FAYETTEVILLE -- Endless Wall Trail, Long Point Trail and other pathways in the New River Gorge National River bring visitors to breathtaking vistas atop sheer cliffs overlooking churning whitewater.

But starting in the spring, New River Gorge visitors will be able to walk directly across the canyon, 850 feet above the river on a 30-inch-wide path of steel.

On Tuesday, the National Park Service announced the selection of Bridge Walk LLC as the vendor to provide year-round guided tours on the New River Gorge Bridge's maintenance catwalk, which lies 30 feet below the span's traffic deck and stretches 3,030 feet across the canyon.

"Seeing the New River Gorge this way will be an adrenalin-pumping experience," said Benjy Simpson, Bridge Walk LLC's managing partner. "We are very excited about this opportunity to develop the New River Gorge Bridge as a year-round, world-class adventure for people of all ages and abilities."

Simpson, owner of Passages to Adventure, a Fayetteville area whitewater rafting outfitter, is no stranger to the span that is depicted on the West Virginia quarter. For the past 18 years he has served as Bridge Day's rappelling coordinator, helping thousands of thrill seekers experience the once-a-year sensation of sliding from the bridge catwalk to the banks of the New River.

"On Bridge Day, people get so energized by being on the bridge and seeing the New River below," Simpson said. "We want to share that experience with more people. I can envision this becoming a primary reason for some people to come to Southern West Virginia."

Bridge Day, an annual event that takes place on the third Saturday in October, gives pedestrians the chance to walk across the roadway of the Western Hemisphere's longest arch bridge to take in the Gorge's fall colors. They can also watch hundreds of parachutists leap off the bridge and descend to the shoreline below during the year's only legal session of BASE (buildings, antennas, spans or earth) jumping.

The idea of hosting catwalk tours on the bridge dates back more than 20 years, according to New River Gorge National River Superintendent Don Striker.

"It first came up in 1981 or ''82 as part of a management plan, but no one ever did anything with it for years," Striker said. "It involved a kind of complicated process with a lot of different agencies, and the state owning the bridge and National Park Service owning the land around it. But the stars started to align for us during the administration of Gov. Manchin, who wants to strike a balance between natural resources, recreation and economic development."

FAYETTEVILLE -- Endless Wall Trail, Long Point Trail and other pathways in the New River Gorge National River bring visitors to breathtaking vistas atop sheer cliffs overlooking churning whitewater.

But starting in the spring, New River Gorge visitors will be able to walk directly across the canyon, 850 feet above the river on a 30-inch-wide path of steel.

On Tuesday, the National Park Service announced the selection of Bridge Walk LLC as the vendor to provide year-round guided tours on the New River Gorge Bridge's maintenance catwalk, which lies 30 feet below the span's traffic deck and stretches 3,030 feet across the canyon.

"Seeing the New River Gorge this way will be an adrenalin-pumping experience," said Benjy Simpson, Bridge Walk LLC's managing partner. "We are very excited about this opportunity to develop the New River Gorge Bridge as a year-round, world-class adventure for people of all ages and abilities."

Simpson, owner of Passages to Adventure, a Fayetteville area whitewater rafting outfitter, is no stranger to the span that is depicted on the West Virginia quarter. For the past 18 years he has served as Bridge Day's rappelling coordinator, helping thousands of thrill seekers experience the once-a-year sensation of sliding from the bridge catwalk to the banks of the New River.

"On Bridge Day, people get so energized by being on the bridge and seeing the New River below," Simpson said. "We want to share that experience with more people. I can envision this becoming a primary reason for some people to come to Southern West Virginia."

Bridge Day, an annual event that takes place on the third Saturday in October, gives pedestrians the chance to walk across the roadway of the Western Hemisphere's longest arch bridge to take in the Gorge's fall colors. They can also watch hundreds of parachutists leap off the bridge and descend to the shoreline below during the year's only legal session of BASE (buildings, antennas, spans or earth) jumping.

The idea of hosting catwalk tours on the bridge dates back more than 20 years, according to New River Gorge National River Superintendent Don Striker.

"It first came up in 1981 or ''82 as part of a management plan, but no one ever did anything with it for years," Striker said. "It involved a kind of complicated process with a lot of different agencies, and the state owning the bridge and National Park Service owning the land around it. But the stars started to align for us during the administration of Gov. Manchin, who wants to strike a balance between natural resources, recreation and economic development."

 The state Department of Transportation will coordinate the development of a safety system for catwalk hikers with Bridge Walk LLC, and work out a catwalk access plan. The National Park Service handled the bidding process for proposed vendors and the processing of the winning vendor's Commercial Use Authorization.

Simpson said catwalk hikers would wear climbing-type harnesses and clip on to a secure overhead cable. "We'll use a really detailed safety system," he said.

The catwalk's narrow platform, thin, open-sided railing and tendency to rock gently as trucks pass overhead add to the walk's excitement. When showing the catwalk area to reporters and photographers on Tuesday, a peregrine falcon could be seen perched on the catwalk railing near the bridge's midpoint.

 Bridge Walk LLC partners include Simpson, his son, Benjy Simpson III, Jerry Cook and Ernie Kincaid of Ace Adventure Center, businessman Bruce Vest and Adventure West Virginia -- the umbrella company for the merged operations of Class VI, Rivermen and Adventure Mountain Rivers.

Bridge Walk customers will check in at the former Rivers base camp at 843 Fayette Station Road, then travel to the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, where a trail will likely be built to carry bridge walkers a few hundred feet to the catwalk under the north end of the bridge.

"We want to teach people about the history of the area and let them learn the story about how the bridge was built," Simpson said.

Simpson said prices for the catwalk tours haven't yet been established. "But the average person will easily be able to afford to come here and give it a try," he said.

The catwalk tour will be the only one of its kind in North America, according to Striker. An outfitter in Australia who makes it possible for people to climb up the cables supporting Sydney Harbor Bridge may be its closest competitor.

"It gives the New River Gorge area another activity to encourage people to spend another vacation day here," Striker said. "The real story here is the whole community getting on board with a project that makes sense for everyone. Everyone from Gov. [Joe] Manchin and Congressman [Nick] Rahall on down is supporting it."