How the New River Carved a Gorge

From a bridge high above the New River, the water looks like a narrow ribbon winding between steep, forested walls. This deep valley in southern West Virginia is called the New River Gorge. Its cliffs and rushing water are the result of a long partnership between a river and the rock beneath it.

A River and Its Surroundings

The New River begins in North Carolina and flows generally north through Virginia and into West Virginia. Near the town of Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, it joins the Gauley River to form the Kanawha River. Part of the New River runs through New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, where rapids, cliffs, forests, and old mining sites line its course.

A gorge is a deep, narrow valley with steep sides. The New River Gorge did not appear all at once. Its story began long before the modern river cut down through the landscape.

Rock with a History

Roughly 300 million years ago, much of this region was a low-lying landscape with rivers, swamps, and areas sometimes covered by shallow seas. Rivers carried sand and mud into the area and deposited them in layers. Over long periods, buried sand hardened into sandstone, while mud became rocks such as shale. Plant material that gathered in swamps was buried and eventually formed coal.