National Parks

GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — A newly released report from the National Park Service shows that visitation and spending in the three southern West Virginia national park units delivered a significant economic boost in 2024. The data indicate that 2,080,330 visitors spent $108,387,000 in the counties surrounding those parks, representing a nearly 12 percent increase compared … Read more

GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — Officials at the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia have announced the publication of a collection of oral history recordings of residents and others with knowledge of the park and region are now available for listening and downloading on the park’s website. The recordings include those of … Read more

FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Nearly all who cross the towering New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia are affected by the journey. Soaring 876 feet above the New River, it affords motorists a vista of one of the most remarkable landscapes in the U.S. But only a few of the millions of tourists who now visit … Read more

GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — Two organizations in West Virginia are working together to identify vandals who spray-painted a famous natural landmark in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Crime Stoppers of West Virginia has joined the Friends of New River Gorge to provide a $1000 reward for information that results in solving the … Read more

HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — Economic impacts have nearly doubled in communities surrounding Harpers Ferry National Historical Park over the last decade, according to the National Park Service. Park superintendent Tanya Gossett said that in 2023, more than 427,300 visitors explored the historical park in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle. She said they spent $23.8 million, supporting … Read more

GLEN JEAN, W.Va. – The National Park Service reports that in 2023, more than 1,900,000 visitors spent 96.5 million dollars in communities near the three national park areas in southern West Virginia. Their spending supported 1,268 jobs in the area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of 116.5 million dollars, according to … Read more