Park Overview

 

Located in southern West Virginia, New River Gorge National Park & Preserve protects more than 70,000 acres of rugged Appalachian terrain surrounding 53 miles of the New River, one of the oldest rivers on the continent. The area was originally established as New River Gorge National River on November 10, 1978, when Congress set aside the river corridor to preserve its free-flowing waters along with the outstanding natural, scenic, historic, and recreational resources of the surrounding gorge. In 2020, Congress redesignated the area as New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, with the new designation taking effect in 2021 and dividing the protected landscape between a national park and a much larger national preserve where traditional activities such as hunting remain permitted. The centerpiece of the park is the New River Gorge, the deepest and longest river gorge in the Appalachian Mountains, where the north-flowing New River has carved through layers of the Appalachian Plateau to create towering sandstone cliffs, forested slopes, waterfalls, and some of the finest whitewater in the eastern United States. Spanning the gorge is the iconic New River Gorge Bridge, one of West Virginia's most recognizable landmarks and the centerpiece of the annual Bridge Day celebration. Other highlights include the sweeping overlooks at Grandview, the Endless Wall Trail, Long Point, the cascading waters of Sandstone Falls, the historic railroad town of Thurmond, and the abandoned coal-mining complex at Nuttallburg. The park's extensive trail system ranges from short walks to overlooks to longer hikes through forests, along streams, and past remnants of the region's coal-mining and railroad history. New River Gorge is also one of the country's premier destinations for whitewater rafting and rock climbing, with the river providing challenging rapids and the gorge's hard Nuttall sandstone cliffs containing more than 1,400 established climbing routes. Beyond its recreation, the gorge protects a remarkably diverse Appalachian ecosystem, including globally significant forests and one of the most botanically diverse river gorges in the central and southern Appalachians. 

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Closest Airports

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Raleigh County Memorial - 20 miles (30 mins)

West Virginia Int'l Yeager - 70 miles (1 hr)

Greenbriar Valley - 70 miles (1.5 hrs)

Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional - 130 miles (2.5 hrs)

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Lodging

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Unlike some national parks, New River Gorge National Park & Preserve has no traditional hotels, lodges, or rental cabins operated within the park, so most visitors stay in one of the surrounding gateway communities. Fayetteville is arguably the best overall place to stay, particularly for first-time visitors, thanks to its location near the New River Gorge Bridge, Canyon Rim Visitor Center, Endless Wall, Long Point, rafting outfitters, climbing areas, restaurants, breweries, and shops. The town has everything from conventional hotels and vacation rentals to historic accommodations such as Lafayette Flats, a collection of boutique apartments inside a restored 1906 bank building, and the Morris Harvey House, a historic bed-and-breakfast in downtown Fayetteville. Nearby Oak Hill provides additional hotels, cabins, tiny homes, and vacation rentals and makes a convenient alternative when Fayetteville accommodations are full. Beckley, roughly 30 minutes south of the New River Gorge Bridge, offers the largest concentration of conventional hotels and restaurants and is especially convenient for exploring the southern and central portions of the park. Farther south, Hinton is an excellent choice for visitors concentrating on Sandstone Falls and the southern New River, while the tiny historic community of Thurmond is fascinating to visit but has extremely limited lodging. The New River Gorge area is particularly good for travelers looking for something more unusual than a hotel. Country Road Cabins near Hico offers an impressive collection of log cabins, yurts, treehouses, glamping tents, and a geodesic dome, many with private hot tubs, making it one of the area's best choices for a memorable mountain stay. Another unusual option is The Outpost - New River Gorge Campground near Fayetteville, where accommodations include rustic and premium cabins, vintage campers, and elevated tent platforms among the trees, all within easy reach of the New River Gorge Bridge. One of the area's newest and most unusual choices is Star Farm in Fayetteville, a 10-acre “landscape hotel” just minutes from the park where the architecturally distinctive Cathedral Cabin is as unique as they come. Visitors can also look beyond the immediate park boundary to nearby West Virginia state parks: Hawks Nest and Pipestem Resort State Parks have lodges, while Babcock, Bluestone, and Pipestem offer cabins surrounded by Appalachian scenery. For most visitors, Fayetteville is the best overall base, while Hinton works particularly well for the southern end of the park and the many cabins, treehouses, yurts, tiny homes, and other unconventional properties scattered around the gorge make New River Gorge one of the better national parks for turning the lodging itself into part of the experience.

