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
Levi Moore leads a winter hike through the woods in southern West Virginia.

Once wheelchair-bound, active-living mentor to lead Jan. 1 hike

First Day hiking has become enormously popular across the U.S., providing would-be enthusiasts the opportunity to jump-start their engines with a group of like-minded companions. However, a January 1 hike planned in the New River Gorge in West Virginia is offering participants something beyond the usual — the opportunity to hike with active-living mentor Levi … Read more

A wagon road climbs the mountain behind the Dunglen Hotel, deep in the New River Gorge.

Ghost town hidden in W.Va. may soon be accessible to hikers

A little-known, practically inaccessible ghost town in the mountains of southern West Virginia may soon be open to those willing to hike there — once the National Park Service opens a new recreational trail. Little remains today of Dun Glen, perched 700 feet above the New River, perhaps the most unapproachable of many former coal-mining … Read more

Surrounded by kin, "Devil Anse" Hatfield engaged in a feud that brought worldwide attention to Appalachia.

New performance of Hatfield-McCoy feud to debut in July

Performed among the very mountains over which Devil Anse Hatfield walked, a new, historically accurate retelling of the Hatfield and McCoy Feud will debut this summer as an outdoor drama at Chief Logan State Park in Logan County. The new-written play breaks from previous performances of the tale that simplified the story of clans engaged … Read more

Heritage Station at Huntington, West Virginia, includes houses the region's chief visitor center as well as a gift shop and restaurant.

Restaurant space opens in Huntington’s Heritage Station

The Cabell-Huntington Convention and Visitors Bureau is requesting proposals from qualified restaurateurs to take over approximately 1,604 square feet of restaurant space in the visitors center at Heritage Station, according to bureau director Tyson Compton. A chief anchor for tourism in downtown Huntington, West Virginia, the center and station attract daytime and evening traffic from … Read more

2014 View From Split Rock Photo By NPS Volunteer Holden Mills

Entrance fees at Harpers Ferry to increase January 1

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park will increase its entrance fees in 2019 and 2020 as part of the National Park Service’s efforts to address infrastructure needs and enhance visitor experiences. Effective January 1, the park’s per-vehicle fee will increase to $15, and its per-person fee will increase to $7, according to Autumn Cook, a park spokesperson. … Read more

A mountain biker explores trails at the Summit Bechtel Scout Reserve near the New River Gorge.

World-class trails at scout reserve now open to mountain bikers

A 35-mile system of world-class mountain bike trails are now open to bikers off-season at the Summit Bechtel Reserve near Beckley, West Virginia, thanks to a partnership between the scouts and the New River Gorge Trail Alliance. The agreement allows bikers to ride the reserve’s cross-country and downhill-oriented mountain bike trails, which have been built … Read more