New River Gorge National River
Established in 1978, the New River Gorge National River has a wealth of recreational opportunities, as well as historic and natural resources to explore. Each year, more than one million visitors come to enjoy whitewater rafting, rock climbing, camping, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, boating, and sightseeing. The Gorge also features a rich mining history, which can be experienced today in visits to the Kaymoor mine site and the Thurmond Historic District, once home to a bustling mining and logging community.
If You Go
One of the most popular activities in the park is the annual Bridge Day Festival. The festival is held the third Saturday in October every year in Fayette County, West Virginia. The 2008 event is set for October 18th.
Each year hundreds of thousands of people come to walk on the bridge, take in the scenic vistas of the gorge, and watch BASE (Building Antenna Span Earth) jumpers parachute from the bridge. As the second highest bridge in the United States at 876 feet, this makes for a spectacular leap!
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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Nairi Aslanyan
November 10, 2011