Moncove Lake State Park is situated right on the southeastern edge of West Virginia on the banks of the 144 acre Moncove Lake. The Moncove Lake area was established in 1960, following the damming of Devil Creek in eastern Monroe County. 250 acres were pulled out of Moncove Lake Wildlife Management area in 1990 to […]
Thank you to all of the volunteers and Forest Service partners who participated in our historic Engine House clean up this past Saturday! We cut down large brush, cleared out mats of tangled invasive grasses, created a path from the Blackwater Rail Trail to the foundation, and cleaned up the existing signage so that these […]
Lost River State Park is located on 3,700 acres at the headwaters of the Lost River which flows from Mathias through the Lost River Valley and on to Sandy Ridge Mountain where it sinks below the earth and reemerges as the Cacapon River. It has a rich history, passing through the ownership of the Henry […]
Hello Friends of Blackwater community! I am Sean Coffers, and I am so excited to be joining Friends of Blackwater. I’m a West Virginia native, originally from the Morgantown area. I’ve just returned to my home state after 8 years in New Jersey and New York. I have a mixed background in teaching and working […]
Friends of Blackwater is hosting a second heritage clean up this fall at the Coketon Roundhouse on September 14th at 10 am. Located right off of the Rail Trail near Snyder Run, the roundhouse used to be the primary engine maintenance site in the area around the turn of the century. The building itself has […]
We love our outdoor spaces and know how important they are! Not only are they a source of vast natural beauty and wonder, but they’re also a huge economic driver for our state. In 2017 alone, West Virginia’s 8 national park units added nearly $84 million to the state’s economy! Sadly, though, our parks are […]
Little Beaver State Park is in Randolph County, near the town of Beckley. Created in 1941 as a 4-H camp, it was sold to the state for $1 in 1970 and was established as a state park. Little Beaver includes stone work done by the CCC in the 1930s, including the nearby Little Beaver Lake, […]
Friends of Blackwater will have a table in the vendor area of the Leaf Peeper’s Festival in Davis on Saturday, September 28th. The festival overlaps with Run For It, so after the race we hope you visit our booth, pick up some brochures and check out our merchandise! We’ll have a brand new selection of […]
Holly River State Park, the second largest West Virginia state park, was unofficially created in 1938 as a reclaimed conservation site after being destroyed by over fishing, over hunting, timbering, and poor farming practices. The Department of Agriculture began to buy this land in Webster county, relocating the Swiss families living there, and started reforesting […]
Thank you to everyone who joined us on August 24th to clean up the historic Coke Ovens along the Rail Trail! We had wonderful weather Saturday morning, and were able to do lots of mowing, clipping, chopping, and cleaning around the Coke Ovens, making them much more accessible to visitors and visible from the Rail […]
