Join us for a Celebration of Needleseye Boulder Park!
Together, the West Virginia Land Trust and City of Oak Hill will host a community open house to celebrate the opening of Needleseye Boulder Park on May 19 from 12:00-4:00 PM. The celebration will take place in The Lost Paddle restaurant at ACE Adventure Resort, with ACE offering shuttles to the Needleseye Park trailhead every 30 minutes for guided hikes.
The future is exciting as Oak Hill prepares to open this “outdoor recreational mecca” for climbing, hiking, and mountain biking that will add yet another option for tourism in the New River Gorge Region. This property is packed with natural rock features, including a nearly 2-mile long rock wall, which makes this new destination worth the hike to visit.
“This will attract a huge number of people. It will enhance our tourism industry and help the City of Oak Hill economically,” said Bill Hannabass, City Manager of Oak Hill. “The project protects a treasure, not just for West Virginia, but for traveling adventurers, too. The cliffs are strikingly beautiful.”
The property is also welcoming to community members looking for an easy wooded walking trail. The boulders and rocks, with their curves, portals, ledges, and gouges, will intrigue young and old alike. “The forest surrounding the rocks is equally inviting, with pockets of old trees and habitat for elusive wildlife and wildflowers. The hiker and nature enthusiast will find this a new and interesting place to visit,” said Ashton Berdine, WVLT Lands Program Manager.
Soon the property will be transferred to the City of Oak Hill to develop and manage, and the Land Trust will retain an easement that permanently protects the natural and recreational values of the tract.