One-Day Guide to New River Gorge National Park
New River Gorge (NRG) is America's newest National Park. NRG became a National Park in 2019 and has an average of 1.7 million visitors each year! This was our first stop on our roadtrip from last summer, and while we only had a day here, we were still able to see a lot of the park! The park is very long, so it does take about an hour to get from one end to the other, but the hikes at each end made it worth the drive! Here is how I spent my one day in America's newest National Park
*I'm personally going to be suggesting a guide going north to south, so depending on where you're coming from you may need to flip the order*
Canyon Rim Visitor Center and Overlook Trail
Stopping at the visitor's center is almost always my first stop no matter which park I'm at. I like being able to pick up a map, and ask the rangers any questions I may have, as well as ask for any suggestions because they are always super helpful! It just so happens the first stop is just steps away from the Visitor's Center. The Canyon Rim Overlook Trail is a super quick and easy walk leading to probably the closest view of the bridge. The walk is only .2 miles total and is full accessible!
Long Point Trail
Next stop is about 15 minutes south of the visitor's center-Long Point Trail. Long Point Trail is about 3-miles round trip, and is rated as a moderate hike. The trail mostly goes through the forest and leads out to a rock offering panoramic views of the bridge. This is another great spot to view the bridge from a further back perspective and admire the gorge down below!
Grandview Rim Trail to Turkey Spur Rock
Another great trail with some awesome views is the Grandview Rim to Turkey Spur Rock combination trail. This trailhead is about a 50 minute drive from the Long Point Trail, and allows you to take in some of the park's views by car. This is another 3-mile roundtrip moderate hike. Starting with the Main Overlook you are immediately greeted with spectacular views of the gorge down below!
The hike from the main overlook to the Turkey Spur Overlook is about 1.5 miles and requires stair climbing as you approach that overlook. The views from the Turkey Spur were spectacular as well, however, the only pictures I took were of the deer in our path
After taking some time to take in the views at Turkey Spur, there's an option to hop on the Castle Rock trail which is what we did. It's on the way back to the parking lot and offers forest views with neat rock formations!
Sandstone Visitor's Center
Finish the day with a 20-minute drive down to Sandstone Visitor's Center which offers a very interactive, informational atmosphere to learn hands on about the park!
This is how I spent my one day at New River Gorge Park! Another hike I was recommended was the Endless Wall Trail, however, we ran out of time to get to that one. There are also a ton of different activities you can do throughout the park that are worth checking out if you're looking to do something other than hiking! Thanks for reading, and remember, there's always more to be explored!
-nicole elizabeth
