West Virginia's New River Gorge National Park and Preserve continues to grow, increase impact

SANDSTONE, W.Va. (WV News) — The nation’s newest national park recently grew by nearly 1,000 acres.

The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve officially added 963 acres, increasing the amount of public land available for hunting and outdoor recreation activities.

The additional acreage was acquired by The Conservation Fund in November 2021 and was recently transferred to the National Parks Service thanks to funding from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.

The added acres are in an area commonly known as Irish Mountain. This historically significant swath of land is known for its links to Irish immigrants who settled locally in the late 1800s.

Visible from the east bank of the New River, land within the added parcel extends steeply up in elevation from 1,600 feet to 2,700 feet, offering a sweeping view of the upper river canyon.

“The familiar John Denver lyric, ‘Life is old there, older than the trees,’ is emblematic for the New River Gorge,” said The Conservation Fund Vice President and West Virginia Director Joe Hankins.

“This is a place with ancient geology, a cultural history of immigration, hard work and community — and a river that flows through the very heart of West Virginia.”

West Virginia officials attended a ceremony marking the expansion.

“I am committed to continuing to enhance the New River Gorge experience for visitors and sportsmen, and I look forward to working alongside partners like The Conservation Fund to do so,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.

“Today’s announcement that 963 acres in the Irish Mountain area will be added to the preserve is great news for the entire Mountain State and the visitors from around the world who come to enjoy our cherished park,” said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. “Announcements like this are part of the reason I worked to ensure permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund — to protect and conserve our public lands and provide important hunting and fishing opportunities for all Americans.”

“Adding new land to New River Gorge National Park is a win for West Virginia,” said Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va. “These additional 963 acres will provide more recreational opportunities and economic growth, while preserving our rich history and culture. Last year, New River Gorge National Park had a record number of visitors, and with this addition of land, more people will be able to enjoy its beauty. West Virginia is truly a wild and wonderful place, and I look forward to visiting this new stretch in our first national park.”

A federal report released in June 2022 found visitor spending in local gateway regions while visiting National Park Service lands in West Virginia increased more than $43 million in 2021 over the previous year.

According to the “2021 National Park Service Visitor Spending Effects Report” published by the NPS, 2.2 million national park visitors spent an estimated $109 million in West Virginia in 2021.

These expenditures supported a total of 1,450 jobs, $42.9 million in labor income, $71.2 million in value added and $131 million in economic output in the West Virginia economy.

This is up from $65.3 million in total national park visitor spending in 2021.

More than $82 million of 2021’s national park visitor spending in West Virginia was related to the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve.

In 2021, 1.7 million park visitors spent an estimated $82.6 million in local gateway regions while visiting the New River Gorge National River.

These expenditures supported a total of 1,090 jobs, $32.3 million in labor income, $53.9 million in value added, and $100 million in economic output in local gateway economies surrounding New River Gorge National River.

In 2020, prior to the area’s official designation as a national park, visitors to the area spent just $47.4 million.

Despite the name it was given by European settlers, there is nothing “new” about the river responsible for creating West Virginia’s New River Gorge. In fact, the river is believed to be the second oldest in the world, behind only the Nile.

The ancient river begins high in the Blue Ridge Mountains and runs about 360 miles through North Carolina and Virginia to West Virginia, where it meets the Gauley River to become the Kanawha River.

According to geological evidence, the river is believed to have begun running its current course about 65 million years ago. As it worked its way across the face of Appalachia, the river eroded away layers of shale and sandstone, leaving behind a visible record of the passage of time.

The river’s most famous — and arguably its most scenic — portion, the New River Gorge, is home to one of the great marvels of engineering, one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems found on the planet and countless opportunities for outdoor recreation.

The New River Gorge National River — stretching 53 miles from Bluestone Dam to Hawks Nest Lake — was established by Congress in November 1978 in order to help conserve and protect the area’s sites and objects. On May 7, 1983, the river’s first visitor center opened to the public near Fayetteville.

The re-designation of the New River Gorge National River as the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve was included in a 2020 year-end legislative package backed by Manchin, Capito and Miller.

“The New River Gorge is truly one of West Virginia’s most treasured playgrounds and largest tourist attractions because of its whitewater rafting, hunting, fishing, outdoor sports and natural beauty,” Manchin said shortly after the re-designation was announced.

The centerpiece of the park and preserve is the New River Gorge Bridge, which at 876 feet above the riverbed is the third highest bridge in the United States. Until 2003, it was the world’s longest single-arch steel span.

The bridge, which is 3,030 feet long, weighs 88 million pounds, including 44 million pounds of steel. Its construction began in 1972 and cost around $37 million to complete.

Annually, on the third Saturday of October since 1980, the bridge is 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 to take turns jumping from the structure.

According to Eve West, who was named chief of interpretation for the New River Gorge National River, Gauley River National Area and Bluestone National Scenic River in March 2020, the New River Gorge has endless stories to be told.

“The New River is kind of an interesting park because there are so many different stories here to tell,” she said. “It really is a park for all people. I like to say that if you get bored here, then there’s a problem. There’s just so many things to see and do here — naturally, culturally and recreationally.”

With its flora and fauna, the park is considered to be the most botanically diverse river system in the central and southern Appalachian Mountains, West said.

“We’ve got roughly 1,500 species of plants and the 65 species of mammals and a variety of salamanders, amphibians and reptiles,” she said. “There is tremendous biodiversity in this park.”

The length of the New River partially accounts for the wide variety of plants and wildlife that have come to call it home, West said.

“A lot of plants and things made their way up the river and we’re at the northern boundary. Then a lot of plants migrated south from the glaciers, because the glaciers never covered this area,” she said. “So this area truly is a meeting ground of a lot of different things and it’s part of the reason we’ve got so much stuff here.”

The vast differences in elevation across the park also account for its diversity, West said.

“The highest point top-to-bottom in the park is at Grandview, and that’s 1,400 feet from the brim all the way down to the river,” she said. “Within that 1,400 feet, in say March or April, you can be standing at winter at the top, but you can hike down to the bottom and be in spring or summer.”