FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — A $1,000 dollar reward will be given to anyone who can help the Friends of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve group find the person who vandalized a well-used trail.
The non-profit has joined forces with Crime Stoppers of West Virginia to provide $500 each for information leading to the crime that took place either on the evening of December 20, 2024 or the morning of Dec. 21 out at Long Point Trail. 
A Friends of NRG National Park board member Teddy Queen told MetroNews that several trees on the trail as well as some rocks at the end of the trail were vandalized with red spray paint.
He said it’s a huge disappointment.
“When I first found out, my initial reaction was mad, but it quickly turned to sad, and we really want to catch the person who did this so that we can hold them accountable and let it be known that there’s many people affected by this,” Queen said.
The incident was reported to the New River Gorge National Park Service on the morning of Dec. 21. The park service’s law enforcement team responded.
Rangers reported that some of the now spray-painted trees and rocks had writing on them while others were just markings.
They also said that, while some of the language drew question of a possible suicide, there was nothing further found to prove that anything other than vandalism occurred.
The incident has garnered much attention across social media and has been reported a few times directly to the park service, but to date, no arrests have been made.
Queen said, however, that the reward is significant so justice can be brought to the important trail.
“Crime Stoppers of West Virginia had put up a $500-dollar reward and the president of our board informed me that someone had made an anonymous donation to the Friends group to allow us an additional $500-dollar reward for information leading to find out who is responsible,” he said.
Queen said right now, it’s not safe to be out on the trail in this kind of weather, but an attempt is going to be made at some point to try and remove the spray-paint.
He said the Friends group hopes to help in that process and assist the park service in cleaning it up.
Queen said a crime of this kind really tarnishes the ambiance of the park.
“People go there to enjoy the pristine views, you know, they travel out to Long Point to look for serenity,” he said. “It’s hard to look past the vandalism and see the beautiful views.”
He said the 1.5 mile-long trail overlooking the New River Gorge and the famous steel-arch bridge is one of the most popular trails in the entire park.
“Many people who come to the area, it’s one of the must-see views, it offers a very expanded view of the New River Gorge Bridge,” Queen said.
Any tips regarding the incident can be reported to Crime Stoppers of WV at (304)255-7867 or on their website. All tips will remain anonymous.
Queen said people can help get involved with the clean-up effort by either joining the group on their website or by visiting their Facebook page at Friends of New River Gorge Park and Preserve.