New River Gorge - America’s 63rd National Park

One of the more diverse recreational areas of the United States, the 72,000 acres along 53 miles of gorge New River Gorge National Park and Preserve offers more than 50 miles of hiking trails, 1,400+ established rock climbs, mountain biking, base jumping, diverse fishing, and whitewater rapids ranging in difficulty from class I to class V - and until December 2020, it wasn’t even considered a National Park.

The $2.3 trillion coronavirus relief and spending bill passed by the federal government in December 2020 not only sought to support sectors damaged by the pandemic, but the nearly 6,000 page document also included authorizations for little-known but long-delayed projects — amongst which was the elevation of the New River Gorge located in Southern West Virginia to the lofty and sought-after designation of United States National Park.

After centuries of logging and mining depleted resources, degraded the environment, and destroyed the natural ecology of the area, New River Gorge has slowly been returning to its natural wonder. With unique ecological features that are well-suited to a wide and diverse variety of wildlife, the river is central to a migration corridor where species of the north and south collide, including the Allegheny woodrat (near threatened) and Virginia big-eared bat (endangered).