Action Sports Event Coming to West Virginia

On 1,500 acres in West Virginia’s southern mountains, ACE Adventure Resort invites young and old to enjoy the excitement of a once-a-year celebration of autumn called Bridge Day. This Oct. 17 event focuses on the New River Bridge, the longest single arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere.
 
On Bridge Day, daredevils high line, rappel and base jump with fast-opening parachutes from New River Gorge Bridge, 876 feet over the New River, one of Earth’s oldest river gorges. It also happens to be peak fall color time for the hardwood forests surrounding the bridge and gorge which adds an element of splendor to this event.
 
Guests coming here Oct. 17 and 18 this year will enjoy a special treat. Whiskey 7 and The All Veteran Parachute Team will perform jaw-dropping aerial demonstrations and conduct parachute jumps (on Oct. 17). The Whiskey 7 events are thanks to the participation of the National Warplane Museum and the All Veteran Group. Crowds will also cheer on athletes of the Xpogo Stunt Team led by Bryan Pognant and World Championship winner Russ Kaus as they do flips, mid-air tricks and bounce from unbelievable heights – all on pogo sticks.
 
At ACE Adventure Resort it is still prime rafting season on the Gauley and New Rivers. Their Bridge Day Fall Gauley Package includes Oct. 17 Bridge Day festivities, a full-day of rafting on the Upper or Lower Gauley on Oct. 18, and breakfast, lunch and Saturday dinner. The per person rate is $139.  Bridge Day Lower New River Package includes a full day of rafting on the Lower New River and Saturday night dinner. The per person rate is $99. Bridge Day Twin Rivers Package is a full day of rafting on the Lower New River on Saturday and a full day of rafting on the Upper or Lower Gauley on Sunday, with two breakfasts, two lunches and one dinner. The per person rate is $259.
 
Guests can also engage themselves Zip lining on ACE’s World Record Zip Line Course that follows the New River Gorge for more than a mile, providing unrivaled views of the river 800 feet below. The network is comprised of nine zip lines, with two sky bridges and a 55-foot viewing tower with multiple decks. The only zip line network on the New River Gorge, it features side-by-side lines so friends can race or ride at the same time. The zip line holds a 2012 title from the Guinness Book of World Records for the most number of people to zip along the cable in under an hour. Adventurers can also ride the zip line at night with only headlamps to illuminate the shadows.  New River Bridge Cat Walk Tour takes guests clipped into a safety cable on a walk over the 1.5 mile New River Bridge Catwalk (24 inches wide and 876 feet above the New River).
 
West Virginia's colorful palette on a landscape that is 80 percent forested comes with uncrowded scenic drives and crisp fall days. In fact, this southern state probably has more varieties of colorful hardwoods than does New England.
 
Activities stay lively here amidst the falling leaves. World-class rafting on The Gauley, one of the wildest late-flowing rafting rivers in the country, is guaranteed here through Oct. 18. There are also year-round rafting expeditions on New River Gorge National River.
 
Fall colors at ACE Adventure Resort peak mid to late October depending on the weather. However, the protected depths of the New River Gorge can keep colors longer than usual along the river bottom. Prime foliage viewing is best from secluded overlooks which include the Endless Wall Trail, named the best national park hike in the United States by the readers of USA Today. The fall colors can be truly spectacular with the right timing (this can be coupled with a raft trip).
 
Most of the activities that have made ACE Adventure Resort the #1 Outfitter in West Virginia continue through fall as well: zip lining, mountain biking, disc golf, stand up paddle boarding and rock climbing. The adjacent 70,000-acre New River Gorge National River is an option for miles of wilderness exploring afoot and on horseback or fat tire bike. Guests may also enjoy world class fishing on the New River for small mouth bass. Conditions for rock climbing and mountain biking are usually optimal this time of year.
 
For more information and to make trip and lodging reservations, please telephone (800) 787-3982 or email ace@aceraft.com. Visit the website at www.aceraft.com.
 
About ACE Adventure Resort: ACE Adventure Resort is the East Coast’s largest mountain hideaway exclusively focused on world-class whitewater rafting along with guided adventures, outdoor sports and activities, lodging, camping and other amenities. The nearby New River Gorge National River is affectionately known as the “Grand Canyon of the East” and features rafting from April to October. The New and Gauley Rivers combined offer over 100 miles of rapids all within 30 minutes of the resort. Both rivers are administered by the National Park Service.  ACE’s passion since 1980 has been to create vacations wrapped around these rivers and other outdoor adventures so that guests can experience “a world of adventure in one place.” The 1,500 acres here encompass both forest and a 5-acre lake plus a series of ponds, a mining-era ghost town and spectacular cliffs for rock climbing, waterfalls and overlooks.