Looking for the perfect New River Gorge Itinerary?
Whether you’re just driving through and only have one day, or if you’re planning to spend up to 3 days exploring America’s newest National Park, this post will cover the best way to spend 1 to 3 days in New River Gorge National Park.
What is So Special About New River Gorge?
New River Gorge National Park is known for its rugged rock formations carved by one of the oldest river systems in the world. The area has a rich coal mining history and is also home to the longest single-span arch bridge in the US.
Over millions of years, the New River cut out the gorge and exposed different rock formations and coal seams.
Back in the early 1900’s, coal-powered steam engines were the primary mode of transporting goods across the country. The New River Gorge area was home to many coal-mining villages, some of which you can still explore today at New River Gorge National Park!
Before the New River Gorge Bridge was built in 1977, travelers had to cross the river by a very steep and narrow road that went down into the gorge and came up on the other side. You can still drive this road today!
The panoramic views of the New River Gorge, architectural interest of the New River Gorge Bridge, and the coal mining history of the area makes for a very scenic and interesting vacation!
The Best Time to Visit New River Gorge National Park
The best time to visit New River Gorge National park is in the late summer or early fall. Summer is peak season, so there are more crowds and higher prices. Going in September or October after peak season will have lower crowds, cooler weather, and maybe some fall colors!
Fall in New River Gorge is absolutely beautiful.
I am a big fan of traveling during “shoulder season” to take advantage of Easter, Memorial Day, and Labor Day holidays to get the longest vacation with the fewest vacation days (I have a full-time job with limited vacation days!).
There will be less crowds and lower prices around these times as well.
How to Get to New River Gorge National Park
New River Gorge National Park is situated in the heart of West Virginia. You’ll find it near the junction of Interstate 77 and 64, near Fayetteville and Beckley.
The closest airport is Yeager Airport in Charleston, about an hour away. This airport is quite small and flights can be expensive. I would recommend a road trip if you’re less than a few states away, or flying into Pittsburgh or Columbus to save on airfare.
Here are the driving times from a few nearby cities:
- Charleston, WV: 1 hour
- Pittsburgh, PA: 3.5 hours
- Columbus, OH: 4 hours
- Knoxville, TN: 4.5 hours
- Roanoke, VA: 2.5 hours
- Raleigh, NC: 5 hours
- Washington, DC: 5 hours
Related: The Ultimate 7 Day West Virginia Road Trip Itinerary
New River Gorge National Park Map
New River Gorge is a large park, so driving between attractions can take up a lot of your time. It takes almost an hour to drive from the north side of the park to the south side.
Planning strategically and understanding the geography of the area will help you have a wonderfully efficient trip!
New River Gorge is divided up into 3 major zones:
Canyon Rim
Canyon Rim is home to the New River Gorge Bridge, Canyon Rim Visitor’s Center, a lot of the most popular hikes, and the Nuttallburg and Kaymoor Mine Sites. It’s only a 10-minute drive from Fayetteville.
Grandview
You’ll find an amazing overlook of a horseshoe bend on the New River in the Grandview area of the park. This area used to be its own state park until it became a part of New River Gorge National Park in 2020.
There are some great hiking trails here as well. The closest town is Beckley.
Sandstone
Sandstone is the southernmost part of New River Gorge. There is a visitor’s center and the largest waterfall on the New River, Sandstone Falls.
Driving times in New River Gorge National Park:
- Canyon Rim to Grandview: 45 mins
- Canyon Rim to Sandstone: 50 mins
- Grandview to Sandstone: 20 mins
Where to Stay in New River Gorge National Park
Fayetteville or Beckley are your 2 options for lodging near New River Gorge National Park. Fayetteville is the better option, especially if you’re limited on time. There aren’t many hotels in Fayetteville (besides a Quality Inn or Comfort Inn), so Airbnb or VRBO is your best bet.
Fayetteville is super close to the Canyon Rim area of the park and has a lot of great dining options.
Beckley is a slightly larger town about 30 minutes south of Fayetteville. It’s more equidistant to each area of the park and has nicer hotel options.
If you only have 1 or 2 days at New River Gorge, I would definitely stay in Fayetteville. Even if you have 3 days, Fayetteville is still a good option.
However, if you are doing New River Gorge as part of a longer road trip, you could spend the first 2 nights in Fayetteville and the last night in Beckley (or vice versa). Just switch days 2 and 3 of the 3-day itinerary if you plan to stay in both places!
