Due to the December COVID-19 stimulus package, today the National Park Service provides gold standard financial support to a portion of West Virginia’s New River Gorge, offering world-class rock climbing, rafting, hiking, and mountain biking. The New River Gorge is the America’s 63rd National Park.
In late 2020, Congress approved converting 7,021 acres in the middle of the 73,000-acre New River Gorge Preserve into a National Park, with the stimulus package improving facilities to support an estimated 20 percent increase in tourism. The funding also supports the purchase of 100 acres from local landowners for trail access and improved parking. The remaining 65,000 acres in the Preserve are designated for backcountry hunting.
Located in the southeastern corner of West Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains, the park is within a five-hour drive to major cities: Charlotte, NC; Louisville, KY; Columbus, Ohio; and Washington, D.C.