Weekend in Wild, Wonderful New River Gorge, West Virginia.
A long weekend in Wild, Wonderful, West Virginia needs to be your next road trip. The New River Gorge National Park is nestled next to Fayetteville, West Virginia. This location offers something for every outdoor enthusiast.
West Virginia is a remote Appalachian state known for its picturesque rivers, rugged mountains, fall foliage and stunning rock formations.
We were itching for a getaway close to home, but somewhere we could take our pup and hike as well. Fayetteville is south of Ohio about 4 hours so it was the perfect destination within driving distance for our long weekend.
About the area + General information. Fayetteville.
The New River Gorge is the deepest and longest river gorge in the Appalachian mountains. It was established as a national river in 1978. It’s a popular white water rafting river full of Class 1 to V rapids that attract rafters from all around the world (especially during “Gulley Season”) and it’s one of the oldest rivers in the world at 65-million years old.
Fayetteville sits about 20 minutes south of Summersville. This historic town is hub for the 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.
The Canyon Rim Visitors Center was our first stop once we reached the Fayetteville area. 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.
More info from the visitors center HERE.
New River Gorge visitors area trail option + Viewpoint.
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 Fayetteville, West Virginia. A massive bridge, scenic views, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, free campgrounds and lots of hiking. You name it, they have it.
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 Area
A variety of hiking trails sprinkle the Fayetteville area. If you’re up for an adventure, take a day hike at the Endless Wall Trail.
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.
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?
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 it was dog friendly.
If you use this link you can get $65 off your next AirBNB booking – we booked our Ace Adventure Resort cabin through AirBNB with a discount. 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 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.
#GOTOWV #VISITWV #WILDANDWONDERFUL
Trip Summary
If you are looking for a weekend in West Virginia, 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.
Follow along with my adventures on instagram HERE
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