Driving times:
- Fayetteville to Canyon Rim: 10 mins
- Fayetteville to Grandview: 45 mins
- Beckley to Canyon Rim: 30 minutes
- Beckley to Grandview: 20 mins
- Beckley to Sandstone: 25 mins
You can camp in New River Gorge National Park, but the sites are very remote and do not have fresh water or proper bathrooms. These campsites are first come, first serve (no reservations) and are free.
I wouldn’t recommend camping here unless you are very experienced!
What to Pack for a Trip to New RIver Gorge National Park
The weather in West Virginia is pretty temperate, but it can be unpredictable so it’s good to pack layers.
You’ll be doing a lot of hiking on this trip, so hiking gear and comfortable clothes and shoes are a must.
Athleta Elation Leggings: I love hiking in leggings. These leggings from Athleta don’t fall down and have just a little bit of compression to hold you in without being uncomfortable.
Athleta Conscious Crop Tank Top: These are my favorite tops to work out in, hike in, and do pretty much everything in. Great coverage, easy to layer, and they’re the perfect length to wear with high-waisted leggings or bike shorts.
Nalgene 32-oz Water Bottles: Cheap, lightweight, easy to clean, and hold a ton of water. I seriously never leave my house without one!
You won’t find me carrying a heavy, overpriced, stainless steel cup or a fancy water bottle with a mouthpiece that’s impossible to clean.
Merrell Moab 3 Hiking Shoes: I have had these shoes for over 4 years and I love them! They have great traction and are comfortable for long hikes at an affordable price point. Good shoes make a huge difference when you’re hiking, especially on muddy or rocky trails.
I sized down half a size from my normal size in these and still have plenty of room for good hiking socks. You will need good shoes for the hikes listed in this itinerary!
Smartwool Hiking Socks: I know these are pricey, but they are key to avoiding blisters when hiking. Wool is naturally sweat and odor resistant so these socks will keep your feet dry and smelling good the whole hike!
Hiking Day Pack: I have this cheap one from Amazon and it has worked great on all the short hikes I’ve done in the last 4 years! Instead of getting an expensive day pack, I would spend the money on this Osprey carry-on sized backpack to pack for an entire trip instead.
Make sure to bring a rain jacket and a few short and long sleeve hiking tops to layer in case it’s chilly or rainy. Sunscreen and bug spray are always good to have on hand as well.
Don’t forget to bring a swimsuit and water sandals if you plan to go white water rafting!
How Many Days Do You Need in New River Gorge National Park?
2 full days in New River Gorge National Park is enough to explore each area of the park and fit in a hike or two. 3 days is ideal if you want to explore the park more in-depth.
If you have one day in New River Gorge, I recommend the Bridge and Grandview Overlooks, hiking the Endless Wall and Castle Rock Loop trails, and driving Fayette Station Road.
If you have 2 days, you’ll be able to do everything from the first day and also do the guided Bridge Walk tour or go whitewater rafting, visit the Sandstone area of the park, and explore the Thurmond historic district.
If you have 3 days, you’ll also be able to add on hiking the Nuttallburg Mine Trails plus a scenic drive through one or two nearby state parks (which are almost as fantastic as New River Gorge National Park!).
There are more details on these New River Gorge itineraries below.
1-Day New River Gorge Itinerary
Morning: View the New River Gorge Bridge Overlook & Hike the Endless Wall Trail
Start the day in New River Gorge National Park by heading to the Canyon Rim Visitor’s center. Feel free to stop in for a quick geology lesson or buy a few souvenirs.
When you head outside, you will see a sign that says “Scenic Overlook.” Follow the sign for a short walk to the New River Gorge Bridge Overlook. This is one of the best places in the park to view the bridge!
When you’re finished at the overlook, head to the Endless Wall trailhead. The endless wall trail is an easy 2.3 mile (288 feet of elevation gain) hike that can be done as a loop or an out-and-back hike. I recommend doing it as an out-and-back to save yourself a half-mile walk along the road back to your car.
You’ll see amazing panoramic views of the gorge on this hike, the best view being at Diamond Point. If you plan to do this hike as an out-and-back, turn around at Diamond Point.
Tip: Park in the Nuttallburg lot if you can’t find parking at the trailhead. This hike can be accessed from either trailhead and it’s the same distance to Diamond Point.
Midday: Drive Fayette Station Road & Lunch in Fayetteville
After your hike, take a scenic drive on Fayette Station Road. Head back toward the Visitor’s Center, but turn right (and keep right- the road forks almost immediately) onto the road.
This narrow road goes down into the gorge, crosses the river, and comes back up the other side. Before 1977, this was the only way to cross the New River in Fayetteville!
This 8-mile, one-way road is only accessible from this point near the Canyon Rim Visitor’s Center. It will take you about 40 minutes to drive and you’ll end up in Fayetteville, the perfect place for a lunch stop!
