Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced what he called a “donation agreement” to keep West Virginia’s national parks open despite the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The total cost for 14 days is $97,986.56 — with Harpers Ferry representing $66,508.96 of that and New River Gorge representing $31,477.60, according to the Governor’s Office.
The announcement comes as leaf-peeping tourism is about to take off along West Virginia’s rugged countryside.
Under the shutdown that started this week, national recreation areas, such as the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and the New River Gorge National River, were set to remain open for visitors but services typically would not be available under a shutdown.
Typically, visitor centers would be closed, trash would not be collected and road/trail maintenance might not occur, particularly if weather conditions get challenging.
The shutdown has meant the national parks have closed visitor centers, and Harpers Ferry has ceased operations of public transportation. Normally, shuttles run from the parking lot and visitors center at Harpers Ferry to other amenities such as the historic town and its museum.
After learning that national park visitor centers would be closed, the governor and representatives of the West Virginia Department of Tourism immediately began developing a plan to keep the state’s national parks accessible to the public.
The governor authorized resources to restore the services.
Pending final approval from the National Park Service, both park visitor centers are expected to re-open in the coming days, according to the announcement from the Governor’s Office.
The agreement guarantees two weeks and can be reevaluated if needed.
“Our national parks are some of West Virginia’s greatest treasures and I’m proud to ensure they remain open during this time,” Morrisey said in a news release.
“I invite folks from near and far to take advantage of West Virginia’s natural beauty and plan a trip to visit one of our national parks or nearby state parks.”
In 2024, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve recorded a total of 1,811,937 visitors, with more than 200,000 visiting in October alone. Last year, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park welcomed more than 488,00 guests, with nearly 78,000 arriving during the month of October.
Economic impact data released Tuesday at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism revealed that West Virginia has surpassed $9.1 billion in annual tourism economic impact for the first time, with visitor volume surpassing 77.2 million. On average, travelers spend more than $18 million in West Virginia a day.
Visitors to West Virginia should not notice any disruptions once parks are reopened. West Virginia’s expansive state park system remains unaffected and will continue operations as normal during this time.
“Tourism is essential to West Virginia’s economy, and we want to ensure that our national parks are able to continue welcoming folks to the Mountain State,” said West Virginia Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby.
“October is one of our busiest months for visitation, and thanks to Governor Morrisey for allowing us to use state funds, travelers can still visit our parks for stunning fall foliage.”