational and economic value.

Is one coming to the Buckhannon River & Tygart Valley River in West Virginia?

We sure hope so, and are making good progress.

This water trail has been dreamed-up by two primary co-sponsors, The Buckhannon River Watershed Association
(BRWA) and Save the Tygart Watershed
Association (STTWA).

Plans are coming together, but we need your input!