There are lots of hairpin turns and steep drop offs, so don’t bring a large car, trailer, or RV on this road. I also would not recommend doing this in the winter!
The NPS also has a free audio tour you can download to listen to on your drive.
Grab lunch in Fayetteville (we loved the tacos at Southside Junction Taphouse) before heading out to Grandview.
Afternoon: View the Grandview Overlook & Hike the Castle Rock Trail Loop
After lunch, head to the Grandview area of the park and check out the horseshoe bend overlook (Main Overlook on Google Maps).
The Castle Rock trailhead is located here as well. The Castle Rock to Grandview Rim loop is a 1 mile, moderate hike. There isn’t much elevation gain, but the trail can be rocky and steep in some places, so make sure you wear proper hiking shoes!
You’ll hike to some really cool sandstone cliffs and then loop around through the woods with some viewpoints of the gorge.
Follow the signs for the Castle trail near the Main Overlook and follow it until you see signs for the Grandview Rim trail (these 2 trails connect).
Evening: Sandstone Falls
If you’re doing good on time and have one more adventure in you, make your way to the Sandstone area of the park. This drive will take you about 20 minutes.
The 2 points of interest here are the Sandstone Falls Overlook and the Sandstone Falls Boardwalk. Both of these places are on separate sides of the river, so it requires a scenic drive through a cute little town called Hinton to get to the other side.
The Sandstone exit off of I-64 will put you near the Sandstone Visitor’s Center and Sandstone Overlook.
You probably won’t have time to do the scenic drive to the boardwalk, but if you’re ambitious and don’t mind potentially driving back to your hotel/Airbnb at sunset, go for it!
It takes about 30 minutes to drive from the Sandstone Visitor’s Center to the Sandstone Boardwalk. This drive has a handful of scenic points to stop at on your drive, so it could take longer depending on how long you stop.
The Sandstone Boardwalk is technically a “hike,” but it’s really just a series of boardwalks over the falls. The total distance is maybe one mile. You’ll get some great views of the upper and lower Sandstone Falls.
Grab dinner in Hinton on your way back, or wait until you’re all the way back to Fayetteville or Beckley. There isn’t much in Hinton, but the Market on Courthouse Square is open until 8 PM most days.
2-Day New River Gorge Itinerary
Day 1: Canyon Rim
The morning and midday part of this itinerary is the same as the 1-day itinerary above, but is briefly recapped for you below.
Morning
- View the New River Gorge Bridge Overlook
- Hike the Endless Wall Trail
Midday
- Drive Fayette Station Road
- Have lunch in Fayetteville
Afternoon: Do the Guided Bridge Walk Tour, Go White Water Rafting, or Hike the Long Point Trail
After lunch, pick an activity to do on the north side of the park.
You can actually walk on a catwalk underneath the New River Gorge Bridge!
It’s a 2-3 hour guided tour, and tickets need to be purchased ahead of time. This is one of the most highly-rated things to do in New River Gorge National Park! Book your tour here.
White water rafting is another popular activity to do in New River Gorge. ACE Adventure Resort has different tours to suit different budgets and experience levels.
And finally, if you’re scared of heights and/or not into white water rafting, you can spend the afternoon hiking the Long Point trail. This 3 mile, out-and-back trail will give you an awesome view of the New River Gorge Bridge.
Day 2: Grandview & Sandstone
You’ll spend day 2 of your 2-day New River Gorge itinerary exploring the Grandview and Sandstone areas of the park.
The morning and afternoon portions of this itinerary are the same as the 1-day itinerary above, so I’ll just briefly recap them here.
Morning: Optional detour through Thurmond, Grandview Overlook, & Castle Rock Loop Trail
If you are interested in history and/or exploring ghost towns, I recommend stopping by the Thurmond Historic District on your way to Grandview.
In the early 1900’s, Thurmond was a bustling coal town. Coal mined from the area passed through the railroad here, and up to 15 trains per day came through the Thurmond depot.
With the rise of diesel locomotives replacing steam engines plus the Great Depression, Thurmond declined rapidly in the 1930’s and 40’s. The NPS has worked to preserve and restore parts of this historic district, and you can explore it for yourself!
There isn’t much to do here, but it was really cool to imagine what this town was like back in its heyday. The railroad here is still active- we saw a train come through during our short 30-minute visit!
The NPS has a walking tour of Thurmond if you’d like to learn more about the history.
Visiting Thurmond will add about 45 minutes of total drive time to your itinerary, so keep that in mind. If you’re not really into history, it might not be worth your time to explore.
