Photo: Andrew Heneen, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The New River has carved a gorge nearly 1,000 feet deep through the West Virginia mountains, lined with sandstone cliffs and dense green forest. Rafters run its rapids, climbers work its walls, and a famous steel arch bridge leaps across it. The hikes are short but rewarding, mostly rim walks to cliff-edge overlooks and steep trails down to old coal towns. Spend one day near Fayetteville and the bridge, and another down south at Grandview and Sandstone Falls.
TRAILS
1 OF 6
Endless Wall Trail
Difficulty
Moderate
Length
2.4 mi one way
Elevation gain
430 ft
Fayetteville area · Fern Creek trailhead — Our top pick in the park. The trail crosses Fern Creek through rhododendron tunnels, then runs along the top of a long sandstone cliff with view after view. Diamond Point, about a mile in, looks straight down the gorge to the river nearly 1,000 feet below. Turn back there for a 2-mile hike, or finish the trail and walk half a mile of road back to the start.
⚠︎ The Fern Creek lot is small and fills fast. Do not park on the road; use the Nuttall trailhead instead.
Photo: NPS photo/Dave Bieri, public domain, Wikimedia Commons
2 OF 6
Long Point Trail
Difficulty
Moderate
Length
3.2 mi
Elevation gain
300 ft
Fayetteville · Newton Road trailhead — A gentle forest walk that ends on a rocky point jutting into the gorge, with the best head-on view of the New River Gorge Bridge. It is the place to be at sunset, and the color in October is hard to beat. The last stretch is on open rock with no railings. Keep kids and dogs close near the edge.
Photo: NPS photo/Dave Bieri, public domain, Wikimedia Commons
3 OF 6
Grandview Rim Trail
Difficulty
Moderate
Length
3.2 mi
Elevation gain
300 ft
Grandview · Main Overlook — From Main Overlook, the trail follows the rim past several viewpoints of a huge horseshoe bend, ending at Turkey Spur Overlook. In early summer the rhododendrons along the rim burst into bloom. A road reaches Turkey Spur too, so you can set up a car shuttle and hike one way. The last section to Turkey Spur gets steep.
Photo: Aparkswv, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
4 OF 6
Kaymoor Miners Trail
Difficulty
Strenuous
Length
2 mi
Elevation gain
900 ft
Fayetteville · Kaymoor Top trailhead — A steep trip into coal-mining history. Rocky switchbacks drop to the old Kaymoor mine opening, then 821 wooden steps descend to the ruins of the processing plant, coke ovens and town site near the river. Everything you go down, you climb back up. Take your time, bring plenty of water, and leave the old structures as you find them.
⚠︎ Trail work has closed the upper section on some weekdays. Check nps.gov/neri first.
Photo: NPS photo/Dave Bieri, public domain, Wikimedia Commons
5 OF 6
Sandstone Falls Boardwalk
Difficulty
Easy
Length
0.5 mi
Elevation gain
Flat
South · Sandstone Falls — The largest waterfall on the New River stretches about 1,500 feet across, broken by islands into drops of 10 to 25 feet. An accessible boardwalk crosses two bridges onto the islands for close views. It is a long, slow drive on a narrow river road, so make a picnic of it. Stay on the boardwalk; the water here is swift and dangerous.
⚠︎ River Road is narrow and single-lane in places. Vehicles over 25 feet are not advised.
Photo: Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
6 OF 6
Canyon Rim Boardwalk
Difficulty
Moderate
Length
0.2 mi
Elevation gain
178 steps
Lansing · Canyon Rim Visitor Center — The quickest look at the bridge, right outside the visitor center. An accessible ramp leads to the upper deck, and 178 steps go down to a lower overlook with a fuller view of the arch. It's a perfect first stop to get your bearings. Remember that the steps back up are the hard part.
Photo: Weisloa, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Plan your New River Gorge trip
The Nova Bound app builds the whole trip around these trails: where to stay, where to charge, and what to see each day. Coming soon to the App Store.
Distances are round trip unless noted, from NPS.gov and rounded. Trails, permits and road openings change; always check nps.gov before you go. Trail write-ups by Nova Bound.