West Virginia

This underrated vacation state has whitewater rafting, hiking trails, skiing and much more

Published

10 months ago

June 4, 2025

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This underrated vacation state has whitewater rafting, hiking trails, skiing and much more

West Virginia offers affordable and accessible outdoor activities for families, including hiking, biking, whitewater rafting and rock climbing.
The New River Gorge is a popular destination, with various lodging options ranging from camping to hotels.
West Virginia is a four-season destination, offering activities like skiing and viewing fall foliage in addition to warm-weather adventures.

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OAK HILL, West Virginia ‒ Extreme sports like whitewater rafting and rock climbing may seem like something best left to adults, but in West Virginia’s New River Gorge, outdoor adventure can easily be an activity for the whole family.

Guided excursions can be tailored to everyone’s skill level and ability for those who want to go all-out, but there are less-extreme ways to get in touch with nature along one of the world’s oldest rivers, too.

Here are just some of the reasons West Virginia should be on your list if you’re looking for a family-friendly outdoor vacation.

Why West Virginia is a great place for family outdoor adventure

Affordability and accessibility are two of the big benefits to getting outside in West Virginia.

Hiking and biking trails in state and national parks are free to access for everyone who visits the state, but even for more intense guided excursions, the prices are a good deal. (There is also an entry fee for Harpers Ferry National Historic Park.)

“We’re definitely one of the most affordable destinations,” Lindsey Funk, a public relations assistant at West Virginia Department of Tourism told USA TODAY on a recent visit. “Hiking is probably one of our most family-friendly activities.”

Funk said there are plenty of short hikes, like the Endless Wall trail, which can be done in just a few hours, though guides are available for hire as well.

For more intense activities like whitewater rafting and rock climbing, families may prefer to hire a guide to keep things safe.

“With a lot of those guided trips, like, in the Gorge specifically, you can kind of tailor it,” she said. “There’s a family-friendly option that’s more of afloat, and then there’s a more intense trip for more experienced people.”

ACE Adventure Resort is one of the guide outfitters, and charges $99 per adult for a full-day guided family trip with rapids up to Class III on the New River. On that excursion, kids ages 6-11 go for free (one per full-fare adult), and youths ages 12 and up are charged $79.99.

For comparison, the Colorado Rafting Company charges $159 per person for a full-day guided excursion on the Colorado River.

Pricier and more intense excursions are also available. Depending on conditions, rapids in some sections of the New River can hit Class IV or higher.

West Virginia is also home to professional circuit bike races and other events, which Funk said attracts spectators and encourages more families to try outdoor activities.

Where to go

Outdoor adventures in West Virginia are available in many parts of the state, but the New River Gorge is certainly among the biggest draws with the most options for activities.

Charleston, the state capital, is about an hour north of the National Park there, and other cities closer to the park include Fayetteville, Beckley and Hinton.

Where to stay and how to get there

The closest major airport to the New River Gorge is in Charleston, WV. Amtrak also serves the area, and of course, cruising the country roads is an option as well.

Funk said that families should think about what their lodging priorities are when they book, because there are options at all different price points from traditional tent camping to boutique hotels. Because the Gorge is so accessible from Charleston, staying in the city is a viable option, too.

“The thing would be families to decide what they want their lodging to be like. If they’re wanting more of a remote cabin, then staying in in the Gorge is best. Whereas if they want more of these city options, they could stay (in Charleston) and just go to the Gorge for a day trip.”

Four seasons of outdoor fun

Funk said that outdoor adventures aren’t limited to the warmer weather months in West Virginia, either.

“The seasons is a big thing that we appreciate here and is interesting to a lot of other people that we are a four season destination,” she said. “We have beautiful fall foliage, but then we have ski resorts and snow in the winter, so people can try out a season-specific activity if they want to.”

This story was updated to refresh headlines.

The reporter on this story received access from West Virginia’s Department of Tourism. USA TODAY maintains editorial control of content.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.

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West Virginia

3 keys for Kentucky Women’s Basketball to survive West Virginia, and a prediction

Published

11 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

3 keys for Kentucky Women’s Basketball to survive West Virginia, and a prediction

The sting of the men’s tournament exit is still fresh. A turnover-fueled, 19-point loss to Iowa State is a tough pill for the Big Blue Nation to swallow. But in March, the page turns quickly. Now, the ladies have everyone’s undivided attention, and they should. They have been tremendous this year.

Kenny Brooks and company are set to take on West Virginia at 5 PM on Monday on ESPN2. The Mountaineers are fast, aggressive, and dangerous. If the Wildcats want to keep their postseason dreams alive and move on to the next round, they have to execute in three critical areas.

Here is the blueprint for a Kentucky victory and a trip to the Sweet 16 for the first time in a decade.

Key #1: Protect the basketball at all costs

You are probably sick of hearing about turnovers after watching the men struggle with them yesterday, but the reality is that West Virginia is going to try to replicate that exact same nightmare.

The Mountaineers are absolute pests defensively, forcing an average of 22 turnovers per game. Kentucky has shown they can get loose with the ball; it was the defining factor that cost them the game against Vanderbilt at home, and it has haunted them in several other close matchups this season. Looking at the season stats, the Cats average 12.7 turnovers a game, but they have 9 games with 16 or more turnovers. Against West Virginia’s pressure, that number can spiral out of control in a hurry. Job number one is simple: value the basketball, make strong passes, and do not let the Mountaineers speed up the offense. Easier said than done, but it is a key.

