New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

Scenic mountains and breathtaking gorge views await at the nation’s newest national park. The New River Gorge National Park & Preserve is steeped in rich history and outdoor recreation — making it the heavenly escape you’ve been longing for.

Welcome to America’s 63rd national park—the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve. Home to more than 70,000 acres of public lands, this park has been a hallowed spot for locals for centuries. The recent designation as the nation’s newest national park invites travelers, like you, to visit, explore and discover your own slice of heaven.

Easily accessible by Route 19 and I-64, the New River Gorge is one of West Virginia’s most photographed areas. The iconic steel arch bridge was once the longest in the world and welcomes travelers to this cherished region. Widely known as the second oldest river in the world, the New River cuts through extensive geological formations that make way for diverse flora and fauna. Bald eagles and peregrine falcons call this park home, and you’ll often spot a few along your travels. Hiking trails here take you to spectacular overlooks and through remnants of old coal mining towns.

World-Class Whitewater Rafting

West Virginia has been selected as one of National Geographic’s “Best of the World” Top 20 Travel Experiences for 2024 because of world-class whitewater rafting at the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Whether travelers are looking for heart-pounding, high-adrenaline rafting or a family-friendly float, the New River Gorge National Park provides one of the world’s best experiences.

Plan A Rafting Trip

The New River Gorge in the News

West Virginia’s Blue Ridge peaks, dramatic gorges, and rushing rivers put it on the map for hikers, rafters, and rock climbers.

Our collective obsession with the outdoors this past year turned out to be fortuitous timing for West Virginia.

Nicknamed “The Mountain State” and “Almost Heaven” (thanks to John Denver’s classic song), West Virginia is the home of America’s newest national park, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

If you ask the National Park Service (NPS), parks across the US had a really good year in 2023. So much so that some of them even broke visitation records.

Whitewater swirls through breathtaking scenery on this dam-controlled river for just a few weeks per year, creating class IV and V rapids to challenge your inner adventurer

With five participating communities, Ascend West Virginia is a public-private initiative with an impressive pedigree: Its founders are West Virginia native Brad D. Smith, former CEO of software company Intuit, and his wife Alys.

One of West Virginia’s best treasures is New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, a 70,000-acre park where the world’s second-oldest river cuts through a vast valley of geological formations and ecological wonders.

Twenty national park sites broke visitation records last year, including five national parks proper: Joshua Tree, Congaree, Dry Tortugas, Glacier Bay, and New River Gorge.

America’s newest national park is one of the world’s finest river-rafting destinations. The site protects a slice of the New River, one of the oldest in the world, as well as the 876ft-tall New River Gorge Bridge.

A lot of places claim to have something for everybody, but New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia delivers.

Of the free, primitive campgrounds offered at New River Gorge National Park, we like Grandview Sandbar best for its easy river access, shady picnic tables, and designated fire rings.

New River Gorge, in West Virginia, became America’s newest national park in December 2020.