National Parks

UPDATE Jan. 23, 2018: Following the enactment of the continuing resolution, staff at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Bluestone National Scenic River, and Gauley River National Recreation Area have resumed regular park operations.All roads, trails, campgrounds, and river access points are open and accessible, 24 hours a day, weather permitting, according to Julena Campbell, … Read more

Through mid-December, officials at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park will perform routine maintenance along approximately 70 miles of perimeter boundary, according to Andrew Lee, resource management specialist for the National Park Service.The purpose of the project is to make sure park property is well-marked, which, in turn, will provide greater protection for plants, animals and … Read more

The most highly visited area in the national park system in southern West Virginia, the boardwalk at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, near Fayetteville, West Virginia, will close in stages for repair beginning June 14.More than 320,000 visitors walk the boardwalk and stair system each year to access views of the gorge near the New … Read more

Rangers at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park on May 26 will open a new exhibit that explores the evolution of the park’s lofty Camp Hill neighborhood.“A Landscape through Time: The Historical Development of Camp Hill” investigates the history of the summit over more than 200 years as part of the community and national park.Camp Hill in … Read more

The National Park Service is recruiting volunteers to assist in staffing its visitor center at Grandview, near Beckley, West Virginia, this summer in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, according to National Park Service officials. The center is open daily in summer from noon until 5 p.m., and ideal volunteers will able to … Read more

A new report issued by the National Park Service indicates 1,347,957 visitors to national parks in southern West Virginia spent $58,604,300 in nearby communities in 2016.That spending supported 877 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to local economies of $67,089,900, according to Lizzie Watts, superintendent of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, the … Read more

Defined by its cliff-lined rim, the spectacular New River Gorge is the centerpiece of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in southern West Virginia, one of three areas of national parkland in the Appalachian Mountains there. David Sibray surveys the gorge from Beauty Mountain, a cliff that affords a good vantage of the … Read more

The National Park Service is seeking information in its investigation of a break-in and significant vandalism at a historic house in the town of Thurmond, W.Va., within the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Sometime during the weekend of March 3-5, most likely on Saturday, March 4, one or more vandals entered the building, … Read more