American Whitewater, with help from the West Virginia Rivers Coalition and Friends of the Cheat, purchased a piece of land in 1996 that provides access to some of West Virginia’s most outstanding streams. The land, located in Hendricks, WV, is just downstream of the confluence of the Blackwater River and the Dry Fork of the Cheat. Support from the Conservation Alliance helped with this purchase, along with strong partner support, and willing sellers. The site is prone to flooding, making it ideal for river access versus other uses that require permanent structures.
The access site provides a take-out for the 9-mile Class IV-V Lower Blackwater River, the 12-mile Class III-IV Dry Fork, and the 9-mile long remote Otter Creek. Protecting access to these great rivers with a single purchase was and remains a major success for the paddling community.
American Whitewater owned and managed the site until 2014, when American Whitewater transferred the property to the Town of Hendricks, for the deeded purpose of providing permanent public river access.