Heart of the Park: A New River Gorge Story

New River Gorge National Park is America's Newest National Park. I wanted to learn its story and so I traveled there in search of its secrets. What I found was a river unlike any other, with a long and vibrant history that has wound its way through the heart of Appalachia. Let me show you... the New River.
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Sources and Resources:
www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature...
www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature...
web.archive.org/web/201503220...
web.archive.org/web/201504051...
www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature...
www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature...
www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature...
www.npca.org/articles/1990-th...
Images and Music:
Storyblocks

[@paulname5483]

I did a rafting trip on the Upper Gauley River. I got to do a class 5 without a boat. That was life changing and engrained in my memory forever.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Sounds terrifying and exhilarating at the same time - glad you're okay. I left NRG wanting to do the Gauley myself - might venture up this fall to do it.

[@paulname5483]

@@NationalParkDiaries I would recommend. It was my first white water rafting.

[@katherinekinnaird4408]

Well done. Thank you 😊. God bless you all.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks so much!!

[@gtbkts]

Thanks for the great video and awesome content!!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks for watching!

[@elyssethekraken4143]

Great video! WV is my home, and you did the river justice. So beautiful 🌸💜

[@NationalParkDiaries]

So glad you liked it! I could tell from the moment I saw it that river was special and thought the best way to honor it was a video here on the channel. Thanks for watching!

[@elyssethekraken4143]

@@NationalParkDiaries thanks for creating!!

[@dwayne7356]

I went to see the New River Bridge. I found four NPS visitor centers in the park. It is bigger than you think and is a rugged virgin forest. It is what a National Park should be and is rare on the eastern side of the Mississippi River. I give it 5 stars.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Couldn't agree more! This park surprised me in a lot of ways and I couldn't be happier to have a park like it here on the East Coast!

[@dwayne7356]

@@NationalParkDiaries I would add that Cuyahoga Valley National Park, in Ohio, should be down graded to a scenic river with all the development in the valley. New River Gorge puts it to shame.

[@RoamingBears]

Beautifully done.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks so much!

[@Matt_519]

These are so incredibly well researched, well written, and well produced. I'm so happy to see them find a stride, your work is very enjoyable!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thank you much, that means a lot!

[@human.rationally]

Gonna go rafting there this month. Super excited to explore the park

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Oh nice, you're going to have a great time! If you're into history, I would highly recommend hiking down to see the old Nuttalburg community. It's an old coal mining community that's remarkably well preserved and really put into perspective for me how the park got to where it is today.

[@BuzzzedSwan]

Thank you sir!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks for watching!

[@meganstahlberger608]

Thank you! Looks like a good trip

[@NationalParkDiaries]

It was a great trip!

[@russellzauner]

110 square miles/70k acres added to the national parks system. Not massive but definitely not trivial. Thanks for the video!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

A great addition, in my opinion! Thanks for watching!

[@pizzaguy1237]

What a beautiful park. My wife grew up in Bluefield, West Virginia, and she took me to the bridgeday event. Everyone needs to experience this in their lifetime

[@NationalParkDiaries]

It's really special. I had such a great time and can't wait to go back. Maybe for Bridge Day this year!

[@MojaveZach]

I loved the scenery in this video, really felt the importance of the land through your footage

[@NationalParkDiaries]

I'm so glad! I really tried to let the park footage shine in this one so I could try and capture the story of the New and the effect it had on me. Thanks for watching!

[@Steveofthejungle8]

Great park! West Virginia is such an amazing place

[@NationalParkDiaries]

It was incredible, I had a really good time! Can't wait to go back to be honest

[@Tser]

That bridge walk looks so fun.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Not going to lie - it was slightly terrifying at first. But, I got more comfortable with it the longer we were on it.

[@luisouida1606]

Aha!! Love the shout out boss!! Love it mane!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[@Cheezicows]

Oh man, one of my favorite places, but 9/10 would not do the bridge walk again 😅

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Hahaha, I think I'm in the same boat. I was just focused on putting one foot in front of the other and getting to the other side 😂

[@lukew7252]

Can you do a video on Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site? I worked there for a season and was surprised by how many people (myself included) were previously unaware of its story.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Now on the list!

