america's newest national park!

A version of this post appeared on our site back in December, 2020. But since this is National Park Week, we’re bumping it to the top, for Day 5!

So, remember that funding bill that almost didn’t get signed until President Trump put pen to paper at the last minute? Well, one of the provisions in that bill created a brand new National Park!

Surprise!

The newest gem in our National Park system is the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia. Honestly, West Virginia is so spectacularly beautiful, some of us are saying, “what took you so long?” Well, it’s finally happened.

The site had already been under the management of the US National Park Service, as the New River Gorge National River, but by creating our 63rd National Park (and 20th National Preserve), more than 7200 new acres of National Park will be preserved for rafting, rock climbing, hiking, and mountain biking. And, the National Preserve portion will be available for hunting and fishing.

In addition to the spectacular cliffs facing the river, the National Park also encompasses a coal mining town, as well as the iconic New Gorge River Bridge.

It’s a welcome addition to our National Park System, and the timing couldn’t be better. You might not realize this, but our National Parks are a huge draw for international tourism. When we visited a slew of National Parks this summer, we were surprised at how uncrowded they were—and not because people weren’t traveling domestically this summer (because they were). But international visitors account for the overwhelming majority of visitors to our National Parks. As travel and tourism opens up, this new National Park will certainly raise the profile of West Virginia’s beauty, and will no doubt become an economic driver for the area.

You might think that Huckleberry Travel only focuses on exotic far-flung destinations, but you’d be wrong about that. Through our preferred travel partners, we’ve got exclusive access to some of the lodges inside National Parks, and in conjunction with our other domestic travel partners, we can arrange anything from motorcoach luxury glamping with a private driver, to a backwoods hiking and backpacking adventure.

Ready to plan your 2021 visit to a National Park? Drop us a line!