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WVExplorer delivers the latest West Virginia news and original reporting on communities, travel, culture, history, recreation, and life across the Mountain State. View our West Virginia Travel Guide!

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More than 2,000 gathered to watch one of West Virginia’s greatest trees fall

Crowds fill downtown Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, during the annual Apple Butter Festival, which returns Oct. 9–11 for its 51st year despite spring freezes that damaged the region’s apple crop.

Festivals / Events

Despite damaging spring freezes, apple butter will simmer again in Berkeley Springs

Clyde Craig September 24, 2026

Glenville State University rises above the small Gilmer County seat of Glenville in central West Virginia, where the university has played a prominent role in the community since its founding in 1872.

Higher Education

Glenville State establishes College of Business as programs expand beyond campus

Low clouds spread across an Appalachian landscape in autumn. As summer fades, towering convective clouds become less common while broad layers of stratus and stratocumulus become more conspicuous during colder-season weather.

Festivals / Events

Why the sky changes when summer ends in Appalachia

The September equinox marks the astronomical beginning of autumn, though seasonal change is already underway across West Virginia. (Photo courtesy Michael and Diane Weidner)

Travel / Transportation

Why fall arrived twice in West Virginia this September

Latest West Virginia News

A miniature replica of the Mothman stands at the feet of the original stainless-steel statue created by Bob Roach in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Roach’s daughter, Kelly Roach Miller, has helped preserve the story behind her father’s famous sculpture.

Arts

The man behind West Virginia’s famous Mothman statue left an unusual legacy

September 23, 2026

West Virginia University is launching a three-year effort to recruit, train and retain teachers as the state faces a shortage of nearly 1,200 certified educators. The program will include pathways for aspiring teachers and school employees already working in West Virginia communities. (WVU Photo)

Higher Education

West Virginia is short nearly 1,200 teachers as a new program aims to bring them home

September 23, 2026

The center hall at Arthurdale , West Virginia

Landmarks / Museums

West Virginia town built as Great Depression experiment wins national honor

September 22, 2026

Fall foliage spreads across the mountains at Lost River State Park in Hardy County, West Virginia. Elevation, slope, moisture and forest type can cause autumn color to develop differently across the state's mountainous landscape.

Botany and Forestry

West Virginia’s fall colors can defy the forecast, forester says

September 22, 2026

The Glade Creek Grist Mill at Babcock State Park is one of West Virginia's most recognizable tourism landmarks, photographed and shared around the world for decades. The state's new tourism secretary says West Virginia's next challenge is turning growing national attention into repeat visits and economic opportunity.

Travel / Transportation

West Virginia has been discovered; new tourism chief says what comes next

September 21, 2026

An artist’s interpretation of the “Panther Killer” legend associated with Ephraim “Big Eaf” Hatfield, father of William Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield. A 1952 Logan County history related a tradition that Hatfield killed a panther with a hunting knife near present-day Red Jacket, West Virginia. Contemporary evidence establishing the episode as fact has not been found.

History / Prehistory

Before Devil Anse Hatfield, there was a giant

September 20, 2026

Communities

The Mingo Oak towers above the surrounding forest in Mingo County shortly before it was felled in September 1938. More than 2,000 people gathered to watch lumbermen bring down the centuries-old white oak after it had died.

More than 2,000 gathered to watch one of West Virginia’s greatest trees fall

David Sibray September 17, 2026

HOLDEN, W.Va. — More than 2,000 people crowded onto a mountainside in southern West Virginia on Sept. 23, 1938, to watch lumbermen pull a nine-foot saw through one of the largest white oaks ever documented in America. The

Students gather outside Hogan Hall on the WVU Tech campus in Beckley, West Virginia. A new scholarship program will cover remaining tuition, housing and meal costs for qualifying students from 13 southern West Virginia counties. (Courtesy WVU Tech)

New WVU Tech scholarship targets talented students across southern West Virginia

Clyde Craig September 15, 2026

BECKLEY, W.Va. — A new scholarship program at West Virginia University Institute of Technology will cover remaining tuition, housing, and meal costs for high-achieving students from 13 southern West Virginia counties, potentially making a four-year education possible for students who might

Snow covers a street in Davis, West Virginia, the state’s highest incorporated community. At an elevation of about 3,100 feet in the Allegheny Mountains, Davis experiences cooler summers, earlier autumns, colder winters, and later springs than many lower-elevation communities.

These are West Virginia’s 10 highest communities, from cool summers to snowy winters

September 15, 2026

Panoramic view of New River Gorge from Grandview Overlook in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, West Virginia.

West Virginia ranked America’s No. 2 most naturally beautiful state — here’s why

September 15, 2026

West Virginia students take part in a hands-on technology activity. A new $2.6 million initiative is expected to bring similar problem-solving and entrepreneurship programs to 15,000 middle- and high-school students statewide over three years. (WVU Photo/Canyon Lohnas)

West Virginia initiative aims to teach 15,000 students how to turn ideas into businesses

September 14, 2026

Students walk past historic Woodburn Hall on the West Virginia University campus in Morgantown. WVU has launched a program that allows qualifying high school seniors in Kanawha and Monongalia counties to be admitted without completing a traditional application.

