New River

As one of the five oldest rivers in the world and one of only three rivers in the United States that flows from south to north, the New River is an important piece of North Carolina’s natural heritage. Referred to as Woods River for a time, the origin of its current name can be traced to Peter Jefferson, the father of Thomas Jefferson, who named it the New River after surveying the area in 1749.

New River State Park was established in 1975, and a year later the Department of the Interior designated the river valley a National Wild and Scenic River to be protected from the construction of dams and reservoirs. The North and South Fork headwaters begin near Boone,NC and flow into Virginia and West Virginia through the New River Gorge. The river eventually feeds into the Kanawha, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers.

I have visited the park on a number of occasions. There are many canoe and kayak access points along the river, and the HWY 221 section of the park has two campgrounds.  There are a series of walk-in tent sites along the water and drive-in sites for RV’s near the visitor center.

Although many trees were downed during hurricane Helene, many still stand and demonstrate their resilience - reaching toward the sky. Forest recovery is slow in human terms, but thankfully, it is inevitable as long as we prioritize the protection of our parks and preserves.