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Camping

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Camping in New River Gorge National Park & Preserve is considerably more primitive than at many national parks, but that is also part of its appeal. The park maintains eight primitive campgrounds, and remarkably, all individual campsites are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis, with no reservations accepted. There are no developed campgrounds inside the park, and campers should expect no drinking water, electrical hookups, showers, or other modern campground amenities, although sites generally include picnic tables and fire rings or grills and have access to limited restroom facilities. Among the best options is Grandview Sandbar Campground, a wooded riverside campground with both walk-in and drive-in sites that makes a particularly scenic base for exploring the southern half of the park. Glade Creek Campground is another standout, combining free riverside camping with immediate access to the Glade Creek Trail and New River. Farther north, Stone Cliff Campground near Thurmond is one of the park's more unusual places to pitch a tent, with walk-in, tent-only camping beside the New River and sandy beach areas that create a very different experience from a traditional wooded campground. Army Camp Campground offers drive-in sites around a grassy area at a horseshoe bend in the New River and can accommodate tents as well as smaller and medium-size RVs, although there are no hookups. Other primitive options include Brooklyn, Thayer, Meadow Creek, and War Ridge/Backus Mountain, with War Ridge being the only park campground not situated directly along the New River. Most of these campgrounds are reached by gravel or dirt roads and are several miles from stores and other services, so campers should arrive with plenty of food and drinking water. New River Gorge also permits backcountry camping in appropriate locations, including areas near trails such as Glade Creek, Brooklyn-Southside Junction, and Stone Cliff, as well as eligible sites along the New River that can be reached by boat, opening the door to overnight backpacking and paddle-in camping trips. Reservations and permits generally aren't required for ordinary backcountry camping, although location restrictions must be followed. Outside the park, travelers looking for showers, hookups, and other amenities have numerous options around Fayetteville. The Outpost - New River Gorge Campground offers an upgraded basecamp close to the New River Gorge Bridge, while Arrowhead Bike Farm and Campground is an especially interesting choice for mountain bikers, combining camping with bike-oriented facilities near the Arrowhead trail system. Climbers should consider the New River Gorge Campground | American Alpine Club in Lansing, a community-oriented campground within walking distance of popular climbing areas. For travelers who prefer something between camping and a cabin, the surrounding region also has glamping tents, furnished bell tents, yurts, treehouses, and other unconventional accommodations. Overall, campers seeking solitude and simplicity should take advantage of the park's remarkably scenic free primitive campgrounds, while those wanting showers, hookups, Wi-Fi, or a more social basecamp will find plenty of developed options immediately outside the park around Fayetteville and Lansing.

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When to Visit​​

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The best time to visit New River Gorge National Park & Preserve is generally spring or fall, although the park remains open year-round and each season offers a distinctly different experience. Spring, particularly April through May, brings comfortable temperatures, rushing streams and waterfalls, blooming wildflowers, and freshly green forests throughout the gorge. May is particularly beautiful around Grandview, where rhododendrons typically bloom around the middle of the month, although spring weather in the Appalachians can change quickly and rain is common. Summer, from June through August, is one of the best times for visitors interested in whitewater rafting, paddling, rock climbing, and other outdoor recreation, and seasonal facilities such as the Grandview and Thurmond visitor centers are generally open. Summers are warm and humid, but the park's elevation keeps temperatures relatively moderate compared with many lower-elevation destinations; average July temperatures around nearby Beckley range from approximately 59°F at night to 78°F during the day. July is also the park's wettest month on average, and thunderstorms can develop quickly. Fall is arguably the best overall time to visit New River Gorge, especially during October, when the enormous hardwood forests covering the gorge turn brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red. Grandview, Endless Wall, Long Point, Canyon Rim, and Sandstone Falls are particularly spectacular during fall foliage season, and cooler temperatures make hiking and climbing much more comfortable. Fall is also an especially exciting time for whitewater rafting, as the nearby Gauley River's famous fall releases create some of the most challenging commercially rafted whitewater in the eastern United States. October also brings Bridge Day, when the New River Gorge Bridge is closed to vehicle traffic for one day and thousands of spectators gather for BASE jumping, rappelling, and other activities around the bridge. Winter, from December through February, is the quietest season and provides a completely different view of the gorge. With leaves absent from the trees, distant cliffs, rock formations, historic ruins, and views of the New River become much easier to see, while occasional snowfall can transform the gorge into a dramatic winter landscape. Average January temperatures around Beckley range from approximately 19°F at night to 38°F during the day, and snow and ice can make the park's steep, narrow roads and trails extremely hazardous. Some facilities also close or reduce hours during winter, although Canyon Rim and Sandstone visitor centers remain open throughout the year except for several major holidays. For most first-time visitors, May through June and September through October offer the best combination of comfortable weather, scenery, and outdoor recreation, while mid- to late October is difficult to beat for photographers and anyone hoping to see New River Gorge at its most colorful.

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Best Hikes

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• Endless Wall -2.2 miles, 200' elevation gain (spectacular cliffside views, excellent sunrise opportunities, beautiful forest scenery)

• Long Point - 3 miles, 330' elevation gain (spectacular cliffside views, views of New River Gorge Bridge, great sunset opportunities)

• Kaymoor Miners Trail - 2 miles, 985' elevation gain (quad burner, historic mining ruins, views of Endless Wall)

• Beauty Mountain - 1 mile, 50' elevation gain (incredible sunset opportunities, peaceful setting, hidden gem)

• Grandview Rim Trail - 3 miles, 280' elevation gain (excellent canyon views, fewer crowds)​​