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The 12 best swimming holes in West Virginia for ideal summer escapes

A spectator watches a Fourth of July fireworks display. Medical professionals say hand injuries and burns increase significantly during Independence Day celebrations each year. (Photo: Dillen M)

Health and Medicine

Why hand injuries surge during Fourth of July fireworks celebrations

David Sibray June 22, 2026

A family overlooks the New River Gorge Bridge from Long Point Trail in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve near Fayetteville. The overlook is among West Virginia's most popular destinations for travelers exploring the Mountain State by road trip. (Photo: David Sibray)

Travel / Transportation

Why more Americans are choosing West Virginia for summer road trips

The Middle Fork River at Audra State Park is among the most popular natural swimming holes in West Virginia, attracting visitors throughout the summer. (Photo courtesy Sebastian Chambers)

Travel / Transportation

The 12 best swimming holes in West Virginia for ideal summer escapes

Forested ridges extend to the horizon in eastern West Virginia. Nearly four-fifths of the Mountain State is covered by forest, helping support some of the largest remaining wild landscapes in the eastern United States. (Photo: Rick Burgess)

Wildlife / Conservancy

Why West Virginia may be the wildest state east of the Mississippi

Communities

A white-tailed doe feeds twin fawns near Dolly Sods Wilderness during peak fawn season in West Virginia, when thousands of baby deer are born across the state's forests and mountain landscapes.

Why baby deer are appearing across West Virginia right now

Will Reedy June 19, 2026

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Across West Virginia’s mountains, valleys, farm fields, and suburban neighborhoods, a new generation of baby deer is quietly entering the world. June is the peak month for fawning season in the Mountain State, and residents

Communities nationwide have used historic tax credits to transform aging downtowns into centers of housing, commerce, tourism, and community life.

West Virginia-backed Senate bill could spur new investment in historic downtowns across America

Bianca Bosworth June 18, 2026

LEWISBURG, W.Va. — Historic buildings, from New England mill towns to Appalachian downtowns, could become easier to restore under bipartisan legislation that would expand one of the nation’s most successful redevelopment incentives. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito has

An architect's rendering shows the new Railyard Event and Conference Center in Elkins, a $11.6 million facility expected to attract conferences, weddings, entertainment events, and new visitor spending to West Virginia's Allegheny Highlands region.

$11.6 million railyard venue opening in Elkins to draw visitors to the Allegheny Highlands

June 17, 2026

Green Bank Telescope powers WVU search for gravitational waves and cosmic origins

June 12, 2026

West Virginia strawberries: The state's climate and geography have long provided favorable conditions for highly perishable strawberries.

WVU researcher develops robot that could transform West Virginia strawberry farming

June 11, 2026

Mineral Rights in West Virginia: A majority of lawnowners in West Virginia are unaffected by the ownership of minerals beneath the surface.

West Virginia mineral rights: Who owns the minerals beneath your land?

June 10, 2026

Attractions

The ancient Teays River flowed across present-day West Virginia millions of years before glaciers reshaped eastern North America and created the modern Ohio River system.

Ancient river once flowed across West Virginia before vanishing during the Ice Age

Clyde Craig June 18, 2026

CHARLESTON, W.Va.— Long before the Ohio River existed and long before humans set foot in North America, a massive river flowed across what is now West Virginia. Known as the Teays River, the ancient waterway drained a vast

West Virginia Explorer publisher David Sibray explores a remote section of Tomlinson Run within Tomlinson Run State Park. The park protects one of the largest remaining forested watersheds in West Virginia's Northern Panhandle and supports plant communities uncommon elsewhere in the region.

Tomlinson Run preserves unusual Appalachian forest rarely found in Northern Panhandle

David Sibray June 18, 2026

NEW MANCHESTER, W.Va. — Many visitors know Tomlinson Run State Park as West Virginia’s northernmost state park, but park officials and naturalists say its ecological significance may be even more important than its location. The 1,398-acre park in

Cathedral Falls near Gauley Bridge, WV, Fayette County, New River Gorge Region

The West Virginia waterfall that stops travelers in their tracks

June 16, 2026

An elaborate system of boardwalks weaves throught the boulders at Beartown State Park.

Why Beartown State Park is one of West Virginia’s strangest places

June 15, 2026

Visitors to the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area will able to drive Forest Road 75 (pictured) along the Allegheny Front though Forest Road 19 from Lanesville will be closed for repairs.

Major access road to Dolly Sods Wilderness in national forest closing for repair

June 14, 2026

Blackwater Falls in Tucker County ranks among the tallest and most visited waterfalls in West Virginia, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.

West Virginia’s highest waterfalls ranked: The Mountain State’s tallest cascades

June 13, 2026

Recreation

More New River Gorge hikers are leaving Endless Wall for the Grandview Rim Trail

Bianca Bosworth June 15, 2026

GRANDVIEW, W.Va. — For years, two trails near Fayetteville have dominated conversations about hiking in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The Endless Wall Trail, a nationally recognized route that follows the rim of the gorge above

Volunteers gather on Peters Mountain near Franklin to help build a new trail system in the Monongahela National Forest during a hands-on trail-building workshop.

