New River Gorge
Located: West Virginia - Established: December 27, 2020
The Park: New River Gorge located in southern West Virginia became our country’s 63rd major national park when Congress added HR 4610 to the Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which was primarily aimed at providing economic stimulus for Covid-19 pandemic relief.
The New River is estimated to be between 10 and 360 million years old, making it one of earth’s oldest rivers. Over the years, it has carving its way through the Appalachian Mountains in southern West Virginia thus forming the New River Gorge. It’s believed to be the earth’s second oldest river (behind the Nile) and uniquely flows north!
The park is spread out over 70,000 acres and 53 miles of the New River flow through it. The New River Gorge Bridge, which spans the gorge just outside of Fayetteville, is of the parks most photographed features. The bridge is considered to be an engineering fete and a work of unique structural art.
When to Visit: The park is open year round. There are no Entrance Fees to access the park. Because this is a very new park with not much infrastructure to support its new status, finding parking during the peak summer season can be challenging!
Getting there: For those driving to the park, Interstate 64 will grant access to the southern reaches of the park. Hwy 19 accesses the western and northern sections. The nearest airport is located in the capitol city of Charleston, WV, located about 60 miles northwest of the park.
What to do: Whitewater rafting, canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, fishing, hunting and camping are some of the more popular activities. The Lower Gorge hosts premier whitewater rafting with Class III to V rated rapids. The Upper Gorge is far less challenging.
Where to stay: There are no lodging facilities within the park and only primitive camping sites located along the river. We stayed a lovely VRBO called Lafayette Flats located in Fayetteville. For great pizza and beer, we recommend Pies and Pints and for breakfast, try the Cathedral Café.
Scenic Drives: The African American Heritage Tour was developed by New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and its partners as a smart phone app to uncover and tell the stories of the many black coal miners, railroad workers, and other community members that helped shape this region. This self-guided auto tour takes the user to seventeen historic sites in Summers, Raleigh, Fayette and Nicholas counties to learn about the history and experiences of the regions African Americans.
Drive the entire circumference of the Park and take in tour a of the Nuttalburg Mine Site, the Grist Mill at Babcock State Park, the Sandstone Visitor Center at the south end of the park, Sandstone Falls, Grandview, Thurmond Historic District and back to Fayetteville.
Fayette Station Road will take you to the bottom of the Gorge and across the original bridge spanning the river. Great view of the new Bridge from the old!
Day Hikes: Endless Wall Trail – a 2½-mile loop through densely forested terrain. The trailhead is about 4 miles from our VRBO. Parking is limited! We find the last available “legal” spot and off we go to discover the Endless Wall. When researching this newest of parks, we discovered that not all West Virginians were in favor of upgrading the area from National River to National Park.
Memorable Moment: Meeting a genuine Conspiracy Theorists while having breakfast at the Cathedral Café. He tries to convince us that the military has bases established on the moon and on Mars in preparation for the mass exodus from planet Earth!
Trivia: New River is believed to be the world’s second oldest river and one of only two in the US that flows northward!
Experience these:
Visit the Canyon Rim and Sandstone Visitor Centers
Float the river!
Hike the Endless Wall Trail
Check out Sandstone Falls
Visit the Thurmond Historic District
Take in the views at Grandview
Gawk at the New River Gorge Bridge
Dine at Pies and Pints and the Cathedral Café