After exploring Thurmond (if you chose to), head to the Grandview Overlook and hike the Castle Rock trail loop as described in the 1-day itinerary above.
After you’re done at Grandview, grab lunch in Beckley and then head out for Sandstone.
Midday/Afternoon: Visit Sandstone Falls Boardwalk and/or Overlook
- Visit the Sandstone Falls Overlook
- Do the scenic drive through Hinton
- Explore the Sandstone Falls Boardwalk
3-Day New River Gorge Itinerary
This 3-day New River Gorge National Park Itinerary is the same as the 2-day itinerary for the first 2 days.
I’ve briefly recapped days one and two below, but the previous section has more details.
Day 1: Canyon Rim
Morning
- View the New River Gorge Bridge Overlook
- Hike the Endless Wall Trail
Midday
- Drive Fayette Station Road
- Have lunch in Fayetteville
Afternoon
Choose your adventure from the options below:
- Do the guided bridge walk tour
- Go white water rafting
- Hike the Long Point Trail
Day 2: Grandview & Sandstone
Morning
- Optional detour through the Thurmond historic district
- View the Grandview Overlook
- Hike the Castle Rock Loop Trail
Midday/Afternoon
- Visit the Sandstone Falls Overlook
- Do the scenic drive through Hinton
- Explore the Sandstone Falls Boardwalk
Day 3: Nuttallburg Mine Trails
Your third day in New River Gorge National Park will involve hiking to an abandoned coal mine and exploring the highlights of the 2 (fantastic) state parks nearby.
Morning and Midday: Hike the Nuttallburg Mine Trails
Get a glimpse of what life as a coal miner was like by hiking the Nuttallburg Mine trails.
The NPS has each section marked as a different trail, but they all connect and you can do it as one out-and-back hike.
The trails will take you from the top of the gorge down to an old coal mine, and then down to the abandoned village of Nuttallburg. You can either turn around at the coal mine, or keep hiking down into the gorge to explore Nuttallburg.
The hike down the gorge after the coal mine (the Conveyor Trail) is the most strenuous- it is very steep so wear good shoes and be careful.
This is a pretty strenuous hike (5 miles total and just over 1000 feet of elevation gain), so make sure to eat a good breakfast ahead of time and bring plenty of water. This hike took us about 3 hours from start to finish.
I would recommend grabbing supplies to have lunch during the hike if you plan to do the whole route. We just grabbed some sandwiches and chips from the Subway in Fayetteville and put them in our backpacks.
This trail was totally empty when we did it on a weekday in September. It’s one of the least-popular trails, I assume due to the difficulty and availability of easier trails. But being able to explore this much of West Virginia’s history without any crowds was really really cool.
If you want to skip the strenuous Conveyor Trail, you can still explore the Nuttallburg village by taking Keeny’s Creek Road all the way down to Nuttallburg.
The road is very narrow and steep, so be careful. 2 cars can’t fit on the road in some spots, so you might need to back up if someone is coming the other way. But based on the lack of people we saw, I doubt you will come across anyone else on the way.
I don’t know if I would recommend driving to the Nuttallburg lot unless you have a smaller 4×4 vehicle. It will also add another hour to your total drive time for the day.
If you are brave enough to drive there, park in the Nuttallburg lot and explore the village!
Afternoon: Scenic Areas in Babcock and Hawks Nest State Parks
After your hike, grab lunch if you didn’t already eat during the hike and head out to explore some scenic spots in Hawks Nest and Babcock State Parks.
Although not technically in New River Gorge National Park, these state parks are definitely worth a quick stop due to their proximity to New River Gorge. If you have 3 or more days, they are a must-see.
This is the route I would recommend:
- Cathedral Falls: Located right off highway 60 just northwest of Hawks Nest State Park, you’ll see one of the highest waterfalls in West Virginia!
- Hawks Nest Overlook: A beautiful panoramic view of the New River 750 feet below.
- Lover’s Leap Overlook: Another scenic view of the New River Gorge in Hawk’s Nest State Park.
- Grist Mill: The Glade Creek Grist Mill is one of the most-photographed places in West Virginia and is located in Babcock State Park.
Evening: Dinner at the Overlook Restaurant in Hawks Nest State Park
Close out your trip to New River Gorge by taking in the views one more time over a dinner at the Overlook Restaurant in Hawks Nest State Park.
I hope you enjoyed this New River Gorge itinerary! Whether you’re just driving through or planning a multi-day trip, I hope this post was helpful in planning your trip.
Comment below and let me know your favorite part of New River Gorge National Park!
-Megan
More on West Virginia
