The legislation designating the area as a national park allows that tradition to continue. Hunters have long enjoyed access to secluded sections of woods around the gorge, and with hunting prohibited in federal parks, some protested the potential loss of thousands of acres of hunting grounds. But, since 1980, BASE jumpers have been permitted to plunge from the top of the 876-foot-high bridge and parachute down toward the river once a year, on Bridge Day, held one Saturday in October. Whether its cheering on the BASE jumpers at Bridge Day, experiencing the thrill of world-class white water rafting, or taking in the beautiful panoramic views, the New River Gorge provides unlimited opportunities for thousands of visitors each year. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). The New River Gorge National Park is accessible by train from Chicago and New York. Find out about visiting the park with your pet. The town isnt much bigger than its historic square but has a food and beer scene that exceeds expectations. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve - Almost Heaven New River Gorge National Park Itinerary for 1 to 3 Days - Earth Trekkers As the industry went into decline, however, by the 1950s many were already abandoned, leaving ghost towns scattered throughout the gorge. Authorize the National Park System (NPS) to bid on additional land for the Preserve that amounts to 3,711 acres. About. The National Park Services Canyon Rim Visitor Center is a good place to begin your visit. Ditto if youre paddling the gorge, as put-ins can get gridlocked during summer. Often referred to as the Grand Canyon of the East, the New River Gorge region is home to more than 3,000 established rock climbing routes on over 60 miles of cliff line. The New River is also one of the few rivers in the USA that flows from south to north. Located in West Virginia, this whitewater river flows through deep canyons. Easy-to-moderate options include the Tunnel Trail, which is less than a mile round-trip and features a narrow cave (the tunnel) running through a cliff. Guests can play on a bevy of inflatables in the resorts own Adventure Lake water park or spend the day at one of the two smaller lakes designated specifically for fishing. Dont pass this There are more than 1,500 routes (and counting, as climbers continue to explore) on the gorges tall sandstone cliffs, not to mention the ever-expanding bouldering scene within the park. We entered and exited the water at public ramps, so in retrospect, we could have easily rented the gear ourselves to experience the river on our own. But as part of its recent name change, about 10% of that land was put inside a national park, where hunting is prohibited. Want to keep your memory sharp? The New River Gorge area is located less than a days drive from over 50% of the U.S. population, according to Visit Southern West Virginia. And while its a good view, theres not much else to do here besides the visitor center, so you might get bored quickly. places New River Gorge National Park is located in West Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains. Its good timing, then, that in December lawmakers added a new unit to the national park system. top of page. While some estimates point to a 20 percent increase from last years one million visitors (a figure thats remained steady since the early 1990s), the park is expansive. Summersville Lake is a reservoir formed by a rock-fill dam of the Gauley River. Anyone visiting New River Gorge should stop by to see the iconic bridge. McCune worries this trickle of visitors will become a flood as the year goes on, and the park doesnt seem to have the money to address any problems that might arise. Town officials thought Gad Dam didnt quite work, so they named it for the next nearest town Summersville. Swipe to zoom in :) Hope I captured the immense scale of the bridge. You can also piece together an all-day epic that joins historic paths through the gorge that pass by some impressive coal-country history with Arrowhead and the Fayetteville Trail, which connects the small town of Fayetteville with the gorge proper. Create a 65,165 acre Preserve and a 7,021 acre Park. Sign up for our newsletter with the best travel inspirations & exclusive discounts. @zjmontague, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/16/travel/national-park-new-river-gorge.html. If you just need a place to rest for the night without the extra on-site diversions, you can redeem points at a few local hotels convenient to the NRG National Park and Preserve and other area attractions. Metal ladders along the trail give climbers access to the sandstone cliffs below, while hikers are in it for the long-range views of the gorge. When youre discovering a new place via a tour, your time and activities are planned by the guide where to go, when to stop, and how much time you spend on the water. Locals are worried the area is not ready for the national spotlight. . And while tourism has brought a needed injection of wealth to areas all around the gorge, it has also changed the makeup of neighboring communities, as more people have come to visit the park or settle down near it. New River Gorge: Meet America's 63rd National Park - The New York Times This would not be possible without the dedicated support of local leaders here that have diligently seen this redesignation effort