West Virginia’s youngest national park just got the national spotlight it’s been building toward. This is what NPCA’s advocacy has been working toward.
U.S. News & World Report has named New River Gorge National Park and Preserve the nation’s number one underrated travel destination for 2026, a recognition announced by Governor Patrick Morrisey from the Canyon Rim Visitor Center overlooking the New River Gorge Bridge. The evaluation weighed reader input and editorial assessment across more than 1,500 destinations, with judges citing the park’s rugged canyon terrain, world-class outdoor recreation, and relative lack of overcrowding compared to more established national parks. The gorge received the designation less than six years after achieving national park status, a relatively fast trajectory for a park still developing its visitor infrastructure and identity.
The ranking is a direct reflection of what conservation advocates and park partners like the National Parks Conservation Association have been arguing for years: that New River Gorge has the assets, the history, and the community to compete as a destination with far more established parks. NPCA’s ongoing work on wildlife corridor protection, visitor management, and park funding advocacy is inseparable from the park’s ability to deliver on what the U.S. News ranking promises. For the surrounding communities of Fayette, Nicholas, and Summers counties, the recognition is expected to accelerate a tourism economy that has been growing steadily since the park’s 2020 designation.
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