Review of New River Gorge National Park: A paradise tucked away in West Virginia

 

Grandview Overlook, New River Gorge National Park

During the month of October, our pack (my wife, myself, and our Pomeranian) stayed at a ski resort in West Virginia, called Snowshoe Mountain Resort.  It took us several days to get acclimated to our new place, but eventually we set out to explore the beautiful state of West Virginia.

One of those destinations ended up being the New River Gorge National Park.  We were introduced to this park by YouTubers Adventure Archives, who visited the park twice on their many awesome camping trips.  We were excited to be visiting a park filmed by the folks at Adventure Archives, and we were eager to get going!

New River Gorge National Park is one of the most recent parks to be designated as a national park (December 2020).  It was also listed by Time Magazine as one of 100 greatest places on the planet.  

The New River is one of the oldest rivers in the world, with many believing it to be the oldest in the United States.  Encompassing over 70,000 acres of land along the New River, opportunities for outdoor recreation such as hiking, whitewater rafting, camping, fishing, etc. exist to satisfy all nature lovers.  The iconic New River Gorge Bridge is perhaps the most famous landmark at the park, but there are many other fantastic sights along the New River, including various overlooks and hikes that all afford great views.

First things first.  In West Virginia, the distances will always be longer when driving thanks to mountainous terrain and sometimes scary roads.  There are roads with speed limits of not more than 10 mph due to their hairpin turns, ascending and descending over those steep mountains.  

Normally, a distance of say 60 miles will take roughly about an hour or so, but not in West Virginia.  It may end up taking close to two hours to navigate those treacherous curves, which are at times both exciting and hair raising.  

From the Snowshoe Mountain Resort to New River Gorge, the driving distance is about 110 miles.  We knew we would need at least two hours (or longer) to get there.  We packed our usual provisions (lunch/drinks for us, treat/water for Toby), then headed out at around 9 a.m.

Taking a southerly route, we drove on some of the most beautiful roads we’ve ever driven, including the famous Highland Scenic Highway.  It felt like we were driving on top of a mountain ridge with clouds below us at times.  It was just breathtaking…

At one of the overlooks dotting the Highland Scenic Highway, we met a nice young man, Peter, who was hiking solo.  He planned on hiking 150 miles!  We chatted for several minutes about his journey across the wilds of West Virginia.  He mentioned he loves the solitude of being alone in the woods, with only critters and animals to keep him company.

We asked him if he had ever encountered a bear, but luckily, he had not.  He did recommend us to make big motions (and holler) when encountering a black bear.  Grisly bears, on the other hand, do not care WHAT you do.  He hoped he NEVER sees a grisly bear on his own…

Views everywhere!

What a view!

This sign is from the parking lot as you turn into the highway 

Another view from an overlook 

As the Highland Scenic Highway ended at the intersection of Route 219, we continued on Route 219.  I will say Route 219 is no slouch when it comes to beautiful views and awesome drives.  I was having the time of my life driving through achingly beautiful West Virginia.

After well over two hours of driving, we finally made it to the Canyon Rim Visitor Center at the New River Gorge.  We saw that this National Park was a popular one, due to the quickly filling up parking lots and the humongous tour buses that lined the visitor center.

We parked and let Toby out for his walk.  We also checked out the visitor center for a pit stop and to get some advice on what we must see on our first trip to the New River Gorge National Park.  The friendly ranger told us to visit the overlook by the bridge, but also to visit further up on the trail for a closer look at the New River Gorge Bridge.  He also recommended the Grandview Overlook, about 30 minute drive south from the Canyon Rim Visitor Center.

After thanking the ranger, and taking some photos of the beautiful New River, we went back to our car to eat our lunch before starting our sightseeing.  We were, as usual, not properly dressed for the day.  We had dressed warmly thinking it would be bit chilly at the park, but we were wrong.  

Canyon Rim Visitor Center/looking at New River

It was a warm and sunny 70 degrees by the time we finished our lunch!  Lamenting our decision to dress warmly, we nonetheless headed out towards the New River Gorge Bridge Overlook.  The overlook is reached via a well maintained boardwalk/deck that takes about 5 minutes to descend for most people (there are about 180 steps down, then 180 steps back up).

We took our time descending the steps and stopped at every deck to look at the scenery.  We had to lift Toby, as he wasn’t himself that day.  He was complaining about the hot weather and expected us to give him a lift.  He is such a little furry prince!

We made it down to the deck overlooking the famous New River Gorge Bridge and absolutely loved the views.  We took few minutes taking in the scenery and the smells, while trying not to be run over by the throng of people constantly rotating in and out of the overlook deck!

New River Gorge Bridge 

View from the overlook 

We headed back up to check out the other overlook closer to the bridge.  As usual, the trip back up took twice as long, as we had to lift Toby up as well.  

We walked about two minutes to the scenic overlook which sits almost atop the bridge.  It really was a fantastic view, and we were glad the ranger told us to check this place out.

New River Gorge Bridge/closer view

After few minutes, we decided to head out towards the other place the ranger recommended, the Grandview Overlook.  We followed our Google Maps direction to the Grandview Overlook, which took about 30 minutes.  It took us into a small town once we got out of the highway exit.  Just when we thought the road was about to end, a sign came up directing us to the Grandview Overlook area on right.

We found a huge parking lot fairly empty by that time of the day.  We parked then headed for the small visitor center which was closed that day.  We found the sign to the overlook, and walked towards it.

The closer we got to the overlook, we got the sense that we were looking down from the top of a very tall mountain towards the river below.  It was a fantastic view!

Grandview Overlook 

We could see miles out into the distance.  The New River was laid out below like an impossibly long serpent making its way deep into the surrounding mountains.  We saw birds soaring high in the air.  Air was absolutely crisp and smelled great with a subtle hint of pine trees.  My kind of a day…

After enjoying the best of what nature can give us, we slowly made our way towards the parking lot.  We had a long drive back to our condo, made 30 minutes longer by us taking this southerly detour from the Canyon Rim Visitor Center.  

We didn’t mind the drive back even if it was a bit longer.  We were just glad and grateful we got to experience, if all too briefly, the New River Gorge National Park.  We know we barely scratched the surface, but we’re certain we will be going back there in the future, to experience it some more…

We highly recommend everyone visiting West Virginia to make a sojourn to New River Gorge National Park.  It is a majestic place full of incredible scenery and things to do.  It is in one word, a paradise.

We thank you all for reading!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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