National parks in West Virginia offer visitors spectacular natural beauty and unforgettable outdoor experiences in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. The crown jewel, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, features breathtaking cliffs, scenic river views, and world-class rock climbing and whitewater rafting opportunities. Visitors can hike miles of trails, explore historic towns, and enjoy stunning overlooks that showcase the rugged landscape. Additionally, sites like Harpers Ferry National Historical Park combine rich history with picturesque surroundings, providing a unique blend of cultural and natural attractions. Whether you’re seeking adventure, history, or peaceful nature escapes, West Virginia’s national parks deliver memorable experiences for every traveler.
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 … 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 … 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, … 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
MAY 12, 2014 — Its construction delayed by a hard winter, the new flagship campground for the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, located near Sandstone and Meadow Creek, W.Va., in northern Summers County, will open in autumn, according to National Park Service officials. The 26-site campground will be the first on park property … Read more
LANSING, W.Va. — The Endless Wall Trail and adjacent climbing access areas above the New River south of the New River Gorge Bridge have been reopened to the public following a forest fire that was declared 100 percent contained and controlled today, April 27, 2014. Ranger Leah Perkowski-Siski announced in a press release at 10:06 … Read more
UPDATE (9:47 a.m., 4-24-2014): The fire that swept the wall of the New River Gorge southeast of the New River Gorge Bridge was 90 percent contained as of 9 a.m. Thursday morning, according to ranger Leah Perkowski-Sisk of the National Park Service. Based on the weather forecast and continued suppression efforts, she said, full containment … Read more
Long a highlight of a trek along a remote reach of the Meadow River in the Gauley River National Recreation Area, the Carnifex Tunnel will close permanently at the end of March after having been deemed irreparably unsafe. Located along the grade of a former railroad, the tunnel had been used chiefly in recent decades … Read more