through. The difference between a park and a preserve? information on how you can support our national treasures, and travel ideas New River Gorge, West Virginia. But it really is just another one of those names.. This ancient society tried to stop El Niowith child sacrifice. Sign up! For a longer trek, hit the 3-mile out-and-back Endless Wall Trail for stunning views of the New River Gorge Bridge. Of course, if you enjoy a more primitive camping experience, then definitely give the parks campgrounds a try as your home base! Here's what you should know. New River Gorge National Park & Preserve conserves over 70,000 acres of land along the New River Constructed on October 22, 1977, this bridge is one of the most photographed sights in West Virginia. Hemmed by striking sandstone cliffs, the 2,700-acre lake provides inviting coves along which to swim, kayak or stand-up paddleboard. Feb. 16, 2021 As Americans continue to weather the pandemic, the $2.3 trillion coronavirus relief and spending bill passed by the federal government in December brought an unexpected and lasting. P.O. Take time to soak in an awe-inspiring 2-mile view southward into the park from the centers back deck. Complete Guide to visiting New River Gorge National park. adventure The little boardwalk trail is pretty, but also busy. In 76 or 77, if you were in my boat, wed have been floating down the river and I would have been showing you, heres an old coal tipple, heres the old hotel at Caperton, heres this and that, he said. Casual riders and hard-core mountain bikers will both be sated. Shortly thereafter, the climbers came, testing themselves on the bulletproof sandstone walls and establishing superhero routes that now top out at 5.14b. Back then, the gorge saw 225,000 rafters a year. There are plenty of things to do in the gorge, from rafting to rock climbing to hiking. Visit Canyon Rim Visitor Center and walk to the boardwalk paths to view the New River Gorge Bridge. A provision was included to empower the park to acquire more than 3,000 acres of private land around its current boundaries as well, to expand the size of the preserve and add public hunting grounds. Local outfitters and tourism experts say hotelsas well as cabins and privately run camping areas especially suitable for COVID-19 travelare already well established (though booking ahead is always recommended). New River Gorge National Park Photos and Premium High Res Pictures (Many routes require a high level of skill, and climbing schools are available in the area.) target: "#hbspt-form-1688166407000-6526505428", The New River plunges 750 feet over 66 miles, resulting in long stretches of violent rapids that can reach a class five level, generally considered the most difficult that can be navigated by white-water boaters. To show off our rock climbing, our extreme sports availabilities in that area, is just really exciting, said Ms. Capito of what she described as a kind of wild and wonderful part of our state.. Box 246, 104 Main Street Including the best hikes and places to stay. The aforementioned Bridge Walk tour provides unparalleled views of fall colors, but if you plan to visit the weekend of Bridge Day (Oct. 15 this year), plan ahead. From shorter, gentler trails to routes that test your endurance, theres a path for every type of hiker. ABOUT CONTACT US. At 876 feet (267 m) tall, the New River Gorge Bridge is also the third-highest bridge in the US and the thirteenth-highest bridge in the whole world. The riding isnt terribly technical, but the corridor is tight (watch those wide handlebars), and youll find the occasional rock garden to spice things up. The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is a unit of the United States National Park Service (NPS) designed to protect and maintain the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains. We werent able to stop anywhere else along the river, despite there being a ton of campgrounds and trailheads along the banks. We were short on time, so we just drove instead. The National Park preserves a portion of the New River as it flows from southeastern West Virginia northward to meet the Gauley River outside of the park boundaries. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The New River Gorge is such an important part of West Virginia and a real source of pride in our state. Youll cruise beneath the hardwood canopy for the majority of this ride, but the networks Dalton Trail does offer the occasional shot of the gorge through the trees. Gaia GPS is a part of Outside Inc., the same company that owns Outside magazine and Outside Online. For Hilton Honors members, a stay at Tru by Hilton in Beckley will cost 31,000 points per night. The 2,700-acre Summersville Lake sits at the head of the Gauley River and has 60 miles of shoreline, most of which is lined with sandstone cliffs that make for good climbing. I braved my first-ever whitewater rafting experience on the Upper New River. