West Virginia's "Whitewater County"
New River Gorge Region

The New River Gorge at Stone Cliff, near Thurmond, West Virginia

New River Gorge: Lodging

Your choices in lodging in the New River Gorge region are diverse and numerous, ranging from primitive camping to world-class resorts!

New River Gorge: Attractions & Recreation

With so much to do and so many interesting places to visit in the New River Gorge region, it's no wonder the region is called "the playground of the eastern U.S."

Physiography of the New River Region

The topography of West Virginia's New River region differs significantly from east to west.

The eastern highlands of the New River region are characterized by plateaus and tablelands from 2,500 to 3,500 above sea level. These flats are divided in places by the gorges of the New, Gauley, and Meadow rivers and their larger tributaries. Pastures cover much of the area outside the forested gorges.

The New River region's western mountains form part of the most rugged land in Appalachia. Here, rivers and streams have carved deep, narrow valleys through the soft rock. Though lower in elevation than the eastern flats, the extreme relief causes the mountains to appear much higher. Their sharp ridges tower more than 1,000 feet above the surrounding valleys. Much of the land is forested -- too steep to support farming or residential development.

Explorers will observe this marked change in terrain in their travels east to west. Transition occurs on U.S. 60 near Ansted, WV, on Interstate 77 near Beckley, WV, and on W.Va. 3 near Glen Daniel.

Climate of the New River Gorge Region

The humid continental climate of West Virginia's New River region  is characterized by sharp temperature contrasts, both daily and seasonal.

Summers -- renown for their cool nights -- are never extreme and are generally comfortable , around 70 to 80 degrees. Days with temperatures above 100 degrees are rare in the New River's western valleys; above 90 degrees, rare in the elevated east. When exploring in summer, be sure to dress for cool nights.

Winter temperatures are mild in the west, moderately rigorous in the east, and frequently severe at elevations above 3,000 feet -- on the high swells of Sewell Mountain. Cold waves occur two or three times a year, but seldom last more than a few days. Most winter weekends are pleasant -- from 30 to 50 degrees in the New River region.

Predominant westerly circulations in this latitude deposit considerable moisture on the windward slopes of high ridges, thus there is a considerable increase in precipitation from west to east. The New River region's snowfall amounts illustrate this pattern most clearly: seasonal averages total 30 inches in the west and 60 inches in the east.