Gauley River National Recreation Area Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

New River Gorge Drew A Record 1.7 Million Visitors Last Year

With 325 million visitors last year, park attendance nationwide was higher than any year since 2020 but still not more than 2019’s 327 million.

The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve saw a record number of visitors in 2023.

The New River Gorge drew 1.7 million visitors last year, breaking the previous record set in 2021.

The park is one of the newest in the National Park System. It was added in 2020.

The peak months at the Gorge are June, July and August, with more than 200,000 visitors each month. Park attendance dips below 100,000 in the winter months.

With 325 million visitors last year, park attendance nationwide was higher than any year since 2020 but still not more than 2019’s 327 million.

The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park also set a record for recent years with 427,000 visitors, up from 300,000 in 2019.

The Gauley River National Recreation Area also saw a record 187,000 visitors last year, up from 119,000 in 2019.

Portions of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park are in West Virginia. The park drew nearly 4.5 million visitors last year. In 2021, nearly 5 million people visited the park.

Federal Funds Help Address Legacy Pollution In Gauley River Area

The Gauley River National Recreation Area is getting some federal funds to help cap an abandoned gas well.

The National Park Service has received nearly $10 million in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to plug, remediate and reclaim abandoned oil and gas well sites in national parks.

One such orphaned well in the Gauley River National Recreation Area will be plugged with cement and its access road will be reseeded with native grass by next year.

The natural gas well – one of about 20 in the park – dates from the 1950s and has been inactive for around 20 years. Some of the wells in the park remain active.

The park service estimates that between 150 and 180 wells in national parks throughout the country are abandoned or orphaned and will need to be plugged and reclaimed.

This is part of a much larger federal investment to clean up legacy pollution across the country.

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.