Boone County: River Trails, Coal History, and Architecture

Boone County brings together river landscapes, motorized trail opportunities, and a multifaceted coal history. This gives you several different options when planning a trip: the Walhonde Water Trail along two rivers, designated trail systems, as well as exhibits, historic buildings, and a miners’ memorial. If you’re looking for a vacation rental, it helps to first decide which of these aspects you want to shape your days away.

River Trails and Trail Options

The Walhonde Water Trail is an 88-mile recreational and visitor attraction along the Little Coal River and the Big Coal River; it stretches across Boone, Lincoln, and Kanawha Counties. Signposted access points are located along the river, though conditions may vary from one location to another. If you plan to use one of these access points, check the specific access conditions.

The Big Coal River Trail System offers a different type of activity: It is approximately 50 miles long and open to ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, and ORVs or Jeeps. The system includes a parking lot of more than two acres in the Peytona area. Permits and merchandise are available at the Hatfield-McCoy Trails Welcome Center in Julian; check the permit requirements before you arrive.

The Little Coal River Trail System is near Danville and Madison, right off Route 119. Its trailhead is at U.S. Route 119 and Big Pinnacle Branch Road. Confirm current route information before you travel. Match your planned trail days to these details and compare them with the location of your vacation rental.

Coal Mining, Architectural History, and Remembrance

The Bituminous Coal Heritage Foundation Museum preserves the heritage of southwestern Virginia’s coalfields with miners’ tools, photographs, company records, and other evidence of mining history. The museum also features a recreated coal mine with replicas of 1940s-era tools. Written and photographic records are displayed alongside a three-dimensional recreation of mining.

The Boone Arts and Heritage Center features exhibitions by local artists and traveling exhibitions. The center is housed in a former Boone County Bank building dating from 1924. In Madison in Boone County, the Madison National Bank Building was constructed in 1918 by the Huntington firm J. J. West and Company; its design follows the Beaux-Arts style. The Boone County Courthouse is a courthouse in the Neoclassical Revival style. These buildings offer distinct architectural highlights within local history.

In Whitesville, the Upper Big Branch Miners Memorial commemorates the 29 miners who died in the coal dust explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine. The memorial site includes the Upper Big Branch Miners Monument, the First Responders Bronze sculpture, and interpretive signs that guide visitors to the memorial plaza. Nellis Community Church is also connected to the area’s industrial history: The Armco Association built it in 1926; it houses memorabilia from Armco Steel’s operations from the 1920s through the 1950s.

Planning for a Forest Landscape

A description published in 2025 gives the Little Coal River Wildlife Management Area in Boone County an area of 8,034 acres and describes extensive stands of intact, undisturbed forests. If you include this landscape in your plans, check current WVDNR information on the area and its management before visiting; forest conditions can change over time.

When choosing a vacation rental, you can start with the experiences you have planned: river landscapes, motorized trails, cultural history, and forested scenery offer different focal points. Compare the places and route connections mentioned above with your rental’s location to coordinate your outings with your choice of base.

Discover more destinations: Comfort, Mingo County, Pendleton County, Hardy County, Mercer County, Grant County, Gilmer County, Fayette County.

For the broader travel overview: West Virginia.