Key #2: Dominate the War on the Glass

This is where Kentucky’s size has to neutralize West Virginia’s speed. The Mountaineers average a respectable 36.6 rebounds per game, but Kentucky has the edge on paper, pulling down 40.6 boards a night.

To win this game, that paper advantage has to translate into unrelenting effort on the hardwood. The Cats need their frontcourt to dominate. Clara Strack (10.1 rebounds) and Teonni Key (7.3 rebounds) both need to be hunting double-doubles. Furthermore, Amelia Hassett needs to chip in and do the dirty work in the paint. If Kentucky can outwork West Virginia and finish the game +7 on the boards, they will control the tempo and limit second-chance points. That will offset some of the turnovers that will surely happen.

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Key #3: Find a Spark Off the Bench

Kentucky doesn’t boast the deepest rotation in the tournament, with its core six players chewing up the vast majority of the minutes. But in a high-stakes, high-pressure tournament setting, relying solely on the starters is a recipe for fatigue, and we have seen that already this year in the loss to South Carolina at home.

The Wildcats desperately need Kaelyn Carroll, Lexi Blue, or Jordan Obi to step up and push into double figures. Obi will get the most minutes, as usual, so she is most likely to do so. More importantly, they need Carroll to provide highly productive minutes just to give the starters a breather without the offense stalling. Blue hasn’t seen the floor much this season (averaging just 6.7 minutes), but if she can come in and provide two to three solid, mistake-free minutes, it would be massive for the rotation.

If Kentucky can squeeze 15 points out of the bench, you have to feel incredibly good about their chances of advancing.

I really believe this team wins this game as long as they don’t turn it over, even on the road.

Prediction Kentucky 77, West Virginia 69

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West Virginia

Sunday Morning Thoughts: West Virginians Deserve to Experience Winning a National Title

Published

23 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Sunday Morning Thoughts: West Virginians Deserve to Experience Winning a National Title

Saturday evening was a night for West Virginia fans to remember.

13,504 folks were in attendance for West Virginia’s opening round victory over Miami (Ohio), in the NCAA tournament, setting a new record for the largest crowd to watch a women’s basketball game inside Hope Coliseum.

There were long lines forming outside of the gates hours before tip-off, and a good portion of the seats were filled with old gold and blue for the first game between Kentucky and James Madison. From pregame warm-ups to the announcement of the starting lineups to the opening tip to the final horn, Mountaineer Nation brought it.

A case could be made that it was the loudest the Coliseum had been all year, including for any of the men’s basketball games. The women hadn’t hosted an NCAA tournament game in over 30 years, and you could tell how excited everyone was to be there and be a part of history.

The one thing I took away from that game was just how amazing West Virginia fans truly are and how badly they want to win. Having covered WVU sports for the last 10 years and been born and raised in Wheeling, neither of those two facts is news to me. But it’s in moments like this where you see the support really shine through.

There have been plenty of heartbreaks over the years from the 1988 national championship game in football to being excluded from the 1993 championship game after an undefeated season to that Backyard Brawl loss in 2007 to the loss to Duke in the Final Four in 2010 and even all the way back to Jerry West’s squad falling one bucket shy of winning a national championship in 1959.

Those are some of the ones that stick out like sore thumbs, but they’re also some other gut-wrenching games where WVU had a clear path to either a conference championship or something of similar significance and were unable to get the job done.

Mountaineer fans just want to experience winning a national championship in one of the big sports. Although they don’t have anything directly to do with the team’s success in that quest, West Virginians would feel a sense of accomplishment through the players, the staff, and the administration.

What makes West Virginia so special is that the people are proud to be from there. It’s rare that the state is in the national spotlight for something good, and when it happens, it’s usually because of WVU’s success in athletics.

That Flying WV logo doesn’t just represent the university, it represents the state and its people. Winning a national title would allow West Virginians in the Mountain State and those who have moved elsewhere to stick their chest out and feel on top of the world. Through all of the heartache they’ve been through with sports and the hard times they’ve been through in life, just trying to get by, they deserve to have that feeling at least once.

There’s no guarantee that they will beat Kentucky in the second round on Monday night, and I’m also not oblivious to the fact that number one seed Texas is extremely good and very much a national championship contender, but that doesn’t change the point of the story. The fans deserve that magical run, even if it’s just a trip to the Sweet 16 this season, which would be the first time in three decades that they’ve reached that point of March Madness. It would be a step closer to the ultimate goal, just like the baseball program has made significant strides by reaching the super regional in each of the last two seasons.

It may not happen for the women’s basketball team this season, but crazier things have happened. Whenever that national title comes, regardless of the sport, it’s going to be one big celebration that never comes to an end, and West Virginians deserve it.

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West Virginia

5th Annual Spring Battle in the Mountains

Published

1 day ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

5th Annual Spring Battle in the Mountains

DUNBAR, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Hundreds of travel football players have descended upon Dunbar, WV this weekend for the 5th Annual Spring Battle in the Mountains.

106 teams from 16 states are at the Shawnee Sports Complex for the largest youth football tournament in the state of West Virginia. There are over 180 games scheduled between Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s different cultures, different walks, different cities. It allows our kids to kind of elevate themselves and it brings them some exposure,” said Mathew Watts, President of West Virginia Mount-Boyz.

Games resume on Sunday at 8:00am.

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