West Virginia Explorer - Travel, News & History

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Why more West Virginians are seeing black bears this summer

Attractions

The hidden mountain behind West Virginia’s Pinnacle Rock State Park

David Sibray July 10, 2026

A young girl gathers ripe blackberries from a fencerow during the height of midsummer berry season, a tradition that has marked summers in rural America for generations. (Getty Image)

Food

How midsummer wild berries connect people, wildlife, and West Virginia’s forests

A couple tours a mountain property with a West Virginia Realtor while overlooking a historic barn and rolling Appalachian hills.

Lodging and Real Estate

What out-of-state buyers should know before purchasing property in West Virginia

A black bear crosses a rural West Virginia road. While bears now occupy every county in the state, wildlife officials say the recent surge in social media sightings is also driven by the widespread use of smartphones and home security cameras.

Wildlife / Conservancy

Why more West Virginians are seeing black bears this summer

Communities

One desperate night in a remote Appalachian cabin changed the course of American medicine in ways few people today remember. (WVExplorer Illustration)

Before modern medicine, one frontier doctor attempted the impossible

David Sibray July 5, 2026

POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Long before antibiotics, anesthesia, or modern hospitals, a young physician in a log cabin on the American frontier faced an impossible decision. The operation he performed is now widely regarded as the first successful

A family watches an Independence Day fireworks display from a designated sensory-friendly viewing area while wearing hearing protection. More communities are adding quiet spaces, ear protection, and other accommodations to help people with autism, PTSD, and sensory sensitivities enjoy public celebrations. (WVExplorer Illustration)

West Virginia’s America250 celebration reflects trend to sensory-friendly Fourth of July events

Bianca Bosworth July 4, 2026

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As thousands gathered at the West Virginia state capitol this weekend to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday, organizers made a point of welcoming visitors who might otherwise avoid large Independence Day celebrations. Among the accommodations

A clear mountain stream in West Virginia provides the cold, clean water required by native brook trout, whose presence signals some of Appalachia's healthiest waterways. More than 170 miles of streams have recently gained new state protections. (Photo: David Sibray)

More than 170 miles of West Virginia trout streams gain new protection

July 4, 2026

Just a few hours from Washington, D.C., West Virginia's high country offers cool summer evenings that have drawn Mid-Atlantic travelers for generations. (WVExplorer Image)

As the eastern U.S. bakes, West Virginia’s mountains offer a cooler escape

July 3, 2026

A new "Tech Toolshed" program by Woodlands Development & Lending is giving entrepreneurs free access to professional cameras, lighting and audio equipment to improve their digital marketing.

New program by Woodlands helping rural West Virginia businesses reach customers nationwide

July 2, 2026

Fayetteville businessman Sean Clarke works remotely above the New River Gorge, a region whose appeal is growing appeal not only as a recreation destination but also as a place to live, work, and build new businesses.

How the New River Gorge region is building a new economy beyond the national park

July 2, 2026

Attractions

Mount Pisgah Church, founded in 1877 in Berkeley Springs, served generations of African American worshipers before falling into disuse. Community leaders are now working to preserve the historic landmark as the Town of Bath prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026.

Forgotten Black church in Berkeley Springs may find new life after decades of neglect

David Sibray July 6, 2026

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — For decades, one of the most significant African American landmarks in Berkeley Springs quietly served as little more than a storage shed. Now, community leaders hope to restore Mount Pisgah Church, an 1877 church founded

Visitors walk the Carriage Trail past the stone monument commemorating two unidentified women whose reported Civil War-era deaths remain one of Charleston's enduring historical mysteries.

Did two women really die as Civil War spies on Charleston’s Carriage Trail?

David Sibray July 3, 2026

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Few places in West Virginia’s capital city are as popular with walkers as the Carriage Trail, the shaded path climbing the hillside below Sunrise, the former estate of Gov. William A. MacCorkle. Along the trail,

Sandstone Falls, near the southern end of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, spans nearly the entire width of the New River and offers one of the park's most impressive landscapes. (Photo: Rick Burgess)

Most visitors never see this side of the New River Gorge National Park

June 29, 2026

The Madonna of the Trail stands beside the historic National Road in Wheeling, honoring the pioneer women whose strength and sacrifice helped open the American frontier. The 1928 monument is one of only 12 identical statues erected across the United States. (Photo: David Sibray / WVExplorer)

The forgotten story behind Wheeling’s historic Madonna of the Trail monument

June 26, 2026

The Williams River flows through the Monongahela National Forest in Pocahontas and Webster counties. Road repairs planned for nearby Forest Road 86 could affect access to campgrounds, trailheads, and recreation areas in the Williams River and Cranberry regions this summer.

