Exploring the Wonders of New River Gorge America's Newest National Park

Our final summer road trip led us to New River Goreg, America's newest National Park.

Ashley had previously visited the area around 2010 to go white water rafting, before it became a National Park, but I had never been before.

Cliffs tower above the New River which carves through the gorge and for which the park is named. Despite its name, the New River is one of the five oldest rivers in the world geologically speaking. The river boasts rapids up to class V which make it the premier destination in the east for white water rafting.

History & Background

Although it only became a National Park in 2020, the area was designated as a National River Area in 1978, only about 10% of the National River Area was included in the National Park designation; the remaining area is still a Nature Preserve. The area was shaped and continues to be shaped by its namesake river with geological features of the Appalachian Plateau on display, having been carved out by the water. It's still possible to find fossils of plants and invertebrates in the area.

Like many places in West Virgina, the New River Gorge area has a history closely tied to coal mining. While there are still has active mines, they are not as extensive as in the past. The area is said to be home to some of the best bituminous coal in the world. You can find ruins of historical coal mining structures, mines, coke ovens and even abandoned company-owned towns. There are around 50 such towns around the Gorge. The most popular are Thurmond ghost town, a popular spot for sunrise/sunset and Kay Moor mine which you can hike to.

Pre-dating mining and colonization, the area was home to a number of different Native American tribes including the Cherokee, Shawnee and Seneca. Signs of human habitation in the Gorge date even further back, with the earliest artifacts of spearheads and other tools dating between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago.

Where to Stay

There's no shortage of dog-friendly campgrounds in and around New River Gorge, including the National Park campgrounds and state park campgrounds. One thing to pay attention to is if they have showers or not, that was ultimately the deciding factor for staying at a National Park campground or not. The campgrounds in the park with availability during our dates didn't have showers, this led to staying outside the park at Rifrafters Campground

Ryker demands the comfort of Zenbivy

a short drive from the park. Rifrafters offers RV and tent camping along with cabin rentals. They have a camp store, playground, laundry and dog park. The bathrooms were also very clean with hot water and good water pressure. We booked a site with a covered platform which was a bit farther away from other sites which is always nice with the doggos. A covered platform also meant we could leave the rainfly off our tent without worry which was great for airflow in the heat. The platform also had electricity, lights and outlets so charging things like the batteries for the fan was very convenient and we didn't have to worry about lanterns. The campground was fairly quiet overall even with kids and quiet hours at night we enforced. If camping isn't for you there are numerous cabins for rent in the area and a few lodges.

Overlooks and Viewpoints

Canyon View Overlook - Located at the Canyon View Visitor Center, this easily accessible overlook provides sweeping views of the gorge and the New River Gorge Bridge. We hit the overlook for sunset on our first day in the Gorge. The overlook has upper and lower viewing platforms, both have great views, but during the summer there may be some foliage obstructing your views. You can also access the Bridge Trail which takes you down underneath the bridge.

Grandview Main Overlook - I found Grandview to be a more impressive overlook as it looks

out over a horseshoe bend in the river, very similar to horseshoe bend in Arizona, but with trees instead of rock formations. The view is less obstructed by foliage so it would be a great place to catch sunrise or sunset. There are also several trails that start by the Grandview Overlook, including

Hikes

Endless Wall Trail

This is probably one of the most popular hikes in the Gorge. During summer or high season, it's recommended that you get to the trailhead early to avoid the crowds or the heat. This trail is a 2.4 mile out and back (for a total of about 5 miles) with trailheads at either end. The trail weaves along the edge of the cliff with many vistas and lookout points, the turnout of Diamond Point is often considered the best lookout spot and is also a good spot for some astrophotography. There are many turnoffs that are access points for climbers, so you may hear or see some climbers on the cliffs or setting up/coming off them.

