It's Great Outdoors Month!
June is back – so is Great Outdoors Month! Get outside and celebrate the outdoor spirit of
America and explore the natural world around us. Whether it’s your very first hiking trip or
your hundredth time pitching a tent, Great Outdoors Month is a great excuse to head outside on your own or with friends and family!
It is never too late to get outside and enjoy our beautiful state. West Virginia has a huge variety of opportunities for tourists and travelers, along with us locals, to explore and celebrate the
outdoors.
Some of the Best Ways to Get Out and Celebrate our Great State:
Visit our State and National Parks:
This month is your chance to visit one or more of our 35 state parks along with our newest
National Park, the New River Gorge. Whether you travel to these parks during Great Outdoors Month or planning on traveling throughout the year, there will always be activities and places to discover. Observe scenic overlooks, cascading waterfalls, deep valleys, and rolling mountains.
If you want some fun or an adrenaline rush, tee off at a golf course, take in the views while riding down a zipline, or take time to enjoy some fun in the sun at an adventure lake or splash park. Enjoy scenic views at our brand-new New River Gorge National Park and Reserve. Stop by and see the once longest steel arch bridge in the world or current longest single-span steel arch bridge in the United States. While enjoying our state and national parks, make a one-day trip or stay a while with many lodging and housing accommodations spread across the state. To learn more about West Virginia State Parks and all new national park, visit:
https://wvtourism.com/places-to-go/parks-public-lands/state-parks/
Try Something New:
Take some time and try a new outdoors activity by yourself or with friends and family. Whether it be something calm and relaxing or something thrilling, there is a huge selection of things to do in our state. There is no harm in trying something new and exploring things and places that you have never seen or been to before. Some relaxing and calm activities can include going on a hike at a new trail, visiting a lake that you have only seen pictures of, or going to see historic sites that you learned about in your history. If you want to have an adrenaline rush or do something more exhilarating, take some time and plan a trip on the New River to go whitewater rafting or zip through the trees on a mountain bike.
Reasons to Love Great Outdoors Month:
1. It’s A Celebration of Nature:
Taking part in outdoor activities allows us to learn more about our natural environment and what all is a part of it. We can take some time to learn about West Virginia wildlife and plants while taking in the scenery. Nature has tons of gifts for us and that is why
taking some time to enjoy these gifts is what Great Outdoors Month is all about.
2. It’s A Celebration of Work:
While it is true that one of the main reasons for Great Outdoors Month is to give us
some time off and give us a break from our work to explore the outdoors, it also has
given back to the community and has provided many job opportunities. Whether it be a
job at a national park or volunteering at an outdoor event, the month has led to the
creation of millions of jobs that focus on the outdoors. Tourism and travelling the
outdoors has boosted the U.S. economy, creating more popularity for the outdoors.
Written by Ashton Basham
Photos by Robbie Skinner (@robbieskinnerwv)
