Along with the distinction of being just the 63rd national park and the 20th national preserve in the United States, the re-designation has helped to bring international media attention to the region and what it has to offer.
“We’re getting positive reviews from all of the national and international media who have covered it,” said West Virginia Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby. “We have been in nearly every major news outlet in the world for this new designation.”
The nation’s newest national park was recently included in a list published by Time Magazine, declaring it one of the “world’s greatest places” to visit in 2021.
“We’re super excited about it because it tells the rest of the world something that we’ve always known, which is that it is truly one of the most amazing places,” Ruby said. “I always tell people that going to the Gorge for the first time is sort of like going to the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls — you’ll never forget that first time you see the New River Gorge.”
The re-designation was made possible thanks to the efforts of Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who introduced the New River Gorge Park and Preserve Designation Act in October 2019.
“Over the last two years, we have met with outdoorsmen, businesses and local leaders and other interested groups to ensure this designation will promote the beauty and rich history of the New River Gorge, while ensuring that the longstanding traditions of hunting and fishing are protected for generations to come,” Manchin said.
The National Park and Preserve consist of 72,186 acres. The National Preserve is 64,495 acres, and hunting and fishing is allowed. The National Park side is 7,691 acres and consists of four areas: The Lower Gorge, Thurmond, Grandview and Sandstone Falls.
First designated as a National River in 1978, the New River Gorge runs along 53 miles of one of the world’s oldest rivers — the New River — stretching from Bluestone Dam to Hawks Nest Lake.
The centerpiece of the park and preserve is one of the world’s great feats of engineering, the New River Gorge Bridge. At 876 feet above the riverbed, the bridge is the third highest in the United States. Until 2003, it had the world’s longest single-arch steel span.
Annually, on the third Saturday of October since 1980, the bridge has been closed for Bridge Day — West Virginia’s largest one-day festival. Pedestrians are permitted on the bridge on Bridge Day, and rappellers and parachutists from around the world come to test their skills.
According to information jointly released by Capito and Manchin, the National Park Service is authorized to purchase over 3,700 acres from willing sellers of adjacent land for potential addition to the national preserve, allowing for the expansion of additional hunting opportunities and providing for improved public access into the preserve.
The region has seen an increase in new visitors since the re-designation and the subsequent media attention, Ruby said.
“We think this is just the beginning,” she said. “We’re still in this post-pandemic travel world, but even in that we’re seeing monumental increases in visitations. We’re really excited about the future.”
Plans are already in the works to continue growth and development in the park, Ruby said.
“We’re working with the National Parks Service and local leaders to make it easier to navigate,” she said. “We want folks to know where all the access points are, to know all the different trails and to know what to do. But we’re also looking at how we can get folks to stay longer in the area and how we can get them to contribute more to the communities.”
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July 26, 2021 at 10:56AM
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National park designation brings increased visitors to West Virginia's New River Gorge - Shelley Moore Capito
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