Distance: 5.5 miles Time: 2 - 2.5 hours Elevation: 538 feet Difficulty: Easy

Castle Rock & Grandview Trail to Turkey Spur & Tunnel Trail

This was my favorite hike of our trip. We arrived the Grandview Welcome Center quite early and headed to the overlook first. The morning fog hadn't completely burned off yet and was there were still whisps floating above the trees and river. After snapping some pictures,

we headed down the Castle Rock trail, a fairly easy amble along the edge of the gorge with several great viewpoints, eventually the trail wandered away from the gorge edge through the woods until we arrived at Castle Rock which is an impressive rock wall that towers above the gorge , after swinging around Castle Rock we continued onto the Turkey Spur Trail, you also have the option of making a loop and heading back to the trailhead via the Grandview Rim Trail. You can reach Turkey Spur either by driving to the parking lot at the base or by hiking to it the way we did. To reach the top of Turkey Spur you have to climb 150 steps but are greeted with 360-degree views over gorge, it would be a great place for stargazing or sunrise/sunset. After a snack break at the top, we headed back to the Grandview Trailhead via the rim trail, when we got back the trailhead the visitor center was still closed so we opted to do the Tunnel Trail which is at the same trailhead. It's a short lollipop trail that takes you through a few mini cliffs and rock formations, the tunnel itself is actually closed off with grates for safety, but you can see where people are still climbing around and on top of it, do so at your own risk.

Distance: 3.2 miles Duration: 1 - 2 hours Elevation: 255 feet Difficulty: Easy

Trying out Top Roping Outdoors

With over 1,400 established climbing routes ranging from beginner friendly to advanced routes with overhangs and technical climbs, the gorge is a top destination for outdoor climbing on the East coast. The rock in the Gorge is Nuttall Sandstone and the formations are part of the Sharon Conglomerate that extends farther north in Ohio and south through Kentucky. I had previously tried top roping outdoors at Hinkley Ledges in Ohio, which was a fun experience, however, the ledges are quite short, and I was looking for a more immersive experience to see how I felt about climbing outside and on taller walls. With Saturday

afternoon projected to be fairly hot, Ashley and the doggos hung out in camp keeping cool while I headed to Ace Family Adventures for some rappelling and top roping. While there are numerous guiding services in New River Gorge, I went with Ace Family Adventures for a few reasons:

1) they could fit me in day of as I had not thought to book ahead of time

2) They didn't charge me an arm and a leg as a solo participant

3) My focus was less on skills and more on just trying it out and having fun

I had a lot of fun. We started off with rappelling, which wasn't my favorite due to my fear of heights and having to just hop backwards off a cliff! They offered four different top rope routes ranging from 5.5 to 5.8 in difficulty, all quite manageable. What surprised me the most was how for hand holds it was mostly slopers and crimps even on the 5.5 route, but the feet were so good. Whether you want to try climbing for the first time, are looking to move from gym to crag, or are an experienced climber, the Gorge has something to offer you.

Astrophotography

Finding truly dark skies in and around the Gorge can be challenging due to light pollution from nearby towns. However, you can still capture some great shots of the night sky. The best spots are the Long Point Trail viewpoint or along the Endless Wall Trail with Diamond Point being the best lookout point. Both lookout points require a fairly easy hike in of around 2 miles on fairly flat trails so it's not too difficult even in the dark. Depending on what time the milky way will rise you could hike out for sunset, have dinner and hang out all night capturing the night sky!

Other Activities in The Gorge

-White Water Rafting: I've mentioned it several times already, but I'll mention it at least once more. Whether you're a seasoned pro or it's your first time, the gorge has something to offer you. Rafting outfitters run trips year-round with the most popular months May -

October. Ashley went white water rafting in the gorge nearly a decade ago and still raves about what a great experience it was.

-Adventure Resorts: There are a number of adventure resorts in the gorge area. They offer almost every kind of outdoor adventure activity that you can think of: ziplining, 4-wheeling, high-ropes courses, horseback riding and waterparks among other activities. You can stay at the adventure parks or just visit for a day.

Jr Ranger and BARK Ranger

While Jr Rangers may be primarily aimed at kids, there's no age limit to participate. The workbooks encourage you to have a mindful moment appreciating nature, refresh LNT rules, and fun animal facts. I started doing the Jr Ranger program on my trip to Yosemite and consider the badges and workbooks fun souvenirs. I also enjoy having the park rangers swear me in with the pledge.

New River Gorge is one of the National Parks that are very dog-friendly, with most of the trails allowing dogs and your pup can be sworn in as BARK ranger. The tags are available for purchase at the Canyon View visitor center, but unfortunately, they were out when we visited.