The Coal River joins the Kanawha River at St. Albans and gets its name because it drains a large part of the southern coalfields. The river system is made up of two main branches: the Big Coal River and the Little Coal River, which fork into many smaller streams.

This area was rich in both coal and timber. In the 1850s, a system of locks and dams was built to ship out high-quality coal, which was used to make coal oil. Later, the river was used to float logs downstream to sawmills. By the early 1900s, the railroad had taken over, moving both timber and coal.

For much of the 20th century, pollution from coal mines hurt the river's use for swimming and bathing. However, after cleanup efforts, the Coal River has become popular for fishing and canoeing. Today, events like the Tour De Coal bring thousands of paddlers to the river every year.