I Went Whitewater Rafting, Sailed Down a Zip Line, and Slept in a Tree House in West Virginia’s New National Park

I would been warned that almost all first-timers get tossed out of the raft sooner or later, but it surely was nonetheless a shock when, after a very raucous spin in a Class III speedy on the New River in West Virginia, I discovered myself beneath the massive blue boat I had been sitting in simply seconds in the past. I felt alongside the underside of the raft blindly, however because it was transferring by way of a type of whirlpool, I struggled to get a maintain.

Then, in a euphoric flash, my fingers discovered the sting and I pushed myself out from beneath the boat. My helmet broke the floor of the water, and I took in a pant of air, arising and down as I started to float downstream. I watched my information, Liam Mulligan, maneuver the raft towards me. Grabbing the shoulders of my life vest, he hauled me again in.

“How was that?” he requested, grinning, as I flopped down like a surprised fish.

“Loopy,” I stated, attempting to catch my breath. “And form of enjoyable.”

The New River is definitely one of many oldest rivers on this planet. By most estimates, it was shaped 320 million years in the past and pre-dates the Appalachian Mountain vary it flows by way of on its journey from its supply in North Carolina. In 1978, a 53-mile part of the waterway in West Virginia was established because the New River Gorge Nationwide River. With among the most interesting stretches of whitewater within the nation, it has for many years been beloved by rafting fanatics. The world can also be fashionable with rock climbers, mountain bikers, and hikers. Most people took word of it in December 2020, when the river was designated America’s 63rd nationwide park. Visitation exploded — thanks, partially, to the pandemic: in 2021, practically 1.7 million individuals visited, a 60 % improve over the earlier 12 months.

Final July, I went to Fayetteville, West Virginia, the tiny gateway city on the northwestern fringe of the gorge, to discover the brand new park. There aren’t any in-park lodging, however Fayetteville has loads of locations to remain, just like the apartment-style Lafayette Flats (lafayetteflats.com; doubles from $169), the place I ended my strenuous days by stress-free in a soaking tub, and Nation Highway Cabins (wvcabins.com; cabins from $159), the place I spent an evening in a comfortable tree home. Wherever I used to be, it did not take lengthy to search out moments of solitude. The park, which hugs the river, is an extended and slender slice of wilderness — one the place it is easy to really feel misplaced, in a great way.

“Bear in mind, make a starfish for those who see us doing it,” stated Carlee Evans, one in all my zip lining guides, who was ready a number of hundred toes away. If I used to be going too quick, she would unfold out her legs and arms as a cue for me to decelerate by doing the identical. As I stepped to the sting of the platform, I attempted not to consider the forest flooring beneath. Ultimately, I took the plunge, racing by way of the cover and catching glimpses of the gorge past.

I used to be on the primary leg of an in a single day journey known as Zips and Dips provided by ACE Journey Resort (aceraft.com; in a single day package deal from $279). I spent the afternoon zip lining, then headed all the way down to a riverside camp for the night time earlier than tackling the whitewater the following day. I shared the journey with a household of three from Ohio — mother Sonia, dad Pat, and college-age daughter Cassie — who had been nice sports activities about having a stranger tag alongside on their trip. They assured me that I’d (in all probability) not die throughout any of those wild pursuits.

Each Sonia and I had been slightly intimidated by zip lining, however grew to become instantaneous comrades, shuffling towards the again of the group and letting braver souls go first. After a couple of high-flying hours, the 4 of us met our rafting guides, Mulligan and Jeff Cogle. They had been going to transient us on what to anticipate on the following day’s journey, however first they had been going to feed us: two trays of loaded nachos off the grill, adopted by a dinner of steak, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, salad, and garlic bread.

Whereas we chowed down, Cogle, a local West Virginian who’s been guiding river journeys for 30 years, informed us concerning the space’s mining historical past. The New River Gorge as soon as contained among the finest coal reserves within the state; at one level, there have been 40 coal-mining cities alongside the river. The mines are actually closed, and lots of have been overtaken by nature.

The following morning, our bellies crammed with a rustic breakfast, we launched our rafts close to the deserted city of Thurmond, as soon as a railroad hub for transporting coal. Mulligan captained a passenger boat with Sonia, Pat, Cassie, and me, whereas Cogle tagged behind solo in a smaller raft with the meals, first-aid package, and radio tools. The morning was slow-moving and blissful: we watched a bald eagle soar, then obtained out of the raft to leap off rocks and swim, letting the light present carry us downstream. At instances the gorge — between 900 and 1,500 toes deep in locations — narrowed dramatically on the backside, and we might solely see a couple of yards forward of us; at different factors it opened right into a dramatic expanse, and we might gaze downstream for miles.

However the calm didn’t final. After passing the remnants of one other mining city, we began hitting rapids. Mulligan directed us, yelling out directions like “all ahead!” once we had been to assault the waves head on with our paddles. We rollicked by way of rapids with amusing (and infrequently troubling) names: Ender Waves, Pin Ball, Scramble Like a Rat.

Six hours in, we felt like seasoned professionals (I used to be the one one who obtained dunked). After we hit one of many final large rapids — known as Thread the Needle — completely, gliding the raft up and over the waves and rocks with ease, all of us put our paddles collectively in a excessive 5 and whooped in celebration. It had been a 15-mile journey, and I leaped into the water, exhausted and exhilarated.

Ten hours of sleep and a robust cup of espresso later, I used to be mountaineering the park’s fashionable Infinite Wall Path with Jodi French-Burr, a ranger who has been stationed at New River since 1988. As we walked, she informed me concerning the native ecology, mentioning bushes of pink rhododendron, West Virginia’s state flower. From the overlook at Diamond Level, we stared down 900 toes at tiny orange specks dotting the whitewater — they had been rafters, navigating a speedy I would finished the day earlier than. It was a thrill to consider how a lot of the gorge I would seen in simply two days.

Then it was time to hustle over to Arrowhead Bike Farm (arrowheadbikefarm.com), a campground and mountain-bike store in Fayetteville that additionally has a restaurant and craft-beer bar. After zip lining, rafting, and mountaineering, biking was the final field to test on my multisport tour of the gorge. My information, Travis Brown, who directs the Farm’s bike clinics, took me out for a spin on the Lengthy Level Path. Gripping my handlebars and bracing for affect, I let loose a yelp as I plunged by way of the woods, watching the bottom forward to keep away from rocks and roots.

Some 1.3 skull-rattling miles later, we left our bikes and walked to a rocky outcrop the place the view opens up. From there, it was straightforward to see why the New River Gorge Bridge has develop into some of the photographed websites within the state: at greater than 3,000 toes lengthy and 876 toes excessive, it is a breathtaking sight. (I later discovered that it is the largest single-span steel-arch bridge within the Western Hemisphere.) Earlier than its completion in 1977, crossing the river required a winding, 45-minute journey by automotive, descending steeply from one facet of the gorge, bumping over a rickety picket bridge, and ascending the opposite facet; now it takes 45 seconds.

I remembered how, as my rafting journey ended the day earlier than, I had jumped out of the boat and dipped my head again. Because the water cradled my physique, I had appeared up on the bridge. Now I gazed out at that very same hulk of metal, practically at eye stage with it, in a full-circle second of awe.

A model of this story first appeared within the June 2022 concern of Journey + Leisure beneath the headline Fast Transformation.