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PARKERSBURG -- The Ohio River Water Trail in Parkersburg has been designated a National Recreation Trail-National Water Trail by U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt.
The 57.7-mile trail is jointly managed by the Wood County Alternative Transportation Council and the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau on behalf of the Wood County Commission. Providing accessible recreation opportunities for residents and visitors to Parkersburg, the trail has 13 river access points, parking and boat ramps, half of which are accessible for people with disabilities.
"The designation will further increase the profile of the Ohio River Water trail and will aid in our efforts to market the trail to paddlers from our region and tourists planning a visit," said Mark Lewis, president and CEO of the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Lloyd Roberts and the Alternative Transportation Committee worked with the bureau to establish the trail.
The two groups recently facilitated a joint effort by the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge and the City of Vienna to apply for a grant to construct a non-motorized watercraft launching site at Spenser's Landing.
"I am excited about the possibility of a kayak launch at Spenser's Landing," Mayor Randy Rapp said. "It will add a completely new recreation opportunity in Vienna that will appeal to all ages."
Included in the National Wildlife Refuge grant application is funding for a separate non-motorized watercraft launching area at the Williamstown Boat Ramp.
"The number of people participating in recreational kayaking and canoeing has increased dramatically in recent years," Vic Elam, refuge manager for Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, said.
In acknowledgement of the interest in paddling, the refuge recently created the Ohio River Island National Wildlife Refuge Kayak Challenge at https://bit.ly/2WwGzlW.
The announcement by Bernhardt included 30 new national recreation trails in 25 states, adding more than 1,275 miles to the National Trails System.
"American Trails promotes and maintains the database of our country's National Recreation Trails and applauds this new slate of Secretarial designations from the Department of the Interior," Mike Passo, executive director of the National Recreation Trails, said.