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State tourism leader says fall colors in West Virginia best in a decade

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby says the fall colors in West Virginia are the best the state has seen in a decade.

Ruby, appearing on MetroNews ‘Talkline’ in the past week, said in the past month there were 22 million impressions on West Virginia Tourism’s social media pages and it mainly stemmed from fall photos around the state.

She also added that the state saw its highest occupancy on record in September.

“Folks are excited. We’ve made a national push to tell people that the colors in West Virginia are some of the best in the country,” Ruby said.

“Now we’re seeing these vibrant colors all through New River Gorge, Greenbrier Valley, Preston County, Mountain Lakes, Morgantown. Just about anywhere you look in the state you can see tremendous colors.”

Ruby also discussed the state’s partnership with the number one hiking app, All-Trails. The app is for outdoor adventurers and comes with curated trail info and detailed maps and has over 40 million users.

Ruby said the state is giving away free All-Trails Pro memberships, a $40 value, to anyone that is hiking in West Virginia. She said the goal was to give out 1,000 memberships and her office has received 20,000 requests.

The hiking trails featured on the state Tourism website in the past week:

High Falls Trail
Glady, WV • Randolph County

Enjoy this 7.7-mile out-and-back trail near Glady, West Virginia. Considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 3h 38min to complete.

Virginius Island Trail
Harpers Ferry, WV • Jefferson County

Check out this 1.0-mile loop trail near the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 18 min to complete.

Alice Knight Memorial Trail
Charleston, WV • Kanawha County

Try this 1.1-mile out-and-back trail near Charleston, West Virginia. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 29 min to complete.

Wheeling Heritage Trail
Wheeling, WV • Marshall County

Check out this 17.1-mile point-to-point trail near Wheeling, West Virginia. Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 5 h 5 min to complete.





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