New River (Kanawha River)

New River (Kanawha River)

The New River, part of the Ohio River watershed, is a tributary of the Kanawha River about 320 mi (515 km) long. The river flows through the U.S. states of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Much of the river's course through West Virginia is designated as the New River Gorge National River, and the New River is one of the nation's American Heritage Rivers.

It was named the New River because it was not known to early Atlantic Coast explorers. Despite its name, the New River is the third-oldest river in the world geologically, and the only nontidal river that crosses the Appalachian Mountains.

This ancient river begins in the mountains of North Carolina near the Tennessee state line, flows generally northwestward across the Blue Ridge Mountains, Great Appalachian Valley, Ridge and Valley Province, and the Allegheny Front in western Virginia and West Virginia, then cuts through the Appalachian Plateau (in the New River Gorge) to meet the Gauley River and become the Kanawha River in south-central West Virginia. The Kanawha then flows to the Gulf of Mexico via the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Much of the river's course is lined with steep cliffs and rock outcrops, particularly in its gorge in West Virginia.

This low-level crossing of the Appalachians, many millions of years old, has long been a biogeograpical corridor allowing numerous species of plants and animals to spread between the lowlands of the American East Coast and those of the Midwest; other unusual kinds of plants occur on the gorge's cliffs or rim-top ledges. Portions of this corridor are now also used by various railroads and highways, and some segments of the river have been dammed for hydroelectric power production.

The New River Gorge is not only quite scenic, but also offers numerous opportunities for white-water recreation such as rafting and kayaking. Many open ledges along the rim of the gorge offer popular views, with favorites including Hawks Nest State Park and various overlooks on lands of the New River Gorge National River.

Few highways cross the gorge, with the most dramatic bridge by far being the New River Gorge Bridge on U.S. 19, a steel arch bridge spanning 1,700 feet (518 m), with the roadway 876 feet (267 m) above the river. This structure is the third-longest arch bridge in the world, and is also the world's twelfth-highest vehicular bridge, and the fourth highest in the Americas.

In North Carolina, a segment of the river 26.5 miles (42.6 km) long was designated as the "New River State Scenic River" and included in the state's Natural and Scenic Rivers System in 1975. This segment was then included in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1976.

The New River Gorge and the U.S. 19 bridge crossing it are shown on the West Virginia State Quarter, minted in 2005.