This is a complete guide to visiting America’s newest national park, New River Gorge in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Taking a road trip to wild & wonderful West Virginia needs to be at the top of your travel bucket list this year. New River Gorge national park offers something for every outdoor enthusiast and I’m here to share and help you get planning!
West Virginia is a remote Appalachian state known for its picturesque rivers, rugged mountains, fall foliage, wild rock formations and world class white water rafting.
If you’re itching to find an adventurous weekend getaway close to home, this complete guide to visiting New River Gorge National Park is perfect for you! We visited in the Spring and even took our pup along for the road trip down to the mountains from Ohio. It was a total success and you should try it out too!
Getting there, about the area + general information. Fayetteville, West Virginia.
The New River Gorge is the deepest and longest river gorge in the Appalachian mountains. It was established as a national river in 1978. The park was named America’s 63rd national park in 2020. The West Virginian park is rich in cultural and natural history, and offers an abundance of scenic and recreational opportunities.
Fayetteville sits about 20 minutes south fo Summersville. This historic town is hub for climbing and rafting outfitters that operate on the Gauley and New Rivers. The area is big on adventure but offers small town charm.
Canyon Rim Visitor Center.
Our first stop once we reached the Fayetteville area was the Canyon Rim Visitors Center. The New River and New River Gorge Bridge are also both national landmarks so the visitors center boosts a TON of information about the history of the area and the bridge. We took the boardwalk down to a viewing point for a scenic perspective of the bridge from below. We wanted to do the Bridge Walk but it was closed the day we arrived.
trail options + viewpoint at canyon rim visitors center
When checking out Canyon Rim Visitors Center there are a couple great options for viewing the gorge and bridge.
Bridge Walk – You can opt to do the actual bridge walk. A short path leads to the entrance of the bridge near the catwalk. The Catwalk is 24″ wide with substantial railing and they do fasten you into a safety cable making it impossible to fall from the bridge if you decide to tour it close up! Its the length of the bridge and you can opt to do self guided or take a guided tour.
Canyon Rim Boardwalk – 0.1 mile “trail” – it starts at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center. 178 steps down to the best view of the bridge. We snapped some pictures here and took in views of the stunning bridge structure and river below.
Endless Recreational activity options.
There’s truly something for everyone when you visit the New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia. A massive bridge, scenic views, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, free campgrounds and lots of hiking. You name it, they have it. Certainly, living up to the hype of a becoming a National Park already!
Peak Season: Summer – Fall (leaf peeping and whitewater rafting)
- Hiking
- Whitewater rafing
- Zip lining
- ATVing
- Rope Courses
- Downhill mountain biking
- Rock climbing (1,600 Rock climbing routes in the area – woah)
- Scenic Views + great for photographers
- Camping
- Kayaking + Canoeing
- Bridge Day, Snowshoe Freefall, Gualey Fest
- Waterfall chasing
- A massive Historic Bridge
- Fishing + Hunting
Hiking New River Gorge National Park
A variety of hiking trails sprinkle the park. I’ll recap a few for ya! Check out AllTrails app (my favorite hiking app) for alternative options and information about all of the trails the park has to offer.
Endless Wall Trail
My personal favorite hike on our trip was the Endless Wall Trail. It winds through the forest along the edge of a steep cliff and ends with a stunning view of the bridge and many rocky overlooks of the scenic vistas. This is the perfect area to snap some instagram worthy shots and have lunch with a perfect view.
The trail takes you through a thick grove of rhododendrons before starting towards the various rock faces and steep cliffs on the trail. We kept Duke (our dog) on a leash when close to the cliff edges – my palms are sweaty just thinking about it. Use extra cautions with kiddos and fur kids.
- Trail name: Endless Wall Trail
- Distance: 2.3 miles out and back
- Location: New River Gorge near Lansing, WV
- Elevation Gain: 288 ft
- Difficulty: easy per All Trails
- Dogs are allowed (on a leash per All trails). We took Duke with us on this hike.
Long Point Trail
Long Point Trail leads you to panoramic views of the gorge, bridge and cliffs of Endless Wall Trail. Its a really nice forest hike until towards the end when you are greeted with a wide opening and perfect photo spots.
- Trail Name: Long Point Trail
- Distance: 2.9 mi out and back
- Location: Fayetteville, WV
- Elevation Gain: 344 ft
- Difficulty: moderate per All Trails
- Dogs are allowed if on a leash.
Where to stay when visiting New River Gorge National Park?
We stayed at Ace Adventure Resort. This was perfect for us. We rented a quaint little cabin equipped with a fire ring, hot tub, two bedrooms, back deck, kitchenette and as an added bonus it was dog friendly. WINNING!
We booked our Ace Adventure Resort cabin through AirBNB.
NOTE: the cellular service in the area was spotty, we actually got a little lost trying to find the resort to check-in. I recommend looking up directions beforehand, and then take a couple screen shots in case you have the same issue (or GPS). It is pretty remote near this resort, which was a perk (once we found our cabin).
Cabin rentals are popular and that’s what we opted for, but the area offers lots of campgrounds as well and alternate airBNB and lodging options.
Where to Eat?
- Pies and Pints. SO. FREAKING. GOOD!! Seriously though, what I would do for a slice of this pizza and a tall craft beer from this place right now? We ate dinner here Saturday evening. The pizza is thin crust perfection, fresh out of a wood fire oven. It’s that handmade goodness we dream about after a long day of hiking. Pies and Pints offer lots of local craft beers and beverages to chose from as well.
- THE LOST PADDLE BAR & GRILL. Theres restaurant located right in the Ace Adventure Resort. The Lost Paddle American Bar and Grill. We were there in April and the restaurant is only open on Friday & Saturdays during quiet season.
- Firecreek BBQ & Steaks, LLC. “Because nothing beats great food and good company.” This place makes you feel like a local and the BBQ is DELISH. If you’re like my husband a good steak and Busch Light in a can is all he needs to completely content. This place is for you!
- The 304. Deliciously sinful. Think bomb burgers, wings, sandwiches and more. Laid back American classics that hit the spot after a long day of trekking around Fayetteville.
- Secret Sandwich Society. This place was actually my absolute FAVORITE place to grab lunch when we were in town, but unfortunately upon trying to link up their page to this blog post I found they are actually closed due to a devastating fire. Visit the SSF website to donate to the GoFundMe page they have set up or visit the sister location in Richmond if you’re ever in that area and support this amazing little grub hub
#GOTOWV #VISITWV #WILDANDWONDERFUL
Trip Summary: New River Gorge National Park
Visiting the newest National Park in West Virginia is a must this year, New River Gorge area should be at the top of your list. John Denver sure nailed it when he said West Virginia is “almost heaven”. After experiencing WV first hand we’re already planning to head back to the mountains ourselves. I’ll be sure to share our adventures with ya’ll next time we’re in town.
Follow along with my adventures on instagram HERE
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Plan a trip to another national park today. I have blog write-ups on several of my favorite parks.
