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Lat 38.0700° N
Long 81.0759° W
Elevation1,000 – 3,600 ft

West Virginia · Stamp 38 / 63

New River Gorge

National Park · Established 2020

A river older than the mountains it cuts through, spanned by one of the longest steel arch bridges on Earth.

Area72,808 acres
TrailheadLansing, West Virginia
Visitors1.7M / yr
Scroll to begin the ascent
Live · Free entry, no entrance fee Bridge Day (mid-October) draws huge crowds; plan around it or for it 1 active alert 72°F · Appalachian humidity Live layer, from the National Park Service
Best windowApr–Oct for hiking & rafting · Bridge Day third Saturday in October Getting there1 hr from Charleston, WV · 5.5 hr from Washington, DC FeeFree · no entrance fee
★★★★★ 4.9 from 1 travelers 1 visitor stories 1.7M annual visitors Grounded in live NPS data
New River Gorge · Mile 01 · The Story

A river older
than its mountains.

The New River is, despite its name, considered one of the oldest rivers on Earth, old enough that it was already flowing before the Appalachian Mountains around it finished rising, carving a gorge deeper and older than the peaks that now frame it. The New River Gorge Bridge, completed in 1977, spans that gorge 876 feet above the water, and at 1,700 feet its arch remains the longest steel arch span in the Western Hemisphere.

This became the country's newest national park in only 2020, upgraded from a national river designation, though the land has drawn climbers, rafters, and hikers for decades before that change. Every third Saturday of October, Bridge Day closes the span to traffic and opens it to hundreds of BASE jumpers and rappellers, drawing crowds that dwarf any other day of the year.

Come for the bridge. Stay for the whitewater, the sandstone cliffs, and some of the best rock climbing in the eastern United States. Read the story, plan around Bridge Day if that's not your scene, and when you leave, collect the stamp.

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“
A rugged, whitewater river flowing northward through deep and spectacular canyons, the New River is actually among the oldest rivers on Earth.
Adapted from National Park Service interpretive materials on New River Gorge
The Bridge, 876 Feet Up
"The mountains are calling and I must go."
John Muir
New River Gorge · Mile 02 · The Essentials

Best Things to Do in New River Gorge

Six ways to spend your time, from a bridge overlook to Class V whitewater below it.

See

Canyon Rim Visitor Center

The main stop for the classic bridge view, with an overlook and stairs down toward the rim for a closer angle.

The signature view
Do

Hike the Endless Wall Trail

A rim-edge trail with multiple overlooks of the gorge, the bridge, and the tracks below, popular with climbers.

Half day · confident hikers
Do

Whitewater raft the New River

Guided rafting trips run rapids ranging from mellow to Class V, with outfitters based just outside the park.

Half to full day · guided
See

Sandstone Falls

The largest waterfall on the New River, a wide, boardwalk-accessible cascade at the park's southern end.

Everyone · 20 min
Explore

Thurmond ghost town

A once-booming coal and railroad town now nearly abandoned, still served by a working Amtrak stop.

History · half day
Do

Rock climb the New River Gorge

Considered one of the best sandstone climbing destinations in the eastern United States, with routes for every level.

Climbers · guides available
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Plan Your New River Gorge Trip

Answer a few questions right here — we'll map your day, stop by stop, with a route, timings, weather, and a packing checklist grounded in real park data. No account, no leaving this page.

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Field-guide posters and the passport book, from our shop.
When the Crowds ComeMonthly visitors · tap a year
Illustrative shape · wires to official NPS visitation stats · summer peaks shown in gold
The Endless Wall
"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit."
Edward Abbey
New River Gorge · Mile 03 · Trails & Viewpoints

Best Hikes in New River Gorge, by Difficulty

Every trail rated honestly, with distance, climb, and a note on which overlooks give the classic bridge shot.

Long Point Trail

Easy–Mod
3.2 mi+250 ft~2 hr

One of the best classic views of the New River Gorge Bridge, ending at a rocky overlook point. No permit.

Endless Wall Trail

Easy–Mod
2.4 mi+200 ft~1.5 hr

A rim trail with multiple sandstone overlooks of the gorge, popular with both hikers and rock climbers. No permit.

Sandstone Falls Boardwalk

Easy
0.4 miflat~20 min

A short, accessible boardwalk to the largest waterfall on the New River, at the park's southern end. No permit.

Thurmond Trail

Easy
1 miflat~45 min

A short walk through the historic railroad ghost town of Thurmond, once a booming coal transport hub. No permit.

Grandview Rim Trail

Easy–Mod
3 mi+300 ft~2 hr

A rim trail at the park's Grandview section with some of the most photographed overlooks in the park, especially in spring rhododendron bloom. No permit.

