If there’s one thing that West Virginia is most famous for, it might be the New River Gorge, home of one of the best, most popular national parks in the nation. It’s an amazing natural wonder … and so is the river that carves its way through this famous gorge’s jagged base.
In what must be one of the world’s biggest ironies, the New River, which begins in North Carolina and runs through Virginia into West Virginia, is actually thought by many to be one of the oldest rivers in the world.
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Here’s something else amazing about this ancient watercourse: you may have heard someone say that the New River “flows uphill.” Although that’s of course a stretch, what is true is that the New River runs against the grain of the Appalachians, cutting through the southwest-to-northeast ridges in a south-to-north course, as opposed to many other rivers in the same vicinity that run west-to-east instead.
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Because of its unique path, the New River is home to an unusually diverse range of flora and fauna.
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That’s partly due to another feature that sets the New River apart: the nationally famous canyon it runs through, which on average provides a full 1,000-foot elevation difference between the river bottom and the gorge rim! That in itself makes for a massively diverse habitat!
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But also, because the New River dissects the Appalachians, it provides a corridor for plants and animals from the south to move up into West Virginia, while standing as a barrier to some other species attempting to move east or west.
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Approximately 65 species of mammals call the New River Gorge home. About 40 species of reptiles can say the same. Fish thrive here as well, and there are actually seven species of fish that only occur in the New River basin. Amphibians like hellbenders love the diversity provided by forests, mines, and streams. And that’s not to mention birds or insects!
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And then there’s the human footprint on this river. We live along it: towns (and ghost towns) line the New River’s banks. We’ve dammed it. We collect power from it. We’ve bridged it, both the river itself and its gorge. We fish it, boat it, float it, photograph it.
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This age-old New River serves us well, a visible reminder of the flow of time, with a nod to times past and times to come. Heads up, tourists! Don’t just come to see our one-of-a-kind gorge. Come to see our one-of-a-kind river, too.
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Address: New River, West Virginia 25085, USA
