The Nuttallburg Coal Conveyor Trail is a strenuous uphill hike in the New River Gorge National Park. Located in south-eastern West Virginia, the trail winds back and forth through trees and under an abandoned coal conveyor before reaching the Nuttallburg mine itself.
At one point, the mining facility was owned by Detroit industrialist Henry Ford.
Once thriving, the Nuttallburg Coal Mining complex housed 342 residents in 110 company-owned homes in 1890.
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It's 1,385 foot long coal conveyor belt stretches 600 feet in the air and was used to haul 125 tons of coal per hour.
You will have multiple views of the conveyor shaft as you are making your way up to the mine.
Various abandoned structures are scattered along your 3 mile hike to and from the mine.
The Nuttallburg mining camp was developed by John Nuttall. He had started mines in Pennsylvania before coming to West Virginia.
The area is decorated with large boulders situated on the mountainsides. You will also pass multiple small waterfalls on your drive to the area.
The hike brings you to the entrance to the Nuttallburg Mine. This is where the workers would enter the mine each day.
The mine temperature stays at a cool 54 degrees regardless of the outside weather.
Eventually, Henry Ford purchased and modernized the mines with new steel structures.
Unfortunately, Ford’s effort failed because he could not gain control of the railroad that transported his coal.
Ford sold his interest and the Nuttallburg Mine had three additional owners before permenantly closing in 1958. The Nuttall family transferred ownership of Nuttallburg to the Park Service in 1998. The area that it resides in, West Virginia's New River Gorge, is now a National Park.