West Virginia New River Gorge National River

I was at the New River Birding and Nature Festival in Fayetteville West Virginia. I attended last year and loved it so much that I have returned for a 2nd time. Fayetteville was in the heart of the cold country and is located just south of the New River Gorge, which is a National River, administered by the National Park Service.

New River Gorge National River Visitor Center

I traveled down by automobile staying over at night in Hagerstown, Maryland, and then I continued the next morning down to the Fayetteville area. I traveled down from Hagerstown on the interstate and then change onto the Mountaineer highway in West Virginia. This takes you down the Appalachian mountain chain. There are some very nice overlooks to view the wonderful scenery of the area.

Green Ridge State Forest in Maryland

Here is a description of the festival from the New River Birding and Nature Festival site: http://www.birding-wv.com/

The New River Birding & Nature Festival takes place in and around the New River Gorge National River. New River Gorge National River is administrated by the National Park Service; this area is the heart of the upland, hardwood forests that Cornell Lab of Ornithology has identified as a crucial stopover habitat for the continued survival of species such as Golden-winged, Blue-winged, and Swainson's Warbler, as well as the Scarlet Tanager. The New River Birding & Nature Festival highlights more than 100 bird species on a variety of birding tours.

It is a friendly birding vacation for everyone, this week long event features guided birding excursions, world-class speakers, the finest collection of guides at any festival destination anywhere, tasty food, and a back-porch atmosphere unmatched by any other birding festival. Signature guided bird watching experiences include the opportunity to visit a wide range of habitats, world class instruction for those wanting to enhance their birding skills, and the best guide-to-guest ratio on the festival circuit.
The festival is as described and not only includes birding, but all of the types of nature observation. There are numerous species of flowers and other interesting plants, animals and beautiful scenes.
The day that I arrived, after I settled in to my cabin at Opossum Creek Retreat, I went up the road to the visitors center at the New River Gorge to photograph the beautiful vistas of the Gorge, and then I traveled down into the Gorge and cross Fayette station bridge and was able to photograph some of the memorable sights that are down into the Gorge.

New River

New River from the Bottom of the Gorge

New River and Gorge with clouds

Route 88 in the Gorge

Cliff Face in the Gorge

Waterfall in the Gorge

Stream in the Gorge

Fast moving water

Fast moving water

Fast moving water

Steps from Visitor Center leading down to the Scenic overlook  270 steps below

The New River is probably the oldest river in North America and the most-except that estimates suggest that the river is been on its present course for at least 65 million years. The Gorge was the site of many coal mines and the B&O railroad still has a track along the Gorge. Because of the rapids on the river this is one of the 10 top Whitewater areas in the world.
The New River Gorge Bridge is the longest arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere and stands over 900 feet above the Gorge. Before the bridge was built, in order to travel from one side of the river to the other a required traveling down the Gorge on a narrow road and crossing over the river and come up the other side
.

New River Gorge Arch Bridge

I would definitely recommend the new River area as a place to come for outdoor activities and for relaxation.

Rafting on the white water on the New River down in the Gorge

Rafting on the white water on the New River down in the Gorge