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New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Fayetteville, WV

Photo: Aparkswv, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureIconicFree

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

Canyon Rim Visitor Center, beside the New River Gorge Bridge on US-19 · Fayetteville, WV

Why you should go…

The park follows the New River for 53 miles and covers more than 70,000 acres of gorge and forest. Canyon Rim Visitor Center sits on the edge of the gorge beside the New River Gorge Bridge, with exhibits and a bookstore. The Lower Gorge has rapids from Class III to Class V, and the sandstone cliffs hold more than 1,400 established climbing routes. On Bridge Day, the third Saturday in October, you can walk across the bridge while BASE jumpers leap and rappellers dangle below.

  • #national park
  • #whitewater rafting
  • #rock climbing
  • #hiking
  • #scenic overlook

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, ordered by straight-line distance.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    New River Gorge Bridge

    Free

    Look out at the steel arch that carries US 19 876 feet above the New River from decks below the Canyon Rim Visitor Center.

    Right next doorSwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Rail Explorers Elk River

    $25–$50

    Electric-assist rail bike tours along Buffalo Creek in central West Virginia, past waterfalls and old rail relics.

    27 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sightseeing
    Outdoor Adventure

    Braxton County

    Free

    Rural county in the geographic center of West Virginia, with historic Bulltown and Sutton Lake.

    46 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing