New River Gorge National Park & Preserve guides
12 in-depth guides to New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, in reading order: what to see, how to get around, and what to know before you go. Back to the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve overview.
The 83-Mile Gorge Loop Scenic Drive
The 83-mile loop is an estimated three-hour drive that encircles the heart of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
Canyon Rim and the New River Gorge Bridge
The Canyon Rim Visitor Center sits beside the New River Gorge Bridge, just north of Fayetteville, and serves as the park's main information point.
Upper vs. Lower New: Choosing Your Whitewater
Inside the park, the New River flows free for 53 miles, from Bluestone Dam down to Hawks Nest Lake.
Climbing the Gorge's Sandstone Cliffs
The sandstone cliffs here are made of a very hard rock known as Nuttall sandstone. Some walls are only about 30 feet tall, while others reach 120 feet.
Endless Wall and Long Point Cliff Hikes
Park trails run from a quarter mile to 7 miles, and the Endless Wall Trail is among the most popular.
An Ancient River Older Than Its Mountains
Geologists count the New among the oldest waterways on this continent, and it may be older than the Appalachian Mountains that rise around it.
Nuttallburg's Preserved Coal Tipple and Conveyor
Nuttallburg was a busy coal mining town along the New River, and its remains now make up the Nuttallburg Coal Mining Complex and Town Historic District.
1,300 Plant Species and 65 Mammals in the Gorge
Few river gorges in the central and southern Appalachians hold as many plant species as this one, with some 1,400 recorded here.
Free Primitive Riverside Campgrounds
Camping along the New River in this park is primitive only, and the campgrounds charge no fees.
Thurmond: A Railroad Coal Town Frozen in Time
Thurmond's story begins with the railroad. When the railroad reached this isolated corner of West Virginia in 1873, coal suddenly had a way to leave the region.
Sandstone Falls and the Southern River
Sandstone Falls is the largest waterfall on the New River, where the water spreads about 1,500 feet across.
Grandview's Main Overlook and Rim Trails
Grandview Main Overlook is a short walk from the Grandview Visitor Center parking lot. Its large, mostly flat rock sits about 1,400 feet above the New River and looks down on a horseshoe bend.
