Qualla: New River Gorge National Park and Preserve https://qualla.com/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:15 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/d/n/w/r/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: New River Gorge National Park and Preserve https://qualla.com/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: Introduction https://qualla.com/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve/ Photo credit NPS Photo, Public domain. The name is a geological joke. The New River is one of the oldest rivers in North America, possibly the oldest on the continent, and it flows north -- the opposite of what most eastern rivers do. Originating in North Carolina, it cuts through Virginia and into the mountains of southern West Virginia, where it has spent millions of years carving the longest and deepest gorge in the Appalachian Mountains. In December 2020, this stretch of whitewater, sandstone cliffs, and ghost towns became America's 63rd national park, the newest designation protecting one of the continent's most ancient waterways.

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Image: NPS Photo | Public domain

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/n/w/r/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve-wp/dnwr-new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: Deep Time in Sandstone https://qualla.com/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve/ Photo credit NPS photo/Dave Bieri, Public domain. The gorge is a cross-section through geological history. Flowing water has exposed layers of sandstone and shale, with house-sized boulders scattered from rim to river, plant and invertebrate fossils embedded in the rock face, and steep channel drop-offs that punctuate the river'...

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Image: NPS photo/Dave Bieri | Public domain

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/n/w/r/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve-wp/dnwr-new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve-deep-time-in-sandstone.mp3 0:06 2 full New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: Ghosts of the Coal Boom https://qualla.com/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve/ Photo credit NPS photo/Dave Bieri, Public domain. The railroad arrived in the New River Gorge in 1873 and transformed the region overnight. Within decades, more than 50 company-owned mining towns lined the gorge, their residents extracting coal from the New River Coalfield to power American industry. Thurmond became a railroad h...

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Image: NPS photo/Dave Bieri | Public domain

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/n/w/r/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve-wp/dnwr-new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve-ghosts-of-the-coal-boom.mp3 0:06 3 full New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: A Living Gorge https://qualla.com/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve/ Photo credit NPS photo/Dave Bieri, Public domain. Below the industrial ghosts, the gorge harbors extraordinary life. The park sits at the core of a globally significant forest containing the most diverse flora of any river gorge in central and southern Appalachia. Forty different plant communities hold at least 1,342 species and...

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Image: NPS photo/Dave Bieri | Public domain

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/n/w/r/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve-wp/dnwr-new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve-a-living-gorge.mp3 0:06 4 full New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: Vertical Playgrounds https://qualla.com/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve/ Photo credit Ronavni, CC BY-SA 4.0. Climbers know the gorge simply as "The New." Over 1,400 established rock routes scale the Nuttall sandstone cliffs just below the gorge rim -- hard, featured rock offering crack climbs, face routes, and occasional large roof problems. Most routes are single-pitch, with the majori...

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Image: Ronavni | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/n/w/r/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve-wp/dnwr-new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve-vertical-playgrounds.mp3 0:06 5 full New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: The Bridge and the View https://qualla.com/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve/ Photo credit Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0. The New River Gorge Bridge dominates the park's visual identity. Completed in 1977, the steel arch bridge carries U.S. Route 19 across the gorge at a height that makes it one of the longest single-span arch bridges in the Western Hemisphere. From the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, th...

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Image: Antony-22 | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/n/w/r/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve-wp/dnwr-new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve-the-bridge-and-the-view.mp3 0:06 6 full