New Peters Mountain Trail System takes shape in Monongahela National Forest near Franklin

David Sibray June 12, 2026

FRANKLIN, W.Va. — Nearly 30 volunteers braved rain, fog, and mud last week to begin construction of the new Peters Mountain Trail System, a project designed to improve public access to the Monongahela National Forest and strengthen connections

Rock climbing in the New River Gorge near the New River Gorge Bridge

Interior Department opens review of rock climbing policies affecting New River Gorge

Clyde Craig June 11, 2026

FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — The U.S. Department of the Interior has launched a nationwide review of rock-climbing management practices and wilderness stewardship policies that could ultimately affect rock climbing in some of America’s most celebrated climbing destinations, including the

Youth gather for a fishing tournament at the Bowden Fish Hatchery near Elkins, West Virginia. (Photo courtesy W.Va. Dept. of Commerce)

Bowden Fish Hatchery to host free Youth Fishing Derby during W.Va. Free Fishing Days

June 9, 2026

Fisheries experts say the upward trend in fishing records is the result of several factors, including better stocking and water quality improvement.

Here’s why fishing records are being broken more often now in West Virginia

May 25, 2026

The Mourning Dove is one of the most abundant and widespread North American birds and a popular gamebird.

South Branch ends mourning dove permits; controlled hunt begin at Stonewall Jackson

May 11, 2026

John Terry, of Gallagher, in Kanawha County, set a new state record for tiger trout on March 19 by catching a 29.13-inch, 11.04-pound tiger trout from Seneca Lake in Pocahontas County.

John Terry catches record-breaking tiger trout in lake at Seneca State Forest

May 10, 2026

One of the largest networks on the East Coast, the routes activate thousands of miles of gravel roads across the Mon Forest for visitors and communities. (Photo: Getty Images)

Gravel, bikepacking network connects towns across Monongahela National Forest region

May 7, 2026

Motorboats with engines larger than 10 horsepower are now permitted to operate at no-wake speed on Elk Fork, North Bend, O’Brien, Stonecoal, and Woodrum lakes.

Horsepower restrictions removed on five small lakes in West Virginia

May 6, 2026

Hunter Rohr, 15, of Buckhannon, West Virginia, has caught a golden rainbow trout that set state records for length and weight.

Buckhannon teen Rohr catches record-breaking golden rainbow trout

May 3, 2026

Matt Born of Reedsville, West Virginia, has caught a new state record chain pickerel.

Reedsville man catches state record chain pickerel in Preston County pond

May 3, 2026

Black bears: The 2025 black bear harvest fell just ten bears short of the 2024 total of 2,479.

Black bear harvest remained steady in West Virginia in 2025 as predicted

January 26, 2026

Culture

West Virginia Day 2026: 10 events and festivals celebrating the Mountain State’s birthday

David Sibray June 19, 2026

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginians will mark the state’s 163rd birthday, West Virginia Day, on Saturday, June 20, with festivals, heritage celebrations, outdoor events, and community gatherings stretching from the Eastern Panhandle to the coalfields of southern West

Effie "Aunt Effie" Wells of Tyler County recalled a family story that linked her household to John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln.

Tyler County woman claimed family hosted John Wilkes Booth after Lincoln assassination

David Sibray June 19, 2026

PURSLEY, W.Va. — A Tyler County woman who lived to 100 years old claimed her family unknowingly sheltered John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, shortly after Lincoln’s death in 1865. The account was published in

Illustration of the 1944 Shinnston tornado in Harrison County, West Virginia, one of the deadliest tornadoes in state history.

West Virginia’s Deadliest Tornadoes: The most destructive storms in state history

Clyde Craig June 18, 2026

SHINNSTON, W.Va. — For many residents, West Virginia is known more for its mountains than for tornadoes. Yet some of the state’s deadliest weather disasters have come not from floods or winter storms but from violent tornadoes that

The gold dome of the West Virginia State Capitol rises above Charleston. West Virginia celebrates its 163rd birthday on June 20, commemorating its admission to the Union in 1863 during the Civil War.

Lore and Legend

Wild Man of West Virginia? Orval Brown, the famed "Wild Man of Clay County, reportedly spent much of his youth sleeping in caves

Real Estate

Stonewall Resort has announced the launch of a new 40-passenger tour boat offering scenic cruises on Stonewall Jackson Lake beginning June 15.

History and Prehistory

Historian William Jones at Pence Springs

State Parks

National Trails Day encourages people of all ages to get outdoors, connect with their community, and become trail stewards.

Hunting

Big Buck Photo Contest: Hunter Miller of Advent, W.Va. with a buck he harvested on Nov. 24, 2025, in Jackson County.

Fishing

Trout stocking: Hatchery crews stocked trout in 46 lakes and streams across West Virginia during the week of Jan. 5.

Hiking

Held at 21 state parks and forests across West Virginia, the First Day hikes are part of a nationwide New Year’s Day tradition designed to promote outdoor recreation.

Skiing

White Grass has long been a magnet for visitors from Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C. (Photo: Mountain River Media)

National Parks

Kayaking

Kayakers On The Ohio River in West Virginia

Whitewater Rafting

Biking

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Health and Medicine