David Sibray
Rangers at North Bend State Park on July 21 will helps guests learn new outdoors skills, offering introductory courses in backpacking, geocaching, and backcountry camping. The courses last anywhere from two hours to overnight, according to Steve Jones, superintendent of North Bend. “Sometimes you need a little help learning a new outdoor skill,” Jones said of … Read more
A whitewater-rafting trip on the New River may be the most exciting adventure many people experience, but one outfitter is ensuring guests have the opportunity to enjoy its lighter aspect. Entry-level float trips can provide beginners and families with children as young as six an ideal introduction to the river — affordable excursions that don’t … Read more
Retro imagery featured in the Fallout video-game series is coincidentally well suited to West Virginia, says an architectural historian who expects the state’s portrayal in the Fallout 76 game will be positive. “As for the retro images in the game, I happen to love that kind of thing, and I don’t think it conflicts with … Read more
Communities along the Guyandotte River in south-western West Virginia are celebrating the restoration of the scenic waterway July 14 with an inaugural kayak and canoe float and regatta at five locations along its valley. More than 300 kayakers are expected to join in the festivities at Mullens, Gilbert, Branchland, Barboursville, and at Dabney, near Logan, … Read more
Blair Mountain, the site of the largest labor uprising in U.S. history, has been added again to the National Register of Historic Places, according to officials with the Department of Interior who called its removal from the register nearly a decade ago “erroneous.” Fought for five days in August 1921, the Battle of Blair Mountain … Read more
Visitors to Canaan Valley Resort in the highlands of northeastern West Virginia are learning the fundamentals of wilderness living from experts in the field, thanks to a new educational program being provided there. Through September, the resort is offering classes designed to teach participants how to build shelters, light fires, navigate the back-country, and identify … Read more
Officials in the West Virginia state park system are encouraging visitors to celebrate National Canoe Day June 26 by taking a canoe or kayak out for a paddle at a state park or forest lake. Gift shops at state parks and forests that offer canoe or kayak rentals are offering a discount of 20 percent … Read more
Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park will debut an early 19th century-style garden party June 23 at the park’s recently restored Blennerhassett Pleasure Garden. The party will feature lawn games, period music, and dancing, as well as an appearance by Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett and their English gardener, Peter Taylor, as portrayed in costume by historians … Read more
Organizers of an annual flat-water kayaking tour on the Coal River at Saint Albans, West Virginia, say they think their event may now be the nation’s largest. Following a 14 percent increase in kayaking participation, Bill Currey, co-founder and chair of Coal River Group, said the June 16 festival may have broken a national record. … Read more
A whitewater rafting trip on the New River is only a bus-ride away for residents of the Kanawha Valley, thanks to a partnership between River Expeditions and the Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau. On the first Saturdays of July, August, and September, the bureau’s Fun Bus will leave Charleston for a day of adventure near … Read more
