Safety in West Virginia

Water

More people get hurt on West Virginia rivers than anywhere else outdoors in the state. Levels change in hours after rain. Low-head dams — including several on the Coal, Kanawha and Monongahela — create recirculating hydraulics that are lethal and nearly invisible from upstream. Strainers, undercut rocks and foot entrapment kill experienced paddlers. Check river levels before you launch, wear a life jacket, and never swim in water you have not inspected from the bank.

Hypothermia in every season

Highlands weather is not mid-Atlantic weather. Dolly Sods and Canaan Valley regularly run twenty degrees colder than the valleys with wind and driving rain in June. Cotton, wind and a long exit are how people get into trouble on that plateau. Carry insulation and a shell regardless of the forecast at your trailhead.

Navigation

Wilderness trails in the Monongahela National Forest are unblazed by design and junctions are frequently unsigned. Dolly Sods, Cranberry and Otter Creek all require map, compass and the ability to use them. Cell service is absent across most of the Highlands and restricted by law in the National Radio Quiet Zone around Green Bank. Download offline maps before you leave pavement.

Ticks and Lyme

West Virginia has high rates of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illness. Blacklegged and lone star ticks are active any month above freezing. Treat clothing with permethrin, check thoroughly after every outing, and remove attached ticks promptly with fine tweezers.

Snakes

Timber rattlesnake and northern copperhead both occur statewide. Bites are rare and rarely fatal, but rocky terrain, rhododendron thickets and warm ledges are where you will meet them. Watch your hands on rock, step onto logs rather than over them, and leave them alone — they are protected and not aggressive.

Hunting seasons

Autumn is peak hiking season and peak hunting season simultaneously. Wildlife management areas and the national forest are heavily hunted. Wear blaze orange from October through January on any public land outside state parks, and put orange on your dog.

Backcountry rescue takes time

Backcountry rescue in West Virginia often means volunteer squads, long carry-outs and no helicopter option under a canopy in a gorge. Self-sufficiency matters more here than in places with dense trail infrastructure. Tell someone your plan and your return time.

Abandoned mines

Open portals, subsidence and vertical shafts exist across the coalfields, often unmarked and overgrown. Never enter a mine opening. Water in and around old workings can be acidic and unsafe.

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