On the third Saturday in October, the New River Gorge Bridge closes to vehicle traffic and becomes a 3,000 foot long block party – complete with music, food, crafts, and oh yeah, jumping OFF the bridge.īridge Day draws hundreds of BASE jumpers every year with the opportunity to soar and parachute into the gorge, hundreds of feet below. The Bridge is the longest steel-span bridge in the western hemisphere and the third highest bridge in the United States.įayette County locals celebrate the bridge in spectacular and adrenaline-pumping fashion: Bridge Day. When it was constructed, the Bridge cut the travel time over narrow mountain roads from 45 minutes to less than 1 minute. Built in 1977, the New River Gorge Bridge spans the length of the Gorge, 3,030 feet long, rising 876 above the New River. Not up for a hike? Check out the Park’s Scenic Drives along the New River Gorge New River Gorge Bridge and Bridge Dayīut New River Gorge’s most iconic sight is a man-made marvel. The park has more than 100 miles of hiking trails, ranging from 0.25 miles to 7 miles, through stunning Appalachian scenery. The New is home to stunning whitewater rapids racing through deep canyons, sandstone cliffs, waterfalls, and vibrant rhododendron forests. While hunting is strictly prohibited in National Parks, it is allowed in National Preserves. What’s the Difference between a Park and Preserve? The New River area has been used for recreation and hunting for generations. New River gorge is only the second area outside of Alaska designated as a National Preserve. Around 7,000 acres of the New are offical National Park lands, while the other 65,000 acres are protected as a National Preserve.
#NEW RIVER GORGE UPGRADE#
In December 2020, Congress gave New River Gorge the official upgrade to National Park status as part of a COVID-19 stimulus bill. In 1978, a 53 mile stretch of the Gorge was designated a National River, a division of the National Park Service. New River Gorge, or “the New” as its commonly called, has been a haven for rock climbers and whitewater rafters for decades. A Quick History of New River Gorge National Park My husband and I were in the process of moving for a year from New York City to Montgomery, Alabama for my husband’s military duty.Īs a concession to uprooting our lives, he agreed to stop at several National Parks along the way, including New River Gorge and the Great Smoky Mountains. I got a chance to make a quick trip to New River Gorge a few months after it achieved National Park Status on 4 th of July Weekend, 2021. Nestled in the central Appalachian Mountains, this National Park straddles the New River and its breathtaking natural gorge, abutting the small but charming town of Fayetteville. John Denver once called West Virginia “almost heaven,” and after spending a day in New River Gorge National Park, you’ll understand why.
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New River Gorge from the Canyon Boardwalk