Fall color peaks throughout much of West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Fall colors put on quite a show this year across West Virginia, according to state Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby.

Secretary Chelsea Ruby

“We’ll seen color across the state, but we’ve seen really vibrant color in every single region,” Ruby told MetroNews.

Color is past its peak throughout much of the state. In the state Tourism Department’s sixth and final fall foliage report of the year, officials said the best color can be found in the lower elevations of southwestern West Virginia and along the Ohio River in the eastern half of the state.

Ruby said color arrived late this season.

“It’s been a longer season, but we also got a later start. It didn’t start getting cooler until about two weeks later than it had the last two years, so it has extended it,” she said.

Travelers took advantage of the fall foliage more so than last year, Ruby said.

“Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a lot more travel in state with West Virginians visiting new places and fall was just another reason for them to get out and explore,” she said.

Last month, Good Morning America featured West Virginia as part of its “Rise and Shine” segment. The New River Gorge Bridge in Fayette County was the focus as well as the Pride of West Virginia University Marching Band in Morgantown.

Ruby said it was a great moment to showcase West Virginia’s beauty.

“It was amazing. The folks at Good Morning America, 10 minutes before they were set to go live, said we’re going to have to pull this shot and that it’s too foggy to see anything. All of a sudden, two minutes before the shot went live, everything opened up and it was beautiful,” she said.

This week’s featured drive begins on U.S. Route 50 East from Parkersburg to North Bend State Park, which features hiking and biking trails, lake activities and a full-service lodge.

Tourism officials now plan to turn their attention to winter sports.

“We’re going to be looking at all of the great places we have to ski, snowboard and cross country ski, but also the cultural and heritage stuff. Those are places that weren’t visited as much during the pandemic and places we really want to send traffic to as we head into those winter months,” Ruby said.





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