This past weekend, Patrick and I took a short and sweet trip to New River Gorge National Park. We left so impressed with how much this national park had to offer and we are already looking forward to a future trip someday. Even though our time was limited, we truly made the most of the weekend and saw some incredible highlights in New River Gorge national park.

Things to Know About New River Gorge

• New River Gorge is completely FREE to enter the park!
• The closest town to New River Gorge is Fayetteville, WV and it is such a cool little town.
• All 8 campgrounds within New River Gorge are also completely FREE which is a huge plus for campers! We stayed at Grand Sandbar campground and really enjoyed it. Keep in mind, the campgrounds are primitive, so no flush toilets, running water, showers, etc. The sites at each campground are also first come first serve. If camping isn’t your thing, there are plenty of hotels within the area as well.

Things to Do in New River Gorge

• Check out the bridge overlook near the Canyon Rim Visitor’s Center. This overlook gives you a stunning view of the bridge and it’s an easy walk. There are steps you can also take for an up close view of the bridge, but it is 178 steps so keep that in mind. I’d recommended walking down if you’re able, seeing the bridge a little up close was so cool!
• Drive to the grand/ “main overlook.” We weren’t able to do this because we were staying in a different area of the park, but next visit this is definitely on our list!
• Take a hike! New River Gorge surprised us with so many incredible hikes. We only had time for two but they were some of our favorite hiking experiences we’ve ever had!
  • Endless Wall Trail. This trail is 3.2 miles round trip and it’s technically a loop trail but learn from our mistake, the start and end points don’t connect back to the same parking lot! If you park at endless wall trailhead and hike all the way in a loop direction, you will end at Nuttall parking lot. Thankfully, these parking lots are a 12 minute walk a part but if you don’t want to walk back to your car afterwards, I’d recommend making the hike an out and back style. Regardless, this trail is incredible and gives you stunning views of the wall cliff side and the gorge underneath!
  • Long Point trail. This is one of the most popular trails in the park and for good reason! This 3.2 mile out and back trail gives you a stunning view of the new river gorge bridge. I’d say this trail is fairly easy with very little elevation gain.
  • Castle Rock trail. We didn’t have time for this hike but it’s on our list for next time!
• Spend time in Fayetteville, WV. This is the park’s closest nearby town and it’s such a cool area. We had so much fun walking around, checking out shops, and eating delicious food! Our favorite food stops were:
  • Secret Sandwich Society
  • Pies and Pints
  • Rangefinder Coffee
  • Cathedral Coffee