[@martibit]

Tell me how I lived for 22 years and I’m just now finding this awesome channel!!! keep up the great work

[@martibit]

It just sucks. I have already binged watched every video on your channel.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Haha, it's never too late! We're happy to have you and welcome to the community! Glad you're enjoying all the videos and more are on the way!

[@geogypsytraveler]

Your passion and excitement comes through the story told best in place.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

I really appreciate that and I'm so grateful to be able to bring you all these stories! Thanks for watching!

[@lifeofandrewlynn9448]

I vacationed there a few years ago. It was a great trip, especially if you are into biking, hiking, or climbing

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Yeah, really great recreational park. Still holds on to its National River roots. Rafting is great there too!

[@hatsudopia5085]

First time I've been to a place you made a video on

[@NationalParkDiaries]

It's a great park, I hope you had fun!

[@TheReelDiehl]

I am going! I love your channel. I have shown all of my friends. If you ever visit Missouri again, i would love to show you around our National Scenic Rivers! You should cover the National Scenic Rivers here or Petrified Forest National Park. Not in Missouri, but absolutely amazing spot with crazy geology and insane natural wonders!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks so much, so glad to have you as part of the community! Really glad you're enjoying everything and I don't think you'll be disappointed with your visit to NRG! I would love to come back to Missouri one day and cover the Ozark NSR - I've heard so many good things about it from my Missouri audience. Petrified Forest is another fascinating one to me and I'd love to go there as well. So many places to see - thanks for your recommendation and support!

[@psychlops924]

I know you don't usually do reactions, but I'm wondering if you could give us your thoughts on Wendover Production's new video, "Too Many People Are Going Outside". It's a great video about the logistics of managing National Parks areas, and the problems that increased visitation are creating. It feels really up your alley, because it discusses the balance we want to have between access and conservation. Loved this video too, New River George is now on my list (I mean, technically all of the NPS units are on my list, but this one is higher up now). Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks for watching! I don't think you'll regret a trip to NRG - I was pleasantly surprised and loved every minute I spent there. As for the Wendover video, I don't think I'll make a separate reaction video, but I'd be happy to give you my thoughts here! Wendover is always quality and I really appreciate his commitment to critical thought and deep analysis. This video was no different and I'm in agreement with pretty much all of his points. I especially liked that he mentioned how concentrated overcrowding can be, because that's something I don't think is covered enough. I like to think about it as "park are overcrowded" vs "certain parts of certain parks are overcrowded." For example, in Yellowstone, the vast majority of visitors never go beyond 1 mile of the park's road network, leaving a huge swath of its backcountry (and frontcountry tbh) with few visitors. In Yosemite, most visitors never go beyond the Yosemite Valley. At Grand Canyon, most visitors never leave the Rim. That's not to say that overcrowding isn't a problem or that it doesn't impact the visitor experience in those areas or that we don't need to address these things, it's only to say that I think there's a benefit in talking about this issue with a little more nuance than just "parks are overcrowded." Because I think that does a disservice to the parks that aren't overcrowded and the parts of "crowded" parks that don't see a lot of visitors. In its most recent visitation report, the NPS noted that more than 25% of total visitation to all NPS sites occurred in just 8 parks. In a system of 424 park units, that's an insane level of visitor concentration. Again, this _does_ pose challenges for management at those parks and is absolutely a problem worth addressing. But also, that leaves more than 400 other parks that don't have these issues (or at least not to the same extent) that, personally, I think should also be in the conversation. Of course, people want to go to the "big ones," and I don't blame them - I want to visit them as well because they're some of the most spectacular places in the world preserved for us all to go and experience. So, I get that side of the argument as well. There's just so many cool places in the NPS (and on public lands in general) worth seeing and I wish they go the attention they deserved as well! Sorry for the novel, but I think my main takeaway is simply that "park overcrowding" is a big topic that benefits from a little more nuanced discussion and different perspectives, which I think Wendover did a great job of analyzing and contributing to the discourse. Great question, hope this helps!

