West Virginia Explorer Magazine

09/02/2026

For nearly 60 years, people have gathered at a West Virginia state park to forage for wild foods — a tradition that began with famed naturalist Euell Gibbons.

This month, they’ll return to North Bend State Park to search the woods, learn what’s edible and discover what might have a place at the table. 🌿🫐

Read the story:

For nearly 60 years, foragers have gathered at North Bend State Park to find, prepare and eat wild Appalachian foods, a tradition that began with famed naturalist Euell Gibbons.

09/01/2026

A West Virginia high school that closed 13 years ago is finding a new purpose. Eight affordable apartments are nearing completion in the former Fort Gay High School, with plans for offices, commercial space, and other community uses on the first floor.

The 1931 landmark is also receiving a $50,000 preservation grant to support its ongoing transformation.

Read the story:

A West Virginia high school closed for 13 years is being transformed into apartments and community space in the Wayne County town of Fort Gay.

08/31/2026

Weight-loss drugs are changing more than waistlines.

A WVU fashion researcher says their influence may now be reaching runways, clothing stores and even the sizes retailers choose to stock — raising a provocative question: Can the human body itself go “out of style”?

As weight-loss drugs reshape American bodies, a WVU fashion researcher says their influence may be reaching runways, clothing stores and larger sizes.

08/31/2026

West Virginia's restored elk are beginning to roam farther. As the herd grows, GPS tracking is documenting animals venturing beyond their traditional range around Tomblin Wildlife Management Area, including one elk that traveled into Lincoln County before returning home.

Meanwhile, the state's popular fall elk tours return Sept. 13.

West Virginia's restored elk are beginning to roam farther across the southern coalfields as the herd grows and fall viewing tours return.

08/30/2026

An ancient creature is carved into a stone in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

Known as the Underwater Panther, the powerful being appears in Indigenous traditions and prehistoric rock art—and archaeologists have identified its imagery among West Virginia's surviving petroglyphs.

The remarkable stone remains today, preserved beside the Ohio and Kanawha rivers at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park.

An ancient carving in West Virginia depicts a mysterious Underwater Panther, a powerful being found in Indigenous traditions and prehistoric rock art.

08/29/2026

The engineer mistook the pale haze ahead for morning fog.

On July 4, 1891, a holiday passenger train left Charleston filled with families and excursionists. Minutes later, it reached a burning railroad trestle near present-day Dunbar.

The locomotive made it across. The passenger coaches did not.

The story of one of West Virginia's deadliest railroad disasters — and the remarkable child who survived it.

https://wvexplorer.com/west-virginia-train-wreck-burning-trestle-1891/

08/27/2026

A familiar West Virginia fishing lake is set for a major transformation.

State agencies plan to drain Turkey Run Lake in Jackson County, remove its aging dam, and restore Turkey Run as a natural stream and wetland complex. Plans also call for wildlife-viewing trails and a smaller fishing pond.

The project marks a dramatic change for a recreation area that has served anglers for decades.

Full story in the comments. 👇

08/27/2026

"Mansion by Candlelight" returns to Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park Oct. 9–10.

Visitors will travel by sternwheeler to the island after dark for candlelight mansion tours, live music, storytelling, period demonstrations, and horse-drawn wagon rides.

Last year's event sold out, and two departure times for this year's event are already sold out.

Details and ticket information in the comments. 👇

08/27/2026

AI might give you the right answer—until you convince it that it’s wrong.

A West Virginia University researcher says it can happen in just three turns of a conversation: AI answers correctly, the user questions it, and the system backs down and agrees.

It’s called AI sycophancy, and WVU researchers are studying why artificial intelligence can become less reliable as a conversation unfolds — and how to teach it to admit when it simply doesn’t know.

The implications could be enormous as more people rely on AI for research, work, and everyday decisions.

Story link in the comments.

08/27/2026

Six weekends! More than 100 rapids! Some of the most legendary whitewater in the world!

Gauley Season returns to West Virginia beginning Sept. 11, and veteran river guides say this year's unusually wet conditions could make the 2026 season especially interesting.

The season includes Gauley Fest, quieter weekends that many visitors overlook, and a finale alongside Bridge Day in October.

One veteran guide is preparing for his 43rd Gauley Season.

🌊 Story link in the comments.