NEW RIVER GORGE NATIONAL PARK
THE BEST 3 DAY ITINERARY
Nestled into the lush forests and rugged terrain of West Virginia, New River Gorge National Park offers captivating natural beauty and thrilling outdoor adventures. A weekend at New River Gorge can be an unforgettable experience for nature enthusiasts and adventure seekers alike. So, pack your hiking boots and get ready to embark on an incredible weekend exploring one of America’s newest and most exciting national parks – New River Gorge.
How Much Time Do You Need AT NEW RIVER GORGE
Three-days is ideal, but you can hit most of the highlights in one day if you’re short on time. Alternatively, you can extend your trip if you want to do additional hikes.
AREAS NEAR NEW RIVER GORGE
We recommend finding an Airbnb as this will likely be the most convenient and possibly cheapest option. Ours was just 5 minutes away from the Canyon Rim visitor center and downtown Fayetteville. There are just a few hotels nearby. The other option is to camp.
EATING NEAR NEW RIVER GORGE
While National Parks aren’t necessarily known for their food, nearby Fayetteville has some pretty tasty food options. We ate most breakfasts and dinners outside of the park and packed sandwiches and snacks to eat while we were hiking.
DAY 1 – short hikes and a ghost town
Cathedral Cafe
You will want to start off your day with a good breakfast. We recommend Cathedral Cafe in Fayetteville. This unique restaurant is housed in a historic church that has been converted into a restaurant. It has some nice outdoor seating next to it, but you’ll want to sit inside near the stained glass windows for the interesting views. They have great breakfast sandwiches, as well as pancakes and breakfast burritos. Get here early because it fills up quickly.
Endless Wall Trail
Mileage: 2.4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate (easy by our standards)
Total Elevation Change: 427 feet
This was one of our favorite trails. It is a pretty easy 2.4-mile hike that goes along cliffs overlooking the river. You will have many opportunities for great views and vistas. Some people turn around at Diamond Point which would make it a 2-mile hike. However, you can make it a complete loop by going the extra .4 miles. However, on this extra .4 miles, you’ll walk alongside a road, though not a very busy one.
Canyon Rim Visitor Center
Stop by the park’s main visitor center. We recommend stopping by the Visitor Center later in the day so that you can get to the trails before they get too crowded. However, it is good to check out some exhibits and they have a 20-minute film about the history of the park. There’s also a nice view out the back overlooking trees and a short loop trail around the Visitor Center. It only takes about 15 minutes to walk.
Thurmond Ghost Town
You can then head out to Thurmond Ghost Town. This is a cool little ghost town set along an active Amtrak railroad line. It has some interesting abandoned factory and business buildings that are still standing, as well as a visitor center that has some additional exhibits. Sadly, we did not experience any paranormal activity during our visit. The Thurmond Depot Visitor Center is open every day seasonally between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Dunlop Creek Falls
On the way back, stop at Dunlop Creek Falls which is only a few minutes from Thurmond, right off of the road. It is a nice little waterfall and allows you to get close to the river.
Burrito Bar at Breeze Hill
We recommend stopping for a meal at the Burrito Bar. It is a Mexican Fusion restaurant that has some tasty burritos that won’t break the bank. It also has a great outdoor patio setup with a nice view of the mountains. They have a good beer and alcohol selection, as well as occasional live music.
Day 2 – hikes, overlooks, pizza, and local beer
Grandview Main Overlook
This is one of the most popular overlooks, and for good reason. It gives you a great view of the gorge and river. You can see the railroad running along the river as well. It’s only a minute or two walk from the large parking lot. Stop at the overlook before starting the Castle Rock trail.
Castle Rock Trail
Mileage: 1 mile roundtrip
Difficulty: Strenuous (moderate by our standards)
Total Elevation Change: 173 feet
This trail begins near the Grandview Main Overlook and ends as it intersects with the Grandview Rim Trail. This is considered a strenuous .6 mile long trail. However, it will end up being 1 mile long since you will need to loop back. This hike will take you under and along overhanging cliffs and give you some great viewpoints of the gorge and river. It was a really cool hike that should not be missed!