Road closures to affect access to Cranberry and Williams River recreation areas

June 21, 2026

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

June 18, 2026

Recreation

West Virginia has stocked more than 50 lakes and ponds with channel catfish for the summer, giving visitors and residents fresh opportunities to fish at state parks and public waters across the Mountain State. (Photo courtesy W.Va. Dept. of Commerce)

West Virginia stocks more than 50 ponds and lakes with catfish for summer fishing season

Will Reedy July 6, 2026

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Summer travelers looking for an easy way to experience West Virginia’s outdoors have a new reason to pack a fishing rod. State wildlife officials have stocked channel catfish in more than 50 lakes and ponds

A hunter walks through a forest during West Virginia's fall hunting season. The state has released updated hunting and trapping regulations for the 2026-27 seasons, including changes affecting deer, bear and turkey hunters. (Photo courtesy W.Va. Dept. of Commerce)

New West Virginia hunting rules could affect thousands of hunters this fall

Will Reedy June 29, 2026

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Hunters planning to head into West Virginia’s woods this fall should review the state’s newly released hunting regulations, as several changes could affect where, when, and how they hunt during the 2026-27 seasons. The W.Va.

Illustration of a commercial rafting trip running whitewater beneath the New River Gorge Bridge in southern West Virginia. The state's combination of nationally recognized rivers, dramatic mountain scenery, and outdoor adventure has made it one of the East's premier rafting destinations.

Here’s why West Virginia is the East’s premier whitewater rafting capital

David Sibray June 26, 2026

FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Travelers planning a whitewater rafting vacation in the East have no shortage of options. Pennsylvania is known for the Youghiogheny. Tennessee has the Olympic-tested Ocoee. North Carolina offers the Nantahala and French Broad. So why

A mature wild turkey gobbler displays during the spring breeding season in West Virginia. Once scarce across much of the state, wild turkeys have made one of North America's greatest wildlife recoveries and are now found in every West Virginia county. (Photo courtesy W.Va. Division of Natural Resources)

West Virginia’s wild turkeys have made one of America’s greatest wildlife comebacks

June 25, 2026

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

June 15, 2026

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

June 12, 2026

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

June 11, 2026

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

Culture

The State Fair of West Virginia draws thousands of visitors each August to Lewisburg, where competitive exhibits, livestock shows and carnival attractions highlight the state's largest annual celebration of agriculture. (Photo courtesy Greenbrier Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau)

State Fair of West Virginia entry deadlines near as the 101st annual fair approaches

Clyde Craig July 6, 2026

LEWISBURG, W.Va. — From prize-winning quilts and homemade jams to champion livestock and towering garden vegetables, the competitive exhibits at the State Fair of West Virginia have long been among the event’s biggest draws. With the fair’s 101st

The 230-foot America250 Wheel rises above the West Virginia State Capitol Complex in Charleston during the state's official America250 Capital City Celebration. The observation wheel offers panoramic views of the capital city and is among the event's signature attractions. (Courtesy W.Va. Tourism)

Charleston’s America250 Celebration draws thousands for historic Fourth of July weekend

Clyde Craig July 4, 2026

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — One of West Virginia’s largest Independence Day weekends in years is set to unfold in Charleston, where the state’s official America250 Capital City Celebration will coincide with the annual Charleston Sternwheel Regatta, creating four days

Alone in the vast Appalachian wilderness, Jenny Wiley follows a rocky mountain stream toward freedom in this imagined late nineteenth-century-style wood engraving inspired by her legendary escape.

Before West Virginia, there was wilderness: Why Appalachia still remembers Jenny Wiley

David Sibray July 2, 2026

BIG SANDY VALLEY, W.Va. — Long before West Virginia became a state, before railroads climbed its mountains or highways threaded its valleys, the Appalachian wilderness began where civilization ended. To Americans living in Philadelphia or the young nation’s

The Charleston Light Opera Guild presents 1776 at the West Virginia Culture Center during West Virginia's America250 celebration. The Tony Award-winning musical concludes its Independence Day weekend run with performances July 3–5.

Lore and Legend

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.

Real Estate

Construction crews build new homes in West Virginia, where communities are working to expand affordable housing and meet growing demand for workforce housing and rural economic development.

History and Prehistory

The Mingo Statue has greeted travelers atop Wheeling Hill since 1928. Created by Wheeling artist Henry Beu, the monument honors Native peoples associated with the Ohio Valley and remains one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. (Photo: David Sibray)

State Parks

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.

Hunting

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

Fishing

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

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

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.

Whitewater Rafting

Biking

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Attractions