Bluestone National Scenic River
| Bluestone National Scenic River | |
| National Scenic River | |
 Bluestone Gorge near the upstream end of the National Scenic River section.
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| Country | United States |
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| State | West Virginia |
| Counties | Mercer, Summers |
| Elevation | 1,637 ft (499.0 m) |
| Coordinates | 37°32′30″N 80°59′57″W / 37.54167°N 80.99917°WCoordinates: 37°32′30″N 80°59′57″W / 37.54167°N 80.99917°W |
| Lowest point | Bluestone River |
| Established | 1988 |
| Management | New River Gorge National River |
| Owner | National Park Service |
| Nearest city | Hinton, West Virginia |
  Location of Bluestone National Scenic River in West Virginia
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| Website: Bluestone National Scenic River | |
The Bluestone National Scenic River protects a 10.5-mile (16.9 km) section of the Bluestone River in Summers and Mercer counties of southern West Virginia. It was created 26 October 1988 under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and is protected by the National Park Service.
Our nation’s Wild and Scenic Rivers System was established for the purpose of protecting for the present, and preserving for the future, undeveloped, free-flowing rivers that possess “Outstandingly Remarkable” scenic, natural, cultural, geological and recreational values. Currently one hundred fifty six entire rivers or sections of rivers are protected under this system of publicly owned water resources.
A section of Bluestone NSR is also protected by the West Virginia State Park System within Pipestem Resort State Park, and the remaining portion is also utilized as a West Virginia Wildlife Management Area.
The Bluestone River and the rugged gorge it has carved is a richly diverse and scenic area of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Time spent in thoughtful solitude along this little mountain river offers the visitor a vestige of primitive America. There are over a thousand species of plants growing in several diverse Appalachian forest habitat types. Two hundred species of birds have been spotted in the park. The Bluestone also provides excellent areas for watching many mammal, amphibian, reptile and insect species. The riverbed habitat is alive with a carpet of macro-invertebrate aquatic species, and supports healthy populations of many warm water game and non-game fishes. The Bluestone River is classified as a High Quality Warm Water Stream by the state of West Virginia.
The headwaters of the Bluestone River begin at an elevation of 3500 feet on East River Mountain near Bluefield, Virginia and flow for 77 miles to Bluestone Lake near Hinton, West Virginia at 1409 feet.
American Indians called the river “Momongosenka” (Big Stone River) supposedly inspired by their travels along ancient pathways through the boulder strewn lower gorge. Many native prehistoric sites; from nomadic Paleo-Indian hunting camps dating back to the times of Ice -Age mammoth and mastodon, through hundreds of generations of village and burial sites of the Archaic and Woodland cultures, to the Delaware, Cherokee and Shawnee tribes of the 17th and 18th century, have been documented throughout the Bluestone River watershed.
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Wikipedia