• 11 months ago
The New River Gorge in West Virginia is the U.S.’s newest national park. Explore the park and its surroundings with us, and discover all of the can’t-miss things to do—from white water rafting to rock climbing—while you’re there.

Read the full article: https://rebrand.ly/8hgfi0n

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Citations:
- Coal mining in New River Gorge: https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/historyculture/nuttallburg.htm

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0:53 - Friday afternoon
1:41 - Saturday
2:50 - Sunday

#newrivergorge #nationalpark #nationalparks #westvirginia #travel #travelwithme #travelvlog

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Travel
Transcript
00:00 Hey there, Jessie here from Ofara Media and I'm at New River Gorge National Park.
00:04 Despite the name, the area actually has a long and storied past.
00:10 The New River is estimated to be the second oldest river in the world,
00:14 and archaeologists have found evidence of humans living here as far back as 13,000 years ago.
00:19 In the 18 and 1900s, it was also a thriving coal mining region,
00:24 remains of which can still be found throughout the park.
00:28 In the 1970s, it began gaining popularity among outdoor enthusiasts,
00:32 especially climbers and whitewater rafters, and remains a national playground to this day.
00:36 In 2020, the New River Gorge was finally recognized as a national park,
00:41 the nation's newest in fact, and today I'm going to take you with me
00:45 as I spend a weekend exploring in and around this national park.
00:56 So we've just arrived at the gorge, and since it's still early,
01:01 we're going to squeeze in a quick hike on the Endless Wall Trail.
01:04 It's one of the park's most popular routes,
01:07 thanks to the stunning views about midway through at Diamond Point.
01:10 We're also driving a portion of Fayette Station Road,
01:18 a scenic drive that takes visitors through some lovely forest, over the New River,
01:23 and an old narrow bridge that used to be the area's main way across the river,
01:27 before the larger New River Bridge was built in 1977.
01:31 But now it's been a long day, so it's time to check into our hotel,
01:36 grab some dinner, and drink a beer nearby Fayetteville.
01:39 Okay, it's day two and we're up early for some mountain biking.
01:47 We're starting at Arrowhead Bike Farm, which is this super cool,
01:50 eco-minded gathering spot and shop that has bike rentals,
01:54 a full-service bike shop, tours, farm, restaurant, campground,
01:58 and even a small farm and motley crew of goats out back.
02:01 You're here to join one of their guides, Aspen,
02:04 on a quick ride on yet another popular park trail, Long Point, for more views of the gorge.
02:09 Time for a quick brat break back at the restaurant.
02:16 We've got to fuel up because next we're going whitewater rafting with Ace Adventures.
02:21 Today we'll be rafting on the lower New River, which is excellent for first-time rafters,
02:27 like myself. However, we also happen to be here at the start of galley season,
02:32 which is the six weeks after Labor Day when you can raft the nearby Galley River.
02:36 With over 100 rapids, including many Class 5s,
02:39 it's some of the best rafting in the eastern United States.
02:43 It's super exciting to be here right now, but we're going to stick to the easier New River instead.
02:48 It's day three and we can't leave without jumping off the rock.
02:55 So we've joined up with a guide from the Adventures Near Gorge to climb at a spot called
02:59 the Junkyard. Like much of the area, the rocks here are a hard sandstone and super fun to climb,
03:05 so let's get roped in.
03:11 Okay, it's 2 p.m. now and we're about to embark on our final activity of the weekend.
03:16 It's a jet boat tour on the New River, but it actually starts neighboring Hawks Nest State
03:22 Park. And once we're on the boat, it will take us back into the National Park and underneath the
03:27 New River Bridge, which is the longest single arch bridge in the western hemisphere.
03:32 This is by far our most usually activity of the weekend, and it's a great option for anyone who
03:39 wants to get out on the river, but maybe skip the rapids. Sadly, this now marks the end of our time
03:46 at the New River Gorge National Park. Although we covered a lot of ground in 48 hours, there's just
03:51 still so much more to explore in this incredible area. If we missed any of your favorite New River
03:58 Gorge activities, let us know in the comments below. Thanks for watching this video by far,
04:03 and please remember to hit that like button and subscribe on your way out. Happy travels!
04:09 [Music]