CONLEY HILL ROAD
GAULEY BRIDGE, WV 25085

Overlooking one of the best-known scenic landscapes in West Virginia, historic Conley Hill rises above the mouth of the New River just downstream of the newly-established New River Gorge National Park & Preserve. Above the point at which the New and Gauley rivers join to form the Kanawha River, a shimmering lake collects here before plunging over a river-wide falls. Ascending from the floor of the valley along US-60, the hill is as scenic at a distance as it is near-at-hand. It includes densely forested areas of steep and level land suited for unique home, cabin, and camp sites with views of the lake and the entrance to the gorge. A gravel road ascends onto a first tier of potential building sites then climbs steeply to the crest of the mountain. A gravel road ascends onto a first tier of potential building sites then climbs steeply to the crest of the mountain. It doubles as an access to a cellular communications tower and the town's water tanks. A water line along the lower property provides convenient public water access. Conley Hill is located near the center of a world-renowned destination for outdoor recreation, famed for its hiking, fishing, kayaking, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting. The cliffs that line the rim of gorge are part of one of the largest climbing destinations in the U.S., while whitewater rafting has been a chief adventure pursuit on the New and Gauley rivers for more than half a century, attracting hundreds of thousands of rafters annually. All have enjoyed an increase in popularity since the new national park was established. ATTRIBUTES AND HIGHLIGHTS -Unmatched scenic views of New, Gauley, and Kanawha rivers -Proximity to New River Gorge National Park & Preserve -Proximity to Gauley River National Recreation Area -Central to globally popular whitewater-rafting destination -Easy access to globally popular rock-climbing destination -Located within corporate limits of Town of Gauley Bridge -Popular fishing and kayaking destination area -Drive of less than an hour from state capital at Charleston -Easy access to highway US-60 and expressways US-19, I-77, and I-64 ABOUT THE NEW RIVER GORGE NATIONAL PARK & PRESERVE Conley Hill is located downstream New River Gorge National Park & Preserve in the midst of one of the fastest-growing tourism-based economies in West Virginia. Congress established the 70,000-acre park in 2020, resulting in a revolutionary interest in the region as a destination for travel and vacation residency. Recent articles in Vogue, TIME, and USA Today have accelerated interest globally, as has television coverage by major networks. TIME Magazine named the park one of the "World's 100 Greatest Places." The region is especially famous for its rock climbing and whitewater rafting. Both pursuits are accommodated in the northern section of the park, where the rock-rimmed gorge reaches its most developed extent. Rafting and climbing attract hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. The park has attracted more than two million visitors annually in recent years, and though officials predicted an increase of more than 20 percent in its first year, the increase appeared to be nearer 50 percent as of autumn 2021. Copies of the 2011 Foundation Plan for the New River Gorge National Park are available through the listing agent. CONLEY HILL IN HISTORY Conley Hill was known to native peoples who had inhabited the valley through the centuries before Europeans arrived. Prehistoric inhabitants in more recent years raised burial mounds along the river, and in the surrounding mountains they built stone walls, the purposes of which are still a mystery to archaeologists. By the late 1700s, European and colonial explorers were following trails along the Kanawha through the Appalachian Mountains, encountering both friendly and hostile native groups, including the Shawnee, who fiercely claimed the region until almost 1800. By the early 1800s, a route had been opened along the river by the Commonwealth of Virginia, bridging the Gauley River at Gauley Bridge and linking tidewater Virginia with the Ohio Valley. The Union established a fortified camp on Conley Hill during the Civil War to protect the bridge, which was destroyed twice during the conflict. Across the river, Southern forces established a camp, Fort Defiance, atop the cliffs, and it was there that a brass cannon was legendarily stowed. The legend of its hiding has served as another enduring mystery, luring many would-be treasure-hunters to the region. During the war, the hill was timbered, and it was long thereafter maintained in pasture, earning it the name "The Sugarloaf," for it resembled a rounded, conical mound of the kind into which sugar was then often molded. In 1908, entrepreneur Charles A. Conley arrived at Gauley Bridge and established himself as a mule dealer, supplying animals for use in area coal mines. He swiftly grew successful, diversifying his interests and reinvesting in the community, notably expanding the two-acre homesite he acquired on the hill above the town into what soon became known as Conley Hill. He served as sheriff, president of the Board of Education, and long-time chair of the Republican Party in Fayette County and established and operated the Conley Hotel and the Gauley Theater. The hill has remained in the family ever since. LOCATION Google Coordinates: 38.166184, -81.201399 Address: Conley Hill Road, Gauley Bridge, WV 25085 Elevation Range: approximately 720 to 1,360 feet above sea level

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