North Carolina and all of her natural wonders (see 15 of them here) has a tendency to leave even lifelong residents in awe of the incredible sights and landmark treasures found here at home in the Tar Heel State. One of them, the scenic New River, has an esteemed place among all of the rivers in the world. Geographically speaking, the New River is one of the oldest rivers on earth.

Some even believe this North Carolina born river is older then the Nile or the Amazon.

Another noteworthy speculation is that the New River pre-dates the forming of the Appalachian Mountain range, of which the Blue Ridge Mountains are a part.

The point of contention for this theory is simply that the Appalachian Mountain range runs in a Southwest to Northeast pattern...

and the New River doesn't follow suit. Its path travels in a South to North direction — and so does the water flow. If you want to see for yourself, all you have to do is take a little trip over to Laurel Springs, a small community outside of West Jefferson.

Visit the New River State Park and check it out for yourself.

Unlike people, you can't really tell a river's age by the way it looks, however, from your visit to the state park you should be able to see exactly why the people of North Carolina and this small community fought hard to protect this beautiful scenic watershed with a park that everyone could enjoy for years to come.

Within this gorgeous state park, you can enjoy a variety of activities along the New River all year long, including hiking, fishing, picnicking, and paddling.

There are even four campgrounds where you can paddle your way up the New River to your campsite. All four offer paddle-in sites.; while two of those campgrounds offer walk-in tent camping, and one has vehicle access for RVs and regular campers.

How about it? Have you laid eyes on one of the oldest rivers in the world lately? You won't have to travel far to see it!

The New River forms from the confluence of the South Fork New River and the North Fork New River which meet in Ashe County. It's approximately 320 miles long and flows through Virginia and into West Virginia. And ideal place to enjoy a day on the New River in North Carolina is at the New River State Park located in Laurel Springs. The park is open year-round with free admission. The address is 358 New River State Park Rd., Laurel Springs, NC 28644; however, there are several other points of access. See a list of those and get more information about the park at this link on the official website of North Carolina State Parks.