Enjoying the JourneyThe New River Gorge
July 9th 2010 21:31
Link: stopandvisit.com
The New River Gorge is a National River in the State of West Virginia. It encompasses 70,000 acres between the town of Hinton and Fayetteville, West Virginia. It is a park that offers wonderful scenery, fishing, white water rafting and recreational activities for the entire family.
The New River Gorge follows the New River, which is actually not a “new” river at all. In fact, the New River is one of the oldest rivers in North America and has followed its present path for 65 million years. For centuries the gorge was inaccessible for its entire length. However, in 1973 the railroad opened up this isolated part of West Virginia and the railroad path bordered the river in order that coal could be shipped out of the area to other parts of the United States.
The New River and New River Gorge are excellent recreational areas. The New River is well known for its fishing and for top notch whitewater boating. In 1978 Congress established the New River Gorge as a National Park in order to protect the waterway. Today, the park consists of 53 miles of the New River and its gorge and 40 miles of tributaries of the New River.
The Park has many opportunities for spectacular viewing of the gorge and its surrounding landscapes. The overlooks are positioned to give the visitors the best sites of the gorge and the New River Gorge Bridge. There are two visitor centers located in the park, the Canyon Rim Center and the Sandstone Center. Both of these offer information, exhibits and special programs about the park. There is also a gift and book store where one can purchase additional information about the gorge.
There are several hiking trails that feature old coal town, waterfalls and different geological formations. Some of the trails are for hiking only while others feature mountain biking and horseback riding. At Sandstone Falls there is a fully accessible boardwalk that leads to a river level view of the largest falls on the New River. At Canyon Rim there is a boardwalk that features views of the gorge and the New River Bridge.
The New River and its gorge feature wonderful photographic scenes no matter what time of day one chooses to visit. Of course the best times are early in the morning or at dusk when the sun is closer to the horizon. However, because of the geology of the gorge one can capture beautiful scenes of the gorge no matter what time of the day one chooses to visit.
The New River and the New River Gorge offer a peak at the landscape of the Appalachian Plateau before the cities and towns and people ever inhabited the land.
The New River Gorge follows the New River, which is actually not a “new” river at all. In fact, the New River is one of the oldest rivers in North America and has followed its present path for 65 million years. For centuries the gorge was inaccessible for its entire length. However, in 1973 the railroad opened up this isolated part of West Virginia and the railroad path bordered the river in order that coal could be shipped out of the area to other parts of the United States.
The New River and New River Gorge are excellent recreational areas. The New River is well known for its fishing and for top notch whitewater boating. In 1978 Congress established the New River Gorge as a National Park in order to protect the waterway. Today, the park consists of 53 miles of the New River and its gorge and 40 miles of tributaries of the New River.
The Park has many opportunities for spectacular viewing of the gorge and its surrounding landscapes. The overlooks are positioned to give the visitors the best sites of the gorge and the New River Gorge Bridge. There are two visitor centers located in the park, the Canyon Rim Center and the Sandstone Center. Both of these offer information, exhibits and special programs about the park. There is also a gift and book store where one can purchase additional information about the gorge.
There are several hiking trails that feature old coal town, waterfalls and different geological formations. Some of the trails are for hiking only while others feature mountain biking and horseback riding. At Sandstone Falls there is a fully accessible boardwalk that leads to a river level view of the largest falls on the New River. At Canyon Rim there is a boardwalk that features views of the gorge and the New River Bridge.
The New River and its gorge feature wonderful photographic scenes no matter what time of day one chooses to visit. Of course the best times are early in the morning or at dusk when the sun is closer to the horizon. However, because of the geology of the gorge one can capture beautiful scenes of the gorge no matter what time of the day one chooses to visit.
The New River and the New River Gorge offer a peak at the landscape of the Appalachian Plateau before the cities and towns and people ever inhabited the land.
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