By Chad Foreman
Participants take in the feel of the old downtown of Thurmond during the town ’ s annual Goat Walk , a hiking event via Active Southern West Virginia in conjuction with the National Park Service . The famous goats are there to eat invasive plant species .
Photo by Brad Davis
The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is home to a variety of the best outdoor adventure activities in America . No matter a person ’ s experience , financial background , or preferred intensity level , there ’ s something for almost everyone to enjoy in all seasons . Many people are aware of all the park offers , but they may not realize just how accessible they re . Thanks to technology like the internet and mobile apps , that ’ s beginning to change .
Eve West is the Chief of Interpretation , Visitor Services and Cultural Resources at the park headquarters in Glen Jean . Not only is all of this information available on the website , she says , but it ’ s also found on the NPS mobile app . Now that anyone can access the information , park officials are noticing other areas of the park are getting more visitations .
“ The footprint is starting to spread throughout the park ,” she said , and people are discovering other locations and amenities offered by the park . In the past people were mainly just stopping at the Canyon Rim Visitor ’ s Center . Now people are coming to Grandview and Sandstone Falls .
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