WVU will automatically admit some high school seniors in two West Virginia counties

September 13, 2026

Attractions

The New River Gorge Bridge spans New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in southern West Virginia, which recorded nearly 2 million recreation visits in 2025. (NPS photo/Gary Hartley)

New River Gorge ranks among 20 most-visited national parks in North America

David Sibray September 20, 2026

BECKLEY, W.Va. — West Virginia’s New River Gorge has joined some of the continent’s best-known landscapes among the 20 most-visited national parks in North America. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve ranked No. 17 in a new

Snow and ice coat the high-elevation spruce forest at Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia. Winter conditions can arrive in the Allegheny Mountains while lower elevations remain snow-free. (Photo courtesy Rick Burgess)

Winter comes early to West Virginia’s highest mountains as forest sites begin closing

David Sibray September 18, 2026

ELKINS, W.Va. — Autumn is just beginning across much of West Virginia, but preparations for winter are already underway in the state’s highest mountains, where recreation facilities in the Monongahela National Forest have begun closing for the season.

Steps descend inside the stone enclosure of the historic Janutolo Well in Fayetteville, West Virginia. The water source dates to the Civil War era, while the surrounding stonework was added in the early 20th century. (WVExplorer.com photo)

Civil War-era stone well hides in plain sight in this West Virginia tourist town

September 16, 2026

A steam-powered excursion train travels through the mountains at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. A new 100-site campground has opened at the popular railroad and outdoor recreation destination.

New 100-site campground opens at popular West Virginia mountain destination

September 15, 2026

A hiker follows the boardwalk beneath the Alum Cave rock overhang along the Middle Fork River at Audra State Park. The photograph won the outdoor recreation category. (Photo by Stasha Ray)

Family gives 47 acres to expand scenic West Virginia state park

September 11, 2026

Historic buildings line the railroad at Thurmond, a former Chesapeake & Ohio Railway boomtown now largely preserved within New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The town is challenging National Park Service plans to demolish several historic structures.

Historic town inside national park prepares legal fight to stop demolitions

September 5, 2026

Recreation

A child climbs a tree while exploring the woods. Outdoor educator Levi Moore says adults can help children develop a lasting connection with nature by giving them opportunities to explore, play and discover outdoors.

Want your children to spend more time outdoors? Start with yourself, educator says

David Sibray September 16, 2026

BECKLEY, W.Va. — Parents who want their children to put down their phones and spend more time outdoors may need to start by examining their own habits, according to a West Virginia outdoor educator who has spent years

Chefs from 10 West Virginia state parks are preparing dishes including rabbit pot pie, venison chili, shredded duck tacos, burgoo and other foods for National Hunting and Fishing Day at Stonewall Resort State Park.

Rabbit pot pie, venison chili, duck tacos on menu at West Virginia outdoor celebration

David Sibray September 16, 2026

ROANOKE, W.Va. — Rabbit pot pie, venison chili, shredded duck tacos, and burgoo are among the dishes West Virginia state park cooks will bring to Stonewall Resort State Park near Weston Saturday for a celebration of the state’s hunting, fishing,

Mountain bikers ride a wooded trail in Beckley, West Virginia, where an expanding trail network is part of an effort to develop the city as an outdoor recreation destination.

West Virginia city eyes 40-mile trail network near New River Gorge

David Sibray September 10, 2026

BECKLEY, W.Va. — A West Virginia city near the nation’s newest national park is developing a recreational trail system that could grow to more than 40 miles as part of an effort to transform it from a transportation

A young shooter receives guidance while handling a firearm. West Virginia has eliminated the minimum age for its special youth hunting seasons, although hunters younger than 15 must still be accompanied by a licensed adult. Photo credit: Remy Gieling

West Virginia eliminates minimum age for youth hunting seasons

September 10, 2026

Wesley Scarbrough helps his brother-in-law, Justin, fire a gun while squirrel hunting near Rock Creek, West Virginia, in 1995. The photograph by Lyntha Scott Eiler is part of the Library of Congress Coal River Folklife Project.

Long a West Virginia rite of passage, squirrel hunting returns Saturday

September 10, 2026

Tyler Harmon holds the 72.75-pound blue catfish he caught in the Ohio River in Jackson County as a West Virginia Division of Natural Resources official assists with the record certification. The fish set a new state weight record and was released alive. (WVDNR photo)

West Virginia brought back a giant native fish that now keeps breaking records

September 4, 2026

A bicycle rests beside the Meadow River along the Meadow River Rail Trail, an 18-mile route between Rainelle and Nallen in southern West Virginia. (Photo courtesy Meadow River Rail Trail)

New 18-mile trail is revealing a hidden West Virginia river valley

September 4, 2026

Rafters charge through whitewater on the Gauley River during Gauley Season in West Virginia. The six-week fall season draws thousands of whitewater enthusiasts to the river each year. (NPS photo)

Six weeks of legendary whitewater are about to begin on the Gauley in West Virginia

August 26, 2026

A couple walks a wooded trail at Pipestem Resort State Park, where the West Virginia Trails Conference will be held Nov. 8–10, 2026.

