Follow an ancient river through stone. Discover how water carved a 1,400-foot gorge, then look up at the famous bridge and sandstone cliffs rising above the rapids.
Can You Read Nature? · National Parks
An ancient river. A soaring bridge. Adventure runs through the gorge.
Explore New River Gorge through lyrical storytelling, real river and forest science, and museum-quality artwork created for curious families.
Ages 5–14+Family nature bookArt by Missy Hall
Read before you go see ten times more!
Hardcover
Hardcover + companion ebook
$29.95Includes instant-download ebook
- Free ebook included with hardcover
- A nature book for your New River Gorge adventure
- Original art that makes river and forest science memorable
- $1 to Children and Nature Network
Ebook
The nature book you can take anywhere
$12.95instant download
- Your perfect park companion, see 10x more
- Kinder to the planet, nothing in a landfill
- River, forest, and wildlife science shines on a screen
- $1 to Children and Nature Network
Instant deliveryEbook delivered by email
Free shippingOrders over $40
Secure checkoutPowered by Shopify
Gives back$1 supports nature
Wear the adventure
Carry the gorge home. Wear the adventure.
Pair the hardcover nature book with the matching New River Gorge shirt for a gift that keeps the river, forest, and Appalachian adventure close long after the final page.
Choose your shirt option before adding both items to your cart.
Look closer
Every bend in the river reveals another Appalachian story.
Explore a forest alive with history. Meet bears, otters, deer, falcons, salamanders, rare fish, and more than two hundred bird species while tracing the remains of old coal communities.
Meet the artist
Missy Hall
Appalachian artist, animal lover, and nature enthusiast
“Every brushstroke is a love letter to the natural world—an invitation to pause and reconnect with wonder.”
Creative. Animal Lover. Nature Enthusiast.
Welcome to the world where my heart belongs to the call of the wild and the breathtaking beauty of nature. As a creative artist deeply rooted in my Appalachian heritage, I spend my days capturing the spirit of the earth and the wonderful creatures that inhabit it.
Through my creativity, I celebrate the rich diversity of animals and the quiet magic of the outdoors. Every brushstroke is a love letter to the natural world—an invitation for you to pause, feel a spark of pure joy, and reconnect with your own sense of wonder. Step inside my imagination, and let’s rediscover nature’s beauty around us together.
Missy’s illustrations pair the gorge’s powerful landscape with intimate wildlife moments and the warmth of Appalachian storytelling.
About this book
What is inside
Explore New River Gorge’s ancient river geology, iconic bridge, cliffs and rapids, diverse Appalachian forest, wildlife, natural soundscape, climbing and paddling, coal-town history, climate science, conservation, and ten can’t-miss experiences.
About the author
Narrated by Neil Rosen, children’s book author and founder of WildStork. Neil writes every book as an invitation to look closer, stay longer, and discover what families miss when they move too fast.
Reading level
Ages 5 to 14. Designed for the whole family, with lyrical storytelling and real science to share together.