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The New River Gorge... Greg and Cheryl visited the New River Gorge in West Virginia twice this year - once with Hannah and Abigail and once without them. In West Virginia, fifty miles of the New River has been designated as the New River Gorge National River - giving it much the same status as a national park. The New River Gorge provides some of the best scenery in the U.S. But it's not just the panorama's that make the Gorge worth a visit. Much of the river's beauty can be seen in smaller details, like this photo of mountain laurel in Grandview National Park on the edge of the Gorge. Sentemential value of the New River One reason Cheryl and Greg enjoy the New River is that it brings back memories of their first few days of married life: greg and Cheryl honeymooned on the New River in Pembroke, Va. On their first trip, Cheryl and Greg from Bluefield to Hinton, WV, in Summers County. In Hinton, the New River and the Bluestone River converge into Bluestone Lake. The New River continues after the dam that forms the lake. Just downstream of the dam, the Greenbriar River flows into the New River. the New then flow's through the town of Hinton. Two important state parks are situated just south of Hinton. One is Bluestone State Park, which sits on the lake. The other in Pipestem State Park. Looking upstream from an overlook near Beckley, WV

White Water Whitewater rafting is one the most common forms of recreation on the New River. The river drops 750 feet in elevation of the 50 miles of the Gorge. By comparison, the Mississippi drops about 1500 feet between it's headwaters in Minnesota and it's mouth around New Orleans. That means that inside the Gorge at least, the New River drops 15 times faster than the Mississippi.

History... The New River Gorge also preserves much of the History of Southern West Virginia in scenes like these old bridges.

Links.... One highly recommended place to visit in the New River Gorge is Grandview National Park. The park has several good overlooks of the gorge, nice facilities and is easy to get to from Interstate-64 near Beckley. The park also has outdoor theater which is well worth a night time visit. Cheryl and Greg watch Honey in the Rock, the story of the birth of West Virginia as a state, on West Virginia day this past summer. West Virginia Governor Cecil Underwood was there for the show. The evening ended in fireworks. On the weekend of July 4, Greg and Cheryl took Hannah and Abigail to the outdoor theater to see The Hatfields and the McCoys. Other sites in the Gorge include: The New River Gorge National River homepage. Bluestone State Park Pipestem State Park Hawk's Nest State Park Babcock State Park

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