The Castle Rock trail has great up-close views of the rocks and cliffs while on the way back you will be taking the Grandview trail that has great viewpoints of the river. You can continue along the Grandview Rim Trail if you want to make it longer and hike to Turkey Spur Rock. This would make the hike around 3.1 miles long and will go through beautiful rhododendron filled woods that will look almost like a tunnel. If you’re not up for a 3 miles hike, you can do what we did and opt to head back to the start and then drive to Turkey Spur Rock. It’s only a short drive away.
Turkey Spur Rock
You can either hike along the pretty flat Grandview Rim trail for roughly 1.5 miles each way or just drive to the parking lot right next to the rock. We decided to drive. It was a short but steep walk up some stairs to reach the top of the rock. At the top you will get an amazing view of the surrounding area and gorge. I would prioritize this viewpoint if you can only go to a few.
Kaymoor Miners Trail
Mileage: 1.6 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous (also strenuous by our standards)
Total Elevation Change: 950 feet
Kaymoor Miners Trail was by far the hardest trail we hiked in the park. It is basically straight down a mountain which includes 821 wooden steps, and right back up the mountain. Along this trail you will find remains of the coal mining operation. You will first walk down a rocky slope until you reach your first major ruins. This part is briefly flat and intersects with the Kaymoor trail. We took a break here and I almost stepped on a poisonous Copperhead snake while looking at a lizard (so lookout for snakes). After that you will continue down the 821 wooden steps to the main area of the mining operation. At the bottom you will be able to get off the walkway and wander through some of the ruins and you may even be able to see a little bit of the river through the trees.
It was really interesting to see the old mining set up. Your legs and glutes will be killing you after you are done walking up!
Babcock State Park
Babcock State Park is not a part of the New River Gorge National Park, but it is a great place to check out. It has a picturesque gristmill along the river that you may have seen before as a screensaver. This iconic gristmill is also still in operation. You can try taking some great photos downriver from it (they even have a sign indicating where to take the best one) and then walk through it to check it out (free entry). The gristmill is open Memorial Day through Labor Day. After Labor Day, it is only open on weekends and closes for the season on the last Sunday in October. Cornmeal ground at the mill is also available for purchase from the park gift shop. Afterwards you can drive around the park and check out the different lookouts, as well as Boley Lake.
If you have time and energy for a short hike, the Island in the Sky Trail is the most popular one.
Dinner at Pies and Pints
We always get nervous about the food options when we visit national parks, because historically, they’re not the best. But we were so happily surprised with the food options near New River Gorge. We highly recommend Pies and Pints for dinner in Fayetteville. Get here on the earlier side since it gets packed quickly despite being a large establishment. They have a great selection of pizzas and craft beer, and can accommodate allergies and dietary preferences – like with their gluten free or dairy free pizzas. We had the Grape and Gorgonzola and the Chipotle Chicken pizzas and they were delicious. We also made sure to try a craft beer local to the area. And the best part is that it is only a few minutes from the National Park entrance!
day 3 – iconic views and one more short hike
For your final day, there are few more things you can check out! Before we drove home, we got up early and hiked another popular and easy trail called Long Point Trail.
Long Point Trail
Milage: Roughly 3 miles total out and back
Difficulty: Moderate (we found it easy)
Elevation Gain: 344 feet
If you’ve seen a picture of New River Gorge, it’s most likely of THE BRIDGE. You know the one I’m talking about. This one (pictured below). This was a perfect, mostly flat trail that led to one of the best views of the bridge that you can get. You will end up at a rocky outcrop that gives you an unobstructed view of the bridge and gorge. You will be walking on the opposite side of the gorge than the Endless Wall trail that you hiked on Day 1.
Fayette Station Road – Bridge
We recommend you do a nice 8 mile scenic driving loop. It will probably take you around 45 minutes with stops. You start near the Canyon Rim Visitor Center and drive down the hill. There will be multiple pullouts along the way to take in the different views of the bridge and river. You will even end up right under the bridge. Once you reach the river you can park before the Fayetteville Station bridge and then walk onto the bridge. This will allow you to get a different perspective on the New River Gorge Bridge and some nice photos.
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