New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is the U.S.’s newest national park, gaining its current status in 2020. The park stretches along the New River in southern West Virginia and combines huge gorge views, dense Appalachian forests, world-class whitewater rafting, rock climbing, waterfalls, and a surprising amount of adventure packed into a relatively compact area.
The New River is one of the oldest rivers in the world, and the gorge carved by it creates dramatic cliffs and overlooks throughout the park. The iconic New River Gorge Bridge towers more than 800 feet above the river and is basically the symbol of the entire region.
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Table of Contents
What to Expect
This park is an adventure-lover’s paradise. One day we were kayaking the warm, turquoise waters at Summersville Lake, the next we were rafting Class III and IV rapids, dangling on the underside of a bridge, hiking cliffside overlooks, checking out waterfalls, and wandering historic coal towns.
As an added bonus, there is no entrance fee. If this is your vibe, you won’t want to miss the newest member of the National Park family.
Our Favorite Things
Bridge Walk Under the New River Gorge Bridge
Chad was teaching an online class while we were on this trip, and had no interest in doing the bridge walk, so I booked a 9am reservation for myself. BridgeWalk is the exclusive provider of the tours. Tours can book out in advance, so if you have time constraints, book ahead of time. It was around $80 and right up LeAnne’s alley. You walk underneath the actual bridge on a catwalk while looking 800+ feet straight down into the gorge below.
This tour is definitely not for anyone with a massive fear of heights. Our guide mentioned that people do occasionally chicken out partway through. I absolutely loved it and was glad I did it, but Chad would have hated every second of it.
It can be 10-15 degrees cooler under the bridge, and you must wear shoes that can be secured to your feet (sadly, no flip flops). Children must be at least 8 years old and 48” tall. Cameras or cell phones must be secured with a harness, strap, or mount. This harness works great for lots of our adventure activities.
If you enjoy unusual engineering experiences or adrenaline-lite adventures, this is worth doing once.
Fayette Station Road
This is a beautiful scenic drive that shouldn’t be missed. Fayette Station Road is an 8-mile historic route that people used before the gorge bridge existed.
The road twists down into the gorge, crosses an old bridge near the river, and gives incredible perspectives looking back up at the massive New River Gorge Bridge overhead.
If you are a guided tour geek like me, both ActionTours and GuideAlong apps offer driving tour options filled with history and fun facts.
Whitewater Rafting the Lower New River
Rafting the Lower New River was one of the highlights of the entire trip.
There are many options for whitewater rafting in the area. We chose New & Gauley River Adventures instead of the larger resort-style companies because we like supporting smaller mom-and-pop businesses. It ended up being a great choice.
We did the full-day Lower New trip, mostly Class II and III rapids with a few Class IV sections mixed in — basically my perfect level. The water was warm, we got to “surf” the raft in rapids, float through swimmer rapids, and even stop for cliff jumping.
Our guide was fantastic and made the entire day fun without making it feel overly commercialized.
The Gauley River is the bigger adrenaline destination, but most Gauley rafting only runs in September and October when dam releases happen. Lower Gauley would probably be my ideal future trip. I will leave Upper Gauley to the experts.
Hiking
Endless Wall Trail
The Endless Wall Trail deserves the hype.
I parked at the Fern Creek trailhead and had the trail completely to myself at 6:45AM. The 5.5-mile trail is pretty easy with minimal elevation gain, but the views into the gorge are spectacular. Note that the trail ends at the Nuttail trailhead parking lot. To get back to Fern Creek, you either need to walk .5 miles along Lansing-Edmond Road, or backtrack on the trail. If Fern Creek parking is full, try parking at the larger lot at the Nuttail trailhead.
Besides the views, the coolest part of this hike was the climber access ladders descending the cliffs at several overlooks. I accidentally missed the first one and regretted not backtracking. Seeing the gorge walls from the climbers’ perspective was incredibly cool, and the ladders made it a fun adventure.
If heights bother you, these ladders are probably not your thing.
Long Point Trail
Long Point Trail is one of the classic hikes in the park and leads to a rocky overlook with one of the best views of the gorge bridge.
The 3-mile trail is pretty easy and flat for most of the hike, with a steeper rocky section near the end. Totally worth it for sunset or late afternoon light.
Summersville Lake Kayaking
While technically not a part of New River Gorge National Park (it is less than 30 minutes from the Visitor Center), our kayaking adventure at Summersville Lake was our favorite thing we did while visiting, so we are including it here.
We had our inflatable kayaks with us, which made this adventure easy (and free!). Unfortunately, our Sea Eagle kayak model is no longer sold. This newer version is a much higher price point, but if you kayak regularly and want something simple to transport, these are high-quality kayaks that are fantastic for ease-of-use and comfort. We have definitely recouped our costs in what we would have paid for rentals on our trips.
One of the park rangers recommended launching from Salmon Run, which is free with a national park pass, and it worked out perfectly. We paddled left under the bridge and reached Pirate’s Cove in under a mile.
Pirate’s Cove was incredible — waterfalls pouring directly into the lake, places to swim or kayak behind the falls, cliff jumping spots, and huge rock walls surrounding the cove. The main jumping area requires a scramble up slippery rocks to the right of the waterfall using ropes anchored along the side.
The water was unusually warm (in the 80s during our visit), and despite locals saying recent rains had made it “cloudy,” it still looked beautiful to us.
We paddled just under four miles total, exploring cliffs, coves, and watching rock climbers scale the walls above the water. Honestly, you could spend multiple days just boating around this lake.