Kaymoor Miners Trail

Strenuous
3.2 mi+900 ft~3 hr

A steep descent to the ruins of a historic coal mine on the gorge floor, with a genuinely tough climb back out. No permit.

No permit for day hikes · free park entry with no entrance fee · rafting and climbing typically arranged through licensed outfitters

New River Gorge National Park at a Glance
1  Canyon Rim Visitor Center
2  New River Gorge Bridge Overlook
3  Endless Wall Trail
4  Sandstone Falls
5  Long Point Trailhead
6  Thurmond Historic District
Stops shown in visit order. Build a plan above and this map updates to your exact stops.
New River Gorge · Mile 04 · Life in the Gorge

Wildlife in New River Gorge: Animals You Might See

Tap any animal to learn its story. Soon, the app will let you log what you spot and keep a life list for every park.

Reintroduced to the region after disappearing, now nesting on the sandstone cliffs of the gorge and occasionally visible diving near the bridge.

Common throughout the gorge's forested slopes, generally shy and most active in the early morning and evening.

Found throughout the park's forests, especially visible along quieter park roads at dawn and dusk.

A popular gamefish in the New River, drawing anglers to its warmwater sections below the whitewater stretches.

Present in the park's forests but elusive, mostly nocturnal, and rarely encountered by day visitors.

Common in the park's forested areas, a slow-moving and long-lived resident of the Appalachian understory.

North America's largest salamander, found in the park's cleanest, coldest streams, an indicator of high water quality.

Plant Life in New River Gorge: What Grows Here

Covers many of the gorge's rim trails in pink and white blooms each spring, especially dense around the Grandview area.

Found in the park's cooler, shaded ravines, though declining regionally due to an introduced insect pest.

One of the tallest hardwood trees in the eastern forest, common throughout the gorge's slopes.

Common on the drier, rockier sections of the gorge rim, blooming white to pink in early summer.

Grows on the exposed sandstone outcrops along the rim trails, tolerant of the thin soil and full sun exposure there.

Common along the New River's banks, identifiable by its distinctive mottled, peeling bark.

Fun Facts About New River Gorge

Fact 01

The New River is considered one of the oldest rivers on Earth, predating the Appalachian Mountains it now cuts through.

Fact 02

The New River Gorge Bridge's 1,700-foot arch is the longest steel arch span in the Western Hemisphere, standing 876 feet above the river.

Fact 03

New River Gorge became the country's newest national park in 2020, upgraded from a national river designation held since 1978.

Fact 04

Bridge Day, held the third Saturday of every October, draws hundreds of BASE jumpers and tens of thousands of spectators to the closed span.

New River Gorge · Provisions
Gear for this parkvia AvantLink
Climbing gear rentalFayetteville outfitters
Whitewater rafting tripLicensed river outfitters
Sturdy hiking bootsREI
Stay nearbyvia Hipcamp
Forest sites near Lansing
Ten minutes from the Canyon Rim entrance, gorge-rim access included, from $22 a night.
Free New River Gorge checklistdigital · $0
The printable trail and packing checklist in the field-guide style. Take it, join the trail list.
New River Gorge · Mile 05 · From the Field Journal

Go Deeper on New River Gorge

Stories, guides, and hard-won tips from the trail. The full New River Gorge deep dive lives on the journal.

Events

Bridge Day: What to Know Before You Go (or Avoid It)

Read the guide →
Photo Guide

The Best Bridge Views: Long Point vs. Canyon Rim

Read the guide →
Itinerary

2 Perfect Days in New River Gorge: Rim to River

Read the guide →
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Offline maps and your passport. Join the app waitlist.
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Free New River Gorge checklist
The printable trail and packing list, in the field-guide style.
★New River GorgePark Hub · Collected
Your passport

One stamp,
one story.

Log the visit, keep your story, and watch the map of all sixty-three fill in behind you. Every stamp has a keepsake worth holding.

New River Gorge · Mile 06 · Where to Next

Keep the Journey Going

Next park

Shenandoah

East across Virginia: from one gorge-rim national park to another ridge road in the Appalachians.

Open Stamp 22 → The collection

All 63 Parks

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View the map → Plan

Build a Trip

Turn New River Gorge into a road trip with a custom, day-by-day itinerary.

Start planning → Go deeper

The New River Gorge Deep Dive

The long-form guide: every trail, season, and secret, on the journal.

Read it →
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Twenty-five parks remain
"The parks do not belong to one state or to one section... they belong as much to the man of Massachusetts, of Michigan, of Florida, as they do to the people of California, of Wyoming, and of Arizona."
Stephen Mather · first director of the National Park Service
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