grandview overlook

15+ Best Things to Do at New River Gorge National Park

Looking for the best things to do in New River Gorge National Park? 

Known for its rugged rock formations carved by one of the oldest river systems in the world and its rich coal mining history, there are plenty of fun things to do here. 

My husband and I visited New River Gorge National Park on our 2022 West Virginia road trip, and we were amazed at the unique panoramic views, hikes, and history in the area.

I’ve compiled a list of the 15 best things to do in New River Gorge National Park in this post to help you plan your West Virginia trip!

best things to do at new river gorge national park

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 (plus more mosquitoes!). 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, but spring brings lots of green and wildflowers. We visited the week of Labor Day and the weather was great (a little cloudy, but pleasant temperatures).

average temperature in new river gorge

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 and nearby areas 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 or 3 days, you’ll be able to add on another hike, do the guided bridge walk tour, or do another outdoor adventure (mountain biking, whitewater rafting, etc). You can also fit in a visit to the Sandstone area of the park.

With even more time, you can do a longer hike and visit the nearby state parks.

Related: New River Gorge Itinerary: How to Spend 1, 2, or 3 Days in New River Gorge National Park

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. The 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 to New River Gorge National Park 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 (Full of Hiking and History)

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! I’ve annotated the NPS map below with the most popular areas.

new river gorge national park map

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 within New River Gorge National Park:

  • Canyon Rim to Grandview: 45 mins
  • Canyon Rim to Sandstone: 50 mins
  • Grandview to Sandstone: 20 mins

15 Best Things to Do at New River Gorge National Park

1. New River Gorge Bridge Overlook

The New River Gorge Bridge is the longest single-span arch bridge in the US. 

Before it 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, check out point 4 below!).

There is a fantastic overlook of the bridge behind the Canyon Rim Visitor’s Center. 

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!

new river gorge bridge overlook
New River Gorge Bridge Overlook

2. The Bridge Walk

If you’re looking for a thrilling and adventurous thing to do in New River Gorge National Park, look no further than the Bridge Walk Tour!

There is a catwalk underneath the New River Gorge Bridge that you can walk on as a part of a guided tour. Don’t worry, there are railings and a safety cable so you are perfectly safe!

The tour lasts 2-3 hours and tickets need to be purchased ahead of time. This is one of the best things to do in New River Gorge National Park! 

Learn more and book your tour here.

3. Endless Wall Trail

The Endless Wall Trail is one of the most popular hikes in New River Gorge National Park. 

It’s an easy 2.3-mile trail 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.

There are two ways to access this trail: via the Fern Creek Trailhead or the Nuttall Trailhead. 

The Fern Creek parking lot fills up really fast and you will get ticketed if you park along the road. 

I recommend parking at the Nuttall Trailhead if you can’t get a space at Fern Creek. It’s roughly the same distance to Diamond Point from either trailhead.

4. Drive Fayette Station Road

As mentioned above, before the New River Gorge Bridge was constructed, travelers had to drive down into the gorge on a steep, narrow, winding road in order to cross the New River.

This original road is preserved and remains in the park as a scenic drive to help you go back in time.

It’s an 8-mile, one-way road and is only accessible from the entry point near the Canyon Rim Visitor’s Center. It will take you about 40 minutes to drive one-way, and you’ll end up in Fayetteville (which makes a great lunch or dinner 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.

5. Grandview Overlook

My favorite overlook in New River Gorge National Park is the Grandview Overlook. It’s West Virginia’s own Horseshoe Bend!

The Grandview Overlook is located in the Grandview area of the park (shocker, I know). Google Maps calls this “Main Overlook.”

grandview overlook
Grandview Overlook

6. Castle Rock Trail

The Castle Rock Loop Trail is a short hike that takes you through towering rock walls and coal seams. The hike is 1.1 miles with 173 feet of elevation gain.

This trail starts near the Grandview Overlook and ends where it intersects the Grandview Rim Trail. 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.

7. Nuttallburg Mine Trails

The Nuttallburg Mine Trails were one of our favorite hikes in West Virginia!

The trails will take you from the top of the gorge down (start at the Nuttall Trailhead) 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 NPS has each section marked as a different trail, but they all connect and you can do it as one out-and-back hike. Hiking this entire trail gave us a serious glimpse at what it would have been like to be a coal miner back in the day. I can’t imagine having to do that climb up to the coal mine every day for work!

The hike down the gorge after the coal mine (the Conveyor Trail) is the most strenuous part- it is very steep so make sure you wear good hiking shoes.

This is an overall pretty strenuous hike (5 miles total and just over 1000 feet of elevation gain), so bring plenty of water and food. This hike took us about 3 hours from start to finish. 

