New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia is home to one of the oldest rivers on the continent. New River flows through 70,000 acres (>28,000 hectares) of landscape rich in mixed mesophytic forest habitat, the history of natives, pioneers, coal miners, and loggers, and plenty of outdoor activities from hiking to scenic drives.

It’s unusual for members of Congress to have nothing to say on legislation. But there was ample silence from Republicans when the House Natural Resources Committee crafted how and where to slash Interior Department and other agencies’ funding, including for the National Park Service.

There are, off the more well-trod roads in the National Park System, lesser-known parks that nevertheless offer some unexpected delight.

Officially, the word is that the inability to provide potable water and toilets to the High Sierra Camps in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park will keep the camps closed this summer, though a lack of park staff also could be playing a role.