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. If you dont want complete the entire trail, hike halfway to Diamond Point Overlook, a rocky outcropping that juts out over the New River, 1,000 feet below. For the best views of the bridge, stop by the Canyon Rim Visitor Center. Check the Visitor Centers page for current hours. Find the sign that says "viewpoint" and walk along the . About 7,000 acres of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve comprise the national park, while the other 65,000 make up the protected national preserve. Climbers can choose warmer winter days and have the typically crowded cliffs all to themselves. Photograph by Jay Young, Adventures on the Gorge, Colossal gravitational waves found for the first time. The age of the Teays is uncertain, but fossil evidence suggests it could be as much as 320 million years old, leaving its remnant, the New River, as quite possibly the second oldest river in the world. Especially after the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway linked the New River coal fields to markets in 1873, dozens of boom towns popped up along the rivers edge, thriving well into the 1920s. Wed never been rafting before, and we were especially inexperienced when it came to rapids (I was a little scared not gonna lie), so we actually paid for a guided tour, which is typically not our style. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Detected by studying rapidly spinning dead stars, these giant ripples of spacetime likely came from merging supermassive black holesand they may reveal clues about the nature of the universe. The parks nearly 14 miles of Arrowhead trails consist of four mountain bike loops ranging from easy to intermediate. The New River Gorge does not match the scale of many national parks in the western United States, where Death Valley, the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone sprawl over more than 1 million acres each. If you take on this more challenging area though, youll actually paddle right under the New River Gorge Bridge! New River Gorge National Park: A First-Timer's Guide - AFAR These Gettysburg maps reveal how Lee lost the fight, Who is Oppenheimer? Youll find trillium, Virginia bluebell, rhododendron, and flame azalea exploding through April and May. Our Best Deal: 60% Off Outside+, Ends July 9. New River Gorge, America's Newest National Park, Will Lure You to an West Virginia's New River Gorge is already well-known among adventure-sports enthusiastsit has some of the East Coast's best rock climbing (with 1,400 established climbs) and whitewater rafting (ranging from gentle waves to wilder class V rapids). Beckley was just big enough to have its own game store, Dragons Den Comics and Games. While there is some primitive camping inside the park boundaries, most visitors choose one of the privately owned campgrounds or resorts that sit adjacent to the park proper. Sign up to receive the latest NPF news, information on how you can support our national treasures, and travel ideas for your next trip to the parks. Keeps open 301 acres of the Lower Gorge following the requests of local hunters. When Cruikshanks forebears first moved to the area for jobs in the booming coal industry, they lived in a town called Fayette Station. Pies and Pints has been the social hub of Fayetteville for just as long. Protecting the Ancestral Landscape of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The New River Gorge: Ancient River, Old Mines, New National Park - Eos one up if youre in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia. Controversial oil drilling paused in Namibian wilderness, Dolphin moms use 'baby talk' with their calves, Nevada is crawling with swarms of smelly 'Mormon crickets'. Allow extra time when exploring. Stay inspiredsign up for our emails, learn how to become a member, and follow us on social media to get the latest park stories. The monarch butterflys spots may be its superpower. The scope of adventure on hand inside this 53-mile-long canyon in the southwestern corner of West Virginia is world class, offering testing grounds for all sorts of athletes. As federal protections took effect after the Park Service began overseeing the area as a national river in 1978, wildlife has largely recovered, and many see an opportunity to showcase the regions natural elegance. Rafting enthusiasts have been drawn to this pocket of West Virginia for decades. Should we get lobsters high before eating them? One such aficionado is Kenny Parker, a member of the New River Alliance of Climbers and co-owner of the Water Stone Outdoors store in Fayetteville. Plan for crowds. West Virginia remains the second-poorest state in the country in terms of median household income, according to data collected by the United States Census Bureau. Restoring Our National Trails and Wild & Scenic Rivers, Our Relationship with the National Park Service. The New sits in southwestern West Virginia and close to a couple of major interstates, which makes it one of the more accessible units in the park system. The legislation will maintain hunting and fishing within the preserve areaareas where sportsmen currently enjoy hunting and fishing. If you join the Outside+ membership program, youll gain unlimited access to all of our stories, along with the ability to download maps from Gaia to use offline and more. It has several different access points, but it can take up to an hour on meandering backroads and byways to get between them. Its the longest single-arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere at over 3,000 (900 m) feet long, and its the third-longest single-arch bridge on Earth. Locals note hopefully that both sit on the Senate committee that doles out money to agencies such as the park service. Thats fallen to about 100,000 in