David Sibray

David Sibray is the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of West Virginia Explorer, a news and travel magazine devoted to the state’s history, tourism, outdoor recreation and economic development. For more information, he may be reached at 304-575-7390 or at editor@wvexplorer.com
Brush Creek Falls near Pipestem

Daytripper helps launch waterfalls directory

Daytripper magazine has agreed to sponsor the launch of a new directory of waterfalls at WVExplorer.com. The magazine based in Lewisburg, W.Va., will help provide information on 25 waterfalls in West Virginia to be published in March. Other contributors and sponsors are encouraged to provide content on many of the other accessible waterfalls in the Mountain … Read more

Chapel at Rippling Waters Campground

Sponsor a page at West Virginia Explorer!

Sponsoring a page at WVExplorer.com is a great way to recognize a friend or loved one while sharing your love for the Mountain State. Sponsorship makes an ideal Christmas gift. For $100 your name or theirs will appear on the sponsored page in perpetuity. Here’s an example page sponsored by Beckley native Bill Shaver, who … Read more

Ostenaco prepares for council on New River, West Virginia

Late summer was busy time for native W.Va. inhabitants

SANDSTONE,  W.Va. — Native inhabitants of what would become West Virginia were preparing in late summer for the onslaught of winter — the subject of a September 5 program at the National Park Service’s Sandstone Visitor Center off I-64. The 10 a.m.-4 p.m. interactive program is free and open to the public and will feature reenactors renowned … Read more

Vagabond Kitchen in West Virginia

Vagabond chef finds fertile ground in upper Ohio Valley

WHEELING, W.Va. — After years spent in cafes and kitchens across the West, blogging chef Matthew Welsch has returned to his native Ohio Valley, where he says the economic atmosphere is ripe for diversified business. “There’s new energy in Wheeling that extends throughout the upper valley — through Moundsville, Weirton, Chester, New Martinsville and Parkersburg,” … Read more

Ginseng ready for harvest in West Virginia

2014 ginseng season opens Sept. 1.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s 2014 ginseng harvest will open Monday, Sept. 1, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 30, according to Leslie Fitzwater Smithson, public information specialist with the W.Va. Division of Forestry. The native herb grows in all 55 counties in West Virginia and is ready to harvest when its berries turn red. State law … Read more

Map of Dublin Irish Festival 2014

Dublin Irish Festival 2014

Every year for more than a decade West Virginia Explorer contributor Blair Frier has documented the Dublin Irish Festival in Dublin, Ohio, through exceptional photography. Though dedicated to promoting fairs and festivals in West Virginia, we annually feature the results of his excursion as a speciall feature. Dublin (Ohio) Irish Festival — August 2014 Photographer … Read more

Spy monument on Carriage Trail, Charleston, West Virginia

Walking the Carriage Trail in Charleston, W.Va.

Few of the trails I’ve walked compare to the Sunrise Carriage Trail, once the winding approach to Sunrise, the stately residence of William Alexander MacCorkle, ninth governor of West Virginia. Now a municipal thoroughfare, the trail ascends 180 feet over a .65-mile route from MacCorkle Avenue (US-60). Have an hour to spend immersed in exercise … Read more

Mountain Music Festival 2014

Music festival to attract 1,500 to the New River Gorge

FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — More than 1,500 spectators are anticipated to attend a three-day concert that opens a new festival ground in the New River Gorge June 5-7. The first Mountain Music Festival at ACE Adventure Resort is expected to increase traffic throughout the resort and should help ignite interest in the region as a music … Read more

Discovery at North Bend State Park, Ritchie County

Trails Weekend at North Bend offers expanded events

Few parks in West Virginia enjoy the status North Bend has attained for hiking and biking, so it’s little surprise that 500 guests are expected to visit this weekend for National Trails Day, celebrated June 7. The park has added two additional programs to its schedule this yeat to expand its promotion of outdoor recreation, according … Read more

Afternoon at Dolly Sods Wilderness, Monongahela National Forest, National Parks

New designation for Mon’ forest announced

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia state forester Randy Dye today praised a new federal designation for the Monongahela National Forest designed to allow the division to work more effectively with the federal government to combat insect and disease threats. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin requested the designation, citing several threats to the 919,000-acre forest, including beech … Read more