About
The Tug Fork River forms the boundary between West Virginia and Kentucky through Mingo County — a stretch of water made famous by the Hatfield-McCoy feud but defined today by the communities along its banks and the people working to protect it. Friends of the Tug Fork River focuses on river cleanup, paddling access, and watershed stewardship in a part of WV that doesn't always receive the attention its rivers deserve. Their work brings together residents, paddlers, and conservation advocates around a shared commitment to the Tug Fork.
The Bloody Mingo Tug Fork River Water Trail runs 60 miles through Mingo County, connecting communities along one of the most historically significant river corridors in Appalachia. For Friends of the Tug Fork, the water trail is both a recreation asset and a community organizing tool — a way of getting people onto the river and invested in its health. Their work is part of the broader story of Appalachian river communities reclaiming their waterways.