After our kayaking adventure, we headed over to Isaiah Morgan Distillery, the first legal mini-distillery in West Virginia. They produce whisky, bourbon, moonshine, and grappa, and offer free tastings. Their website advertises free tours, but we were the only ones there, so the bartender took us back to see the distillery. They are owned by Kirkwood Winery, if wine is more your thing.
Waterfall Chasing
One thing we didn’t expect was how many beautiful waterfalls surround the area.
We especially enjoyed:
Cathedral Falls — a huge dramatic cascade right beside the road
Kanawha Falls — a wide waterfall stretching across the river
Kaymoor Mine Falls — short walk to the falls along the Fayette Station Road
Dunloup Falls — a charming roadside waterfall near Thurmond
Glade Creek Grist Mill Falls — the grist mill adds a whole other level of charm
There’s also a West Virginia Waterfalls Trail passport that maps waterfalls all over the state and gives descriptions for each stop. There are even prizes based on the number of check-ins. This would definitely be on my list on another trip to West Virginia.
Off-Roading
We visited Glade Creek Grist Mill in Babcock State Park. The area is beautiful and the mill is open to look inside. They have an informational brochure that explains the milling process. You can also find one of the Almost Heaven swings.
OnX showed that Buery Mountain trail, just south that aread headed west toward our campground. Being a firm believer in taking the “road less traveled” whenever possible and having a Jeep, this was a no-brainer. It was a little tricky finding, because the first trail we used to try to connect to it had a locked gate, but we found the beginning access point and enjoyed the 11+ mile easy trail that dumps you out at historic Thurmond. A fun bonus was that this trail took us by the charming Dunloup Falls.
Still To Do
There’s still a lot we’d love to return for:
- I would plan our next trip around Bridge Day, West Virginia’s largest single-day event. On the third Saturday in October, the bridge is closed to vehicular traffic and people are allowed to BASE jump and rappel from the bridge. This would be ideal for trying to catch the fall colors and whitewater raft Gauley River during dam release season.
- Sandstone Falls- we ran out of time for this section of the park.
- Exploring additional coal mining history sites
- More waterfall hunting- gotta catch them all!
How Much Time Do I Need?
That depends. If this is a check-it-off-the-list park, you could probably see the highlights in a long day or two, but if you want to experience some of the adventures the area has to offer, plan at least three (or more) days.
You can absolutely see highlights in a weekend, but if you want to combine rafting, kayaking, hiking, scenic drives, waterfalls, and some relaxing downtime, extra days help a lot.
We stayed four nights (three full days) in the area and didn’t get down to Sandstone Falls, which I regret not squeezing into our itinerary.
Tips & Tricks
- Spend time boating or kayaking on nearby Summersville Lake.
- Go early to hike the Endless Wall if you want solitude and easier parking.
- The lower overlook near the visitor center requires 178 stairs, but is worth it.
- If you enjoy the whimsical, check out West Virginia’s Waterfall Trail Passport and the Almost Heaven Swings map.
- Don’t skip driving Fayette Station Road.
- Download maps beforehand, as cell coverage can be spotty in parts of the gorge.
- Warm-weather rafting here is surprisingly comfortable because the water temperature is much warmer than many western rafting rivers.
- Skip the Bridge Walk if you have a serious fear of heights.
Did You Know?
- New River Gorge Bridge is one of the longest single-span arch bridges in the Western Hemisphere.
- The New River flows the “wrong” way- south to north.
- New River Gorge is the newest national park, established in 2020. It was originally designated as a National River.
- The area is considered one of the best rock climbing destinations in the eastern United States.
- Bridge Day allows BASE jumpers and rappellers to legally jump from the bridge one day each year.
- The area has a rich coal mining and railroad history.
Nearby Attractions
While we spent most of our time exploring New River Gorge National Park from all angles, these were some of the places nearby that we thoroughly enjoyed.
- Summersville Lake
- Babcock State Park & Glade Creek Grist Mill
- Isaiah Morgan Distillery
- The NPS has some other recommendations for the area as well
The distillery was especially fun because we ended up getting an informal behind-the-scenes tour while sampling whiskey, bourbon, moonshine, and grappa.
Camping
Bear Mountain Campground is conveniently located about three miles from the New River Gorge National Park Visitor Center which made it a great base for exploring the park.
Things we liked:
- Excellent location close to town and park access
- Wooded campsites
- Laundry room with two washers and dryers. Laundry sheets have become a staple on all trips. They work well, take up no space, and avoid the mess of liquid detergent. They are great at home, too!
- Dump station onsite
- Small convenience store
A few things to know:
- Only the lower four sites have sewer hookups
- Sites are somewhat close together
- Gravel sites are not super level. We needed the leveling blocks and leveler pads
- Starlink has become a standard, essential equipment for us for RV trips now. Even if Chad hadn’t needed it for teaching, it has saved us twice when we had problems on the road and no cell service. Tree coverage in the campground made Starlink challenging, but Chad got workable coverage using a telescoping pole that we pack for challenging locations..
Overall, we enjoyed our stay and would stay there again if we were in the area.
Check out some of our favorite camping products we don’t leave home without.
Final Thoughts
New River Gorge surprised us in the best possible way.
It somehow combines adventure sports, beautiful Appalachian scenery, warm-water lake days, waterfalls, scenic drives, and small-town West Virginia charm into one incredibly fun destination.
This was a park where every day felt completely different from the last. One morning we were standing underneath a bridge 800 feet above the river, and the next we were cliff jumping into warm lake water or surfing rapids through the gorge.
If you love active national park trips with a mix of adrenaline and scenery, New River Gorge deserves a spot high on your list.
