Tag: Bluestone National Scenic River

Three W.Va. National Parks Close Campgrounds

Three national parks in West Virginia closed their facilities at noon on Tuesday in response to COVID-19.

Campgrounds and restrooms in New River Gorge National River, Gauley River National Recreation Area and Bluestone National Scenic River are closed indefinitely. 

This announcement came in a press release, one day after Governor Jim Justice ordered campground closures at all state parks. Some city parks across the state have also entirely closed. 

The three national parks that lie within southern West Virginia will continue to be open for recreation, although people are encouraged to visit less popular trails, said Eve West, the chief of interpretation and visitor services for all three parks.

“We would encourage you to not use the trails that are the most popular, and if you do go to a trailhead, and you do see a lot of vehicles there, just don’t go at that point in time, go to a different trail or come back at a different time,” she said. 

West said people can visit the parks virtually, through a variety of videos on the national park service website, including GoPro videos of rafting trips. 

Because staff and services are limited, West said to practice ‘Leave No Trace’ if recreating at the park, which includes things like packing out one’s trash and going to the bathroom before coming to the park.

National Park Tourism Boosts S. W.Va. Economy

A National Park Service report released Sunday, details the economic benefits to Southern West Virginia last year. According to the report, tourism to the region’s national parks helped spur the economy by almost $70 million.

More than 1.3 million visitors explored the New River Gorge National River, Bluestone National Scenic River and the Gauley River National Recreation Area in 2018.

Economic benefits from the tourism affected spending and jobs in the region, which includes Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh and Summers counties.

According to the National Park Service report more than $60 million was spent in these communities. Additionally, this spending helped support 847 jobs.

Lizzie Watts, superintendent of the New River Gorge National River, said for every $1 invested in the National Park Service $10 is returned through national park tourism.

“We are happy to be a part of helping to sustain so many local communities,” Watts said.

The report also cites lodging expenses as the largest portion of visitor spending, with food expenses being second.

National trends show that the majority of money created through national park tourism is spent within 60 miles of a park.

More information and interactive data can be found at the National Park Service website.

National Park Visitors Spent $58M in Southern W.Va. in 2016

The state’s three national parks in southern West Virginia saw more than one million visitors last year, resulting in a bump to the economies of the surrounding cities and towns. 

The National Park Service released the visitor totals Monday that show 1.3 million tourists from around the world stopped at the New River Gorge National River, Bluestone National Scenic River and Gauley River National Recreation Area in 2016.

Visitors spent more than $58 million in the communities around the parks, supporting nearly 900 local jobs.

Park visitors spend the most on lodging followed by food, gas, and admissions.

The three parks are located in four counties: Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh and Summers.

Gov. Jim Justice has pushed for increased investment in tourism and marketing for the state as a whole since taking office in January. Justice has said putting more government dollars toward attracting people to state and national parks in West Virginia will help diversify the state’s economy.

Nationally, NPS says they return $10 for every $1 invested in the parks they oversee, with a cumulative benefit of nearly $35 billion to the U.S. economy last year.

The report was generated by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service. 

Southern West Virginia National Parks Help Local Economy

The National Park Service says southern West Virginia’s three national parks contributed more than $64 million in benefits to the local economy in 2015.

Economists with the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey analyzed visitor spending at parks across the nation, including the New River Gorge National River, Bluestone National Scenic River and Gauley River National Recreation Area.

The report says people visiting the three West Virginia parks spent more than $56 million in nearby communities in 2015. That spending supported 846 jobs.

Together, the parks drew more than 1.3 million visitors in 2015.

Nationwide, the report says 31 percent of visitor spending was for lodging, followed by food and beverages at about 20 percent.

New River Gorge Hiking Challenge Celebrates NPS Centennial

New River Gorge National River is offering a 100-mile hiking challenge to celebrate the National Park Service’s centennial.

To complete the challenge, visitors must hike at least 100 miles on trails in New River Gorge National River and Bluestone National Scenic River in 2016.

Park visitors can register for the challenge online by sending their name and email address to NewRiverGorge100MileChallenge@nps.gov.

Prizes will be awarded to participants who hike at least 100 miles between Jan. and Dec. 1. An additional prize will be given to the first 100 participants who complete the challenge.

The park will officially kick off the challenge on Jan. 2 with a hike of about 3 miles on the Grandview Rim Trail.

National Park Visitors Spent $53 Million in Southern W.Va. in 2014

A report from the National Park Service says three parks in southern West Virginia brought tens of millions of dollars into the surrounding communities, supporting hundreds of jobs.

The National Park Service says the New River Gorge National River, Bluestone National Scenic River and Gauley River National Recreation Area brought 1,280,604 visitors into southern West Virginia last year.

Those visitors spent $53,448,900 in communities near the parks which supported 808 local jobs. NPS quantifies the cumulative local benefit from the three parks to be $60,572,100.

The peer-reviewed spending analysis was conducted by NPS in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey. It says visitors spent the most dollars locally on lodging, food and gasoline.

Nationally, 292.8 million people visited national parks last year spending $15.7 billion in communities within 60 miles of those parks. That spending also supported 277,000 jobs across the country.

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