August 2021

New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia is the newest national park in the US, joining this elite group of parks in January of 2021. After our visit I completely support this designation. It is a stunningly beautiful area with many interesting sites to visit and a wide variety of things to do.

On our first day, after a quick stop at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center in Lansing, we went on the New River Gorge Bridge Walk. The bridge, at 6/10ths of a mile long, is the 3rd longest single arch bridge in the world, and at a height of 876′ it is the 3rd highest bridge in the US. It was completed in 1977 at a cost of $37 million. The bridge was built with a catwalk directly underneath the road and spanning its entire length and this is where the tour takes you. Very high up! The views were amazing and our tour guide Paul was entertaining. From some of the pictures you can see the old bridge almost 900′ below us…more on that later. I would definitely recommend this adventure when you visit the park but don’t do it if you are afraid of heights!

Once a year, on the 3rd Saturday in October, they celebrate Bridge Day. Base jumpers pay $75 to jump off the bridge and must have at least 100 prior jumps to get a the pass. They have about 6-7 seconds to free fall before opening their parachutes to land on the tiny beach below. That would be something to see!

The next day, after a delicious breakfast at Biscuit World (its a small chain with fabulous biscuits), we drove to the the Endless Wall trailhead so that I could go on a 2-mile hike. The view was beautiful from Diamond Point Overlook at the top.

After my hike we drove the Fayette Station Road Tour, an 8-mile, one-way twisting road that takes you down to the banks of the New River and across the old Fayette Station Bridge. We saw rafters coming through the Fayette Station rapids to this popular spot.

In the afternoon we went to the historic Thurmond District. A short walk through “downtown” Thurmond offers a look at this once thriving railroad community.

The next day we took our final trip into the park to Sandstone Falls near the town of Hinton. The largest waterfall on the New River (mostly due to its width, not its height) can be viewed from the a boardwalk and .5 mile Island Loop trail. Some kids were swimming in the falls and it looked quite inviting on this very hot day.

With over 53 hiking trails and many more interesting sites to see we really just got a taste of what the park has to offer. I would highly recommend a visit!