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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
West Virginia pies by Annie Spratt
Culture

Jackson’s Mill Jubilee set to crown best homemade pie in West Virginia

by David Sibray

WESTON, W.Va. — Nothing speaks to West Virginia tradition quite like a homemade pie, and this year’s jubilee at Jackson’s Mill is serving up plenty of homestyle flavor with its much-anticipated annual pie contest. Scheduled for Saturday, August 30, 2025, near Weston, the annual bake-off promises a friendly-yet-fierce competition celebrating traditional West Virginia ingredients and … Read more

Worst Floods in West Virginia History
Culture

The five worst floods in West Virginia history and why the state is so vulnerable

by David Sibray

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Heavy rain can quickly turn West Virginia’s normally quiet creeks and rivers into destructive torrents, a danger that again confronts parts of the Mountain State as flash flooding threatens communities this weekend. The danger is hardly new. West Virginia’s steep mountains, narrow valleys and dense network of streams have produced some of … Read more

The West Virginia Turnpike winds through the mountains between Charleston and Princeton. State troopers, highway workers, and residents once told folklorist Dennis Deitz of strange encounters along the old mountain highway.
Culture

State troopers told strange stories about this West Virginia highway—the W.Va. Turnpike

by David Sibray

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Long before Interstate 77 became the modern four-lane highway travelers know today, state troopers and maintenance workers along the West Virginia Turnpike were telling some remarkably strange stories. One officer described a glittering object hovering above the mountains. A maintenance supervisor who insisted he didn’t believe in ghosts recalled an antique military … Read more

The Guyandotte River hosts a lone kayaker.
Communities

The Guyandotte River rediscovered as a destination for angling, paddling

by David Sibray

GUYANDOTTE, W.Va. — Rivers in West Virginia have gained enormous popularity as travel destinations, thanks to cleaner water and better highway access. Yet the Guyandotte River, winding through the state’s southwestern mountains, has remained largely unknown, and that’s precisely what many anglers and paddlers love about it. From its headwaters to its mouth, the Guyandotte … Read more

Wolf Creek Falls drops over a ledge in its descent into the New River Gorge near Fayetteville, West Virginia.
Attractions

Discover West Virginia waterfalls with one of its chief photographers

by David Sibray

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia waterfalls are attracting the attention of nature lovers with increasing frequency. With more cascades than almost any other state east of the Mississippi, the Mountain State is a top destination for those looking to explore breathtaking natural beauty. Two major mountain ranges—the Allegheny Mountains and the Cumberland Mountains—cut across West … Read more