<P> Much of the river's course through West Virginia is designated as the New River Gorge National River, and the New River is one of the nation's American Heritage Rivers . In 1975, North Carolina designated a 26.5 - mile (42.6 km) segment of the river as "New River State Scenic River", by including it in the state's Natural and Scenic Rivers System . The segment was added to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System the following year . </P> <P> The origins of the name are unclear . Possibilities include being a new river that was not on the Fry - Jefferson map of Virginia, an Indian name meaning "new waters", or the surname of an early settler . Despite its name, the New River is one of the five oldest rivers in the world geologically . </P> <P> This ancient river begins in the mountains of North Carolina near the Tennessee state line, flows generally northeastward across the Blue Ridge Mountains, Great Appalachian Valley, Ridge and Valley Province, and the Allegheny Front in western North Carolina and Virginia, before turning and following a more northwestward course into West Virginia, where it then cuts through the Appalachian Plateau (in the New River Gorge) to meet the Gauley River and become the Kanawha River in south - central West Virginia . The Kanawha then flows into the Ohio River at Point Pleasant, West Virginia . Much of the river's course is lined with steep cliffs and rock outcrops, particularly in its gorge in West Virginia . </P> <P> This low - level crossing of the Appalachians, many millions of years old, has long been a biogeographical corridor allowing numerous species of plants and animals to spread between the lowlands of the American East Coast and those of the Midwest; other unusual kinds of plants occur on the gorge's cliffs or rim - top ledges . Portions of this corridor are now also used by various railroads and highways, and some segments of the river have been dammed for hydroelectric power production . </P>

Where does the new river start and finish