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.

nuttallburg coal conveyor
Nuttallburg Coal Conveyor

8. Sandstone Falls Overlook

There are 2 main things to see in the Sandstone area of the park and the Sandstone Falls Overlook is one of them.

The Sandstone Falls is the largest waterfall on the New River spanning 1500 feet across. There are several small islands along the river that divide the falls. 

The overlook is located relatively close to the I-64 exit to Hinton and Sandstone Falls.

9. Sandstone Falls Boardwalk

The other thing to do in the Sandstone area of the park is to visit the Sandstone Falls Boardwalk. 

Even though it seems like the falls overlook and boardwalk are close together, the Sandstone Falls Boardwalk is actually on the opposite side of the river and will take about 30 minutes to drive there from the Sandstone Visitor’s Center. You’ll pass through the small village of Hinton, which can be a nice place to grab a snack or quick lunch.

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.

10. Kaymoor Miners Trail

The Kaymoor Miners Trail is a short, but steep trail down to an old coal mining site. The remains of a town, coke ovens, and the old coal processing plant are located close to the river.

This is a challenging hike, not because of the distance, but because of the quick elevation change. The trail is 1.5 miles round trip but descends over 950 feet on the way down (and remember that you’ll also have to climb back up!).

This trail is similar to the Nuttallburg Trails but is much shorter if you don’t have as much time to spend hiking. The trail doesn’t reach the New River, but the nearby railroad track is active so stay off it and be careful!

And as always, practice the principles of leave no trace. Do not climb on, sit on, or walk on the historic structures so they will remain for future visitors!

nuttallburg coal mine entrance west virginia
Nuttallburg Coal Mine

11. Go Rock Climbing

New River Gorge National Park is a well-known rock climbing destination. There are over 1400 established rock climbs in the park!

You can go rock climbing at any time of year, but the best times are late April to June and mid-September to October. 

Rock climbing personally isn’t my thing, but you can find more info on the NPS website here.

Adventures on the Gorge also has guided rock climbs, ziplining, mountain biking, and many more adventures to choose from! There are full-day and half-day guided rock climbing tours.

I would definitely look into their tours if you’re a beginner or want to dip your toe into rock climbing.

12. Long Point Trail

The Long Point Trail gives you the quintessential view of the New River Gorge Bridge. It’s 3 miles with a relatively mild elevation gain on the way back, so it’s great for all ages and activity levels.

The trailhead is located near the Kaymoor Miners Trailhead, near Fayetteville. This is one of the most popular hikes in the park but there is a large parking lot so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a space.

13. Whitewater Rafting

Another one of the most popular things to do at New River Gorge National Park is whitewater rafting on the New River. There are sections of the river for all skill levels, ranging from Class I to Class V rapids.

You can go whitewater rafting on your own as there are multiple entry and exit points on the New River, but there are multiple guided tours as well. 

ACE Adventure Resort and Adventures on the Gorge are the two most popular tour companies. There is a wide selection of tours, from half-day tours on the more calm parts of the river to overnight camping options.

14. Visit Thurmond

If you are interested in history and/or exploring ghost towns, I recommend visiting the Thurmond Historic District on your trip to New River Gorge. It is a bit out of the way, so be prepared to drive about 45 minutes to get there and back.

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. 

thurmond new river gorge
Thurmond Historic District

15. Go Mountain Biking

Mountain biking is another one of the most popular things to do at New River Gorge National Park. Bring your own bike, rent one from Arrowhead Bike Farm, or book a guided tour with Adventures on the Gorge.

You can find a list of mountain biking trails on the NPS website here

The trails in New River Gorge are constructed from sandstone, so they dry out quickly and remain open after rain.

Bonus: Hawk’s Nest State Park

Hawk’s Nest State Park is located just 10 miles north of the New River Gorge Bridge. If you have time, it is definitely worth a stop at some of the scenic viewpoints on your trip to New River Gorge.

The two best viewpoints are the Hawk’s Nest Overlook and the Lover’s Leap Overlook that provide panoramic, birds’ eye views over the New River. 

There is also a restaurant in Hawk’s Nest State Park which can make a great dinner spot.

Cathedral Falls is also located just northeast of Hawk’s Nest State Park off of Highway 60. It is one of the tallest waterfalls in West Virginia!

hawks nest overlook west virginia
Hawk’s Nest Overlook

Bonus: Babcock State Park

Babcock State Park is located 20 miles southeast of the New River Gorge Bridge and is one of West Virginia’s most iconic locations. This park is home to the Glade Creek Grist Mill, one of the most photographed places in West Virginia.

It is definitely worth a stop here if you have time!

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!

Do you plan to do anything from this list of best things to do in New River Gorge National Park on your trip to West Virginia? Let me know in the comments below!

-Megan

More Info on West Virginia

Check out my other posts on West Virginia to make the most of your trip!

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