New River Gorge National River

By Jacob

New River Gorge National River is located in south central West Virginia. The park is designated along the New River in a scenic part of the New River Gorge administered by the National Parks Service. We visited this site as part of our 2017 trip to North Carolina. We visited the northern part of the park where the huge New River arch bridge is located.

We were staying in Charleston, WV that night and it was early so we drove there to the park. Suddenly, we are driving along and we are on this massive arch bridge. It was kind of hard to tell except for the huge drop offs we could see on either side, the bridge is supported by a large steel arch so it can be hard to tell when you are on it. We then took the first right to go to the park visitor center.

At the visitor center they had a stunning view of the New River Gorge as well as information about the park and trails. We decided that we would do the Long Point Overlook. Before we went back across the bridge to the trailhead we started to explore a little bit. We followed some trails around the rim of the gorge and took some spectacular pictures. We also got a close look at the New River Gorge Bridge we just came across. It was a spectacular view and an impressive work of engineering. We could also see down in the river and saw rafters down on the swift rapids. There is much to do in this park and I would love to go back.

We head back to the car and across the bridge. We took a road in the small town of Fayetteville, WV and found our trailhead. The trail takes you to Long Point with a spectacular panoramic view of the bridge, New River and surrounding Gorge. The trail to the point was pretty boring as it was through a wooded area with not a lot to see. When you get to Long Point you realize the boring journey was worth it. You arrive at a rock outcropping to see the entire gorge bridge. It was a surprisingly cool place and a hidden gem.