53 degrees Whitewater Country National parklands protects more than a third of Whitewater Country, the state's extreme-sports mecca. Hiking, rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking are BIG here. Physiography Whitewater Country's topography differs significantly from east to west. Its eastern highlands are characterized by plateaus and tablelands from 2,500 to 3,500 above sea level. These flats are divided in places by the gorges of the New, Gauley, and Meadow rivers and their larger tributaries.
Pastures cover much of the area outside the forested gorges.
The region's western mountains form part of the most rugged land in Appalachia. Here, rivers and streams have carved deep, narrow valleys through the soft rock. Though lower in elevation than the eastern flats, the extreme relief causes the mountains to appear much higher. Their sharp ridges tower more than 1,000 feet above the surrounding valleys. Explorers will observe this marked change in terrain in their travels east to west.