recent years. You cannot find a house for sale in Fayetteville, because theyre just in such high demand, said Sharon Cruikshank, the towns mayor. Redeem 21,000 points for a two-bedroom accommodation at the Holiday Inn & Suites Beckley, an IHG Hotel. One of the big things with this debate was whether it would come with funding to alleviate these growing pains that were already having, Parker says of the conversation over national park status. I visited the NRG in mid-June and enjoyed nearly perfect weather. The Arrowhead Trails is a 12.8-mile stacked loop system of flowy, narrow singletrack with options for beginner and intermediate bikers. Spring also means higher water levels, so youll be rafting bigger waves. The New is full of history. Here, 52 of the more than 2,000 suggestions we received, to remind us that the world still awaits. history, with an abundance of scenic and recreational opportunities. Arnold hopes the new national park will increase interest in whitewater rafting, which has been decreasing in popularity since its peak in the late 1990s. The terrain inside the park is dramatic, with Class IV+ whitewater running through the center of the gorge and multi-pitch climbing routes running up the canyon walls. If youre way more adventurous than me, you can actually walk out among the steel support beams directly underneath the bridge (which is fully operational with cars whizzing above you the whole time), but this Fear Factor experience does cost extra.For more scenic and relaxing views, make your way over to Grandview, which offers a unique look at a big bend in the New River (much like the famous Horseshoe Bend in Arizona). Skip to content. Download the app. Heading out the door? . The designation of the area roughly 72,000 acres of land flanking 53 miles of the gorge as a national park and preserve creates the 63rd national park in the United States and completes a multigenerational effort, started in the mid-twentieth century, to transform a tired industrial area into a national landmark. The New River Gorge in West Virginia got the federal governments highest protection, thanks, in part, to the latest pandemic relief bill. The ecosystem has come back to full trees and mature forests.. The town was long ago swallowed by the forest. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve protects and preserves 53 miles of the New River as well as over 70,000 acres of the magnificent gorge that this river created. The national park system's newest park, New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia, seemed the perfect distance for an impromptu road trip. There are also guided walking tours on the underside of the bridge, along a 24-inch-wide gangway running the bridges 3,000-foot span (minimum age 8). BASE jumping, an extreme sport in which jumpers parachute from elevated structures or cliffs, is banned in every other national park. If you have the time and energy, most guide companies offer the chance to combine certain sections of the New for multiday trips that have you camping on riverside beaches overnight. If one major travel trend has emerged over the tumultuous months of the pandemic, its been the publics enormous appetite for getting outdoors. And the riding is good, thanks to a purpose-built trail system that was created largely by the Boy Scouts. All rights reserved. The park is 53 miles long. between the towns of Hinton and Fayetteville. Away from the water, theres ziplining; a trove of mountain bike trails; and some 1,400 established rock-climbing routes ranging from 30 to 120 feet high, at class 5.9 to 5.12. From Michelin-starred menus to gilded historic sites, these restaurants are worth a visitwhether or not youre a tourist. Stephen Starr is an Irish journalist and author who reported from the Middle East for a decade before moving to Ohio. Across the U.S., demand for RVs, bikes, ski equipment, and campgrounds has rocketed; so has the number of people taking to the countrys trails. Check here for operating hours of park visitor centers. It's easily accessible via Interstate 64, Interstate 77 and Interstate 79, and was a quick enough four-hour drive for me from Charlotte. Nevertheless, officials expect the new designation to bring a substantial influx of travelers, boosted in part by a dedicated set of enthusiasts who strive to visit every national park. Updating and unveiling the signage today at the Gorge marks the culmination of years of hard work toward this goal that has been a major priority. The park service is making plans for an influx of visitors, and is able to increase the park boundary by another 100 acres for parking and other needs. Bike routes are scattered throughout the park on both sides of the river, with options for both technical mountain biking and more casual pedaling along former railroad beds. The Arrowhead Bike Farm and Campground has beta on all the trails, as well as beer and camping. In a nod to tradition, the legislation also enshrines the right for visitors to continue to make use of one of the parks most famous features the New River Gorge Bridge at least once a year. The majority of climbing is on the advanced side (5.10+ climbers will have plenty to choose from and be able to avoid most of the crowds). We will share personal stories from the TPG team, as well as news and tips that will help you get the most out of your next national park visit.