West Virginia
New River Gorge
West Virginia’s Scenic Byways
The West Virginia State Scenic Highway Program, which began in 1988 with the designation of the Midland Trail as a state scenic highway, predates its national counterpart. West Virginia boasts six national scenic byways; one of them, the Historic
National Road, holds the gold standard of roadways as an All-American Road. West Virginia also has 13 state scenic byways that showcase the historical and natural significance of the state.
Key Points
- West Virginia is home to 19 scenic byways, including six national scenic byways and 13 state scenic byways.
- The Coal Heritage Trail is an integral part of the Coal Heritage Area, which generates $207 million in economic impact, supports nearly 3,000 jobs, and generates $16.8 million in tax revenue.
- The Coal Heritage Trail also traverses the New River Gorge Bridge, the centerpiece of America’s newest national park.
- West Virginia also hosts a portion of the Historic National Road, a multi-state All-American Road which was the nation's first federally funded interstate highway.
- The West Virginia travel industry generated $535 million in revenue, supported 45,400 jobs, with traveler spending totaling $4.6 billion.
West Virginia Byways
Map Key:
- All-American Roads
- National Scenic Byways
- State Scenic Byways
All-American Roads
State Scenic Byways
Byways Provide Access to Public Lands
West Virginia byways provide access to the state’s most spectacular public lands, including one national park, 29 state parks, two national recreational areas, one national forest, and nine state forests.
About the National Scenic Byways Program
The National Scenic Byways Program, established by Congress in 1991, recognizes historic, scenic, and culturally important roads, all of which promote economic development and tourism in communities around the U.S. There are more than 1,200 byways in all 50 states.
All scenic byways exhibit one or more of six core intrinsic qualities — scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, archaeological, or natural. For a road to be named a national scenic byway, it must first be designated a state, tribal, or federal agency scenic byway. Once achieving that, a road may apply for national scenic byway designation, but its intrinsic quality must be of regional significance. All-American Roads are the very best of the national scenic byways, demonstrating at least two intrinsic qualities of national significance.