The National Park Service was created in 1916 as an agency of the Department of the Interior and charged by Congress to manage the nation's parks. It became the primary federal agency preserving and providing for the protection, interpretation, and public enjoyment of America's most significant natural and cultural properties. The nomenclature of the NPS includes 20 titles besides national park, including such designations as national seashore and national river.

West Virginia has five National Park Service areas. The first, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, was authorized as a national monument on June 30, 1944, commemorating Harpers Ferry's importance in the Civil War and as the site of John Brown's 1859 raid, as well as its history as an early 19th-century industrial center. The Appalachian Trail, a National Scenic Trail, travels several miles through Monroe County and also dips into West Virginia at Harpers Ferry, where it crosses the Potomac River, as the trail winds through 14 states from Georgia to Maine. It was established in 1937 and entered the park system on October 2, 1968.

Bluestone National Scenic River in the southwestern part of the state preserves 11 miles of the lower Bluestone River. It was authorized on October 26, 1988. Gauley River National Recreation Area, authorized the same date as the Bluestone, includes 25 miles of the Gauley River and six miles of the Meadow River. The Gauley River contains several Class V rapids, making it one of the most adventurous whitewater boating rivers in the east. The New River Gorge National River was created by the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 (November 10). It is a rugged whitewater river flowing northward through deep canyons. The 53-mile section from Hinton to Fayetteville is abundant in natural, scenic, historic, and recreational features.

In addition to parks, the NPS manages the Stephen T. Mather Training Center at Harpers Ferry, on the site of the historic black Storer College. Interpretive park rangers from across the nation train at this center. Also at Harpers Ferry, the Harpers Ferry Center conserves curatorial artifacts and develops for parks nationwide planning documents, museum exhibits, outdoor wayside exhibits, publications, and films. West Virginia is part of the Northeast Region of the National Park Service, with Park Service units in West Virginia reporting to the regional director in Philadelphia.