West Virginia trails conference looks to turn outdoor recreation into community growth

August 24, 2026

Morgantown angler Robert Glover holds the 9.76-inch pumpkinseed sunfish he caught at Cheat Lake, setting the West Virginia record for a category that has now been broken three times in little more than a month. (Photo courtesy W.Va. DNR)

West Virginia fishing record broken for third time in little more than a month

August 21, 2026

Participants learn outdoor skills during a Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshop in West Virginia. The nationally recognized program introduces women to hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities in a supportive setting.

More women are taking up hunting and fishing; these West Virginia workshops may be helping

August 18, 2026

Visitors descend into Organ Cave in Greenbrier County, one of the many West Virginia caverns around which generations of history, tradition and folklore have accumulated. Photographer to be determined.

West Virginia cave lore—strange stories from beneath the Mountain State

August 17, 2026

Culture

Rafters descend the Gauley River in West Virginia, one of the world’s celebrated whitewater runs. A form of the river’s unusual name appears in records dating to at least 1774, though its origin remains uncertain. (Photo courtesy ACE Adventure Resort)

How did West Virginia’s Gauley River get its unusual name?

David Sibray September 19, 2026

SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. — Every autumn, thousands of paddlers descend into West Virginia’s mountains to run the Gauley River, one of the world’s celebrated whitewater runs. They come for rapids named Pillow Rock, Lost Paddle, and Sweet’s Falls, as

Mourners gather for the 1929 funeral of Levicy Chafin Hatfield in Logan County, West Virginia. Funerals were once deeply communal events in the Mountain State, with relatives and neighbors assuming many of the duties later performed by funeral homes. (West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries)

Before funeral homes, burying the dead in West Virginia was a community undertaking

David Sibray September 19, 2026

RICHWOOD, W.Va. — Before funeral homes became commonplace in West Virginia, a death could put an entire community to work. Someone washed and dressed the body. A carpenter or neighbor might build the coffin. Men dug the grave.

Civil War soldiers are depicted as apparitions near the observation tower at Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park, where stories of soldiers, cannon fire and other unexplained encounters have circulated for generations. The Pocahontas County battlefield has been added to the West Virginia Paranormal Trail for 2026. (WVExplorer illustration)

West Virginia Civil War battlefield known for ghost stories joins paranormal trail

David Sibray September 17, 2026

HILLSBORO, W.Va. — Visitors to a West Virginia Civil War battlefield have reported hearing galloping horses and cannon fire and seeing soldiers who seemingly disappear. Now Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park in Pocahontas County is joining the West

Black bears are featured in the 2027 West Virginia Wildlife Calendar in a painting by West Virginia wildlife artist Misty Murray-Walkup. The annual calendar features original artwork depicting wildlife native to the Mountain State. (WVDNR image)

Lore and Legend

The West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia identified Marmaduke Van Swearingen as the Shawnee chief Blue Jacket, preserving a long-standing legend that historical research and DNA evidence later disputed.

Real Estate

The 80-foot Red Oak Fire Lookout in the Monongahela National Forest is now available for overnight stays in Webster County, West Virginia. (Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service)

History and Prehistory

West Virginia Explorer publisher David Sibray examines the Water Panther Stone at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park in Point Pleasant, W.Va. The prehistoric petroglyph has been interpreted as depicting an Underwater Panther, a powerful being represented in Indigenous traditions and rock art.

State Parks

A young forager gathers wild berries. Foraging for edible plants is the focus of Nature Wonder Weekend, a West Virginia tradition held at North Bend State Park since 1968. (Getty image)

Hunting

A white-tailed doe pauses in a West Virginia forest. The state's controlled antlerless lottery hunts are designed to manage deer populations while protecting forests and wildlife habitat.

Fishing

West Virginia anglers Ken Neer (left) and Sierra Adamson each caught state-record pumpkinseed sunfish in summer 2026. Adamson's catch surpassed Neer's record just 19 days after it established the species' first official place in the state's record books.

Hiking

Skiing

White Grass has long been a magnet for visitors from Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C. (Photo: Mountain River Media)

National Parks

The New River winds through a landscape where railroads, communities, industrial history and outdoor recreation remain intertwined inside New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

Kayaking

Kayakers paddle around Big Rock on the lower Greenbrier River near Hinton, West Virginia.

Whitewater Rafting

Biking

One of the largest networks on the East Coast, the routes activate thousands of miles of gravel roads across the Mon Forest for visitors and communities. (Photo: Getty Images)

More West Virginia News

Festivals / Events