[@psychlops924]

Thanks for the reply! I didn’t know that 8 parks saw 25% of visitations. That doesn’t surprise me, it follows the Matthew principle or the idea of the Pareto distribution. I guess the question then is how do we encourage people who are going to the overcrowded places to see less visited places, while maintaining those areas appropriately. I appreciate your thoughts, and part of the reason I enjoy your channel so much is because of your nuanced approach to these issues. Thanks!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

@psychlops924 This is the million dollar question lol! I will be honest and say that... I don't know what the best approach is. I think, for me personally, all of this stems from a sort of "transactional" approach to park visitation we're seeing nowadays. We show up, take pictures, post on social media, and leave. That approach doesn't really give back to the parks themselves and is _kind of_ just another form of one-sided extractive use. I personally think we need to reevaluate our relationship with these places and really try and understand what makes them special and worth protecting in the first place. There's an old adage in conservation that goes something like: "If you don't know a place, you can't love it. If you don't love it, you won't fight to protect it." If we really want to balance public access with conservation, I think we need to help people get to know these places, so that the parks will still have a constituency who will fight to protect them, not just use them for photo ops. Personally, this is the guiding philosophy behind National Park Diaries. In a lot of ways, my approach to making videos on the this channel mirrors my conservation philosophy overall. The reason NPD videos are exclusively educational, and I don't really do "guides," or "how to visits," or anything like that, is because I want to share the stories of these parks (and not just the popular ones) so that when people do go visit them, they have the necessary context for why the place they're visiting is important and, hopefully, they will treat it with more respect when they go. That way, it's not all about what I can take from the park (like a picture), but about what I can give back to it in terms of love, passion, and respect. So, to get back to your question, I think the answer is insanely complicated and will require a solution that is beyond any easy answer I can give in a KZbin comment, but I do believe it ultimately has to come from a place of genuine understanding, passion, and love for parks, which I do think is lacking among some visitors today (again, that sort of transactional visitation experience). Ultimately, we have to get people to care about these places and educate them about why they're so special and worth visiting and worth protecting and worth treating with respect when they're there. Hope this helps and thanks for engaging in a conversation!

[@vavin6927]

It would be cool to see a video about the Dismal Swamp and its complicated history and administration.

[@marknelson55]

That would be interesting

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Adding it to the list!

[@vavin6927]

@@NationalParkDiaries If you need some initial sources just reply in the future and I can send them over.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

@@vavin6927 If you could email them or send me a DM on Instagram, that would be great! I don't know how soon I will get to the topic, but I have a database where I keep all my video ideas and I can go ahead and put the info you send me in there so I'll already have it when I start production on that video. Much appreciated!

[@vavin6927]

@@NationalParkDiaries Sent it to your email.

[@mattjackson]

White water rafted there there first summer it was a National Park, floated right past that same rock at 5:21. Highly, highly recommend the rafting there, excellent!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

It was a blast!

[@laurenlorena]

Hi! Could you make a video on the habitat restoration in Cuyahoga Valley NP?

[@NationalParkDiaries]

This is high on my list! I'm waiting until I can travel there to make that one because I really want to experience it for myself. Thanks for the recommendation and hopefully I can bring that to you soon!

[@billy_g_44]

If you love tulip poplars, you should check out Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in Western North Carolina. A beautiful grove of some of the biggest tulip poplars you'll ever see

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Oh man, sounds like heaven! Thanks for the recommendation!

[@parkerwebb3470]

hey do one on gates of the Arctic or why mt rainier is so snowy.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Good suggestions, thanks!

[@annohalloran6020]

Let’s go HOKIES

[@amybegay1580]

I traveled here before it was a park.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Nice! I had a wonderful time there. Really special park and a really special river 😊

[@DeVainYa247]

We got to find out is how often the locals feel welcome on the river cuz they really got kicked off the river. They had to sell their land to the national Forest. They were manhandled off of it and they don't even go down there anymore!!!

[@DeVainYa247]

Yeah and maybe they use the oh this is the oldest river in the world to you know discredit the people that had been there for generations to kick them off the river and now it's just for touristy people. Awesome!

[@skysthelimitvideos]

Does this river have an indigenous name? Calling such an old river “new river” is just to ironic lol

[@Ben-outdoors]

Doesn’t matter, they lost. Conquered not stolen baby 💪 USA USA USA 🇺🇸 💥 🦅

[@rbran]

@@Ben-outdoors Hi Ben! I'd like to ask you what is the difference between conquering and stealing?

[@skysthelimitvideos]

@@Ben-outdoors I’m just looking to give the river a better name tbh

[@billwhitacre703]

​@@skysthelimitvideos Wood's River

[@Pigpen1202]

@Ben the entire United States was stolen or taken.