3 Day Epic Itinerary at New River Gorge National Park
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All photos in this post were taken by me during our trip. I love capturing real experiences to give you an authentic look at what to expect.
New River Gorge is America’s newest National Park. It is described as an adventurous park and is said to have world class rock climbing and white water rafting! My family loves to take adventurous trips so this was a really fun find for us. We spent 3 full days at New River and all agreed it wasn’t long enough! Here’s our 3 day itinerary for New River Gorge National Park and what we hope to do on our next visit!
Day 1 – Guided Rock Climbing
We started off our trip with an epic day of climbing the sandstone cliffs of the gorge. This was by far the highlight of the trip for all of us. After some online research we chose to do a guided rock climb with New River Mountain Guides. The entire experience was wonderful from start to finish!
Our son is very into rock climbing and even has experience on a local bouldering team, so we opted for the full-day climb. This was just the right amount of time for us. There were 3 climbers to 1 guide. Everyone was able to climb until they were tired and no one had to wait so long they got bored. But to be honest, who could be bored in a place as picturesque and peaceful as this? We went to three different climbing spots with our guide and they were all so much fun.
We chose to go climbing on our first day because it was the only weekday we had on our trip. Because we went in October, we were hoping the crowds would be less and we wouldn’t have to share the climbs and we were right! We only had to share the routes with another group once the whole day. This was our first trip to the park so I don’t know how the crowds are in the summer but you can definitely ask the guides at New River Mountain Guides. They were very helpful in our planning leading up to the trip so I’m sure they’ll be able to help you pick the perfect day during your trip as well! It doesn’t have to be the first item on your itinerary but guided rock climbing is a must do activity in New River Gorge National Park.
You can read our full review in this post – A Full Day of Adventure with New River Mountain Guides
Day 2 – Fayette Station Road & Exploring the Gorge
After a full day of climbing we decided to take the next day pretty slow and sleep in. After we had breakfast we decided to head out on a scenic drive. The Fayette Station Road is a windy road that leads you from the top of the gorge at the Canyon Rim Visitors Center and down into the gorge. It is a beautiful, windy road with stunning views of the forest and gorge the entire time. It is a relatively short drive making it the perfect option for kids who do not enjoy long drives.
Right after you cross the narrow bridge, there will be a parking lot on your right. This is the parking lot for the Fayette Station Public River Access. If you follow the path down to the water you can see the New River and the New River Bridge stretched across it! This is one of my favorite views in the park. The river rushes over large boulders, you can watch the brave travelers white water rafting or the train as it passes by on the other side of the gorge. Its the perfect spot for pictures of your family with the river and gorge behind you.
If you make it to the water’s edge, you can follow those boulders down the river a short ways to a boulder playground as our children called it. There were huge boulders all along the shoreline and back a good fifty yards. We stayed here for hours and looked for creatures under the rocks, unique plants growing in this area, small rocks of different colors and sizes, and climbed up and over and around every boulder we could find. It was truly a magical experience in nature and a memory I will treasure for a long time. If you decide to adventure onto the rocks, please be careful while you climb as they can be slippery in places.
Be sure to include this 100-year old Fayette Station Road and exploring the gorge in your New River Gorge itinerary!
Day 3 – Hikes & Canyon Rim Visitor Center
We slept in again on our final day at New River Gorge National Park and enjoyed some camping french press coffee around the fire. After fueling up for the day we headed out to see the Canyon Rim Visitors Center and several of the lookouts near there. The visitor center had one of the best views of the river in my opinion and it was so easy to get to from the parking lot. We also enjoyed supporting the national park service through our purchases at the gift shop! This is one of my daughter’s favorite parts – taking home a new stuffie of an animal that lives in the park.
We then made our way to Summersville to search for fossils. We went to the state park and followed the trail from the parking lot down to the water. Everything was still being built while we were there. There wasn’t much information about the hike, we just heard about it from the locals. The trail ended up being much longer and steeper than we anticipated but it was still doable. The views at the end were wonderful and we enjoyed searching through the rocks for fossilized plants.
We had several hike options picked out for today but our crowd was exhausted so we decided to go back to the campsite and enjoy a slow evening. We had a campfire, played card games, and spent some time painting our favorites scenes from the trip. It’s important to pay attention to your family’s energy levels and pivot if your plans were too ambitious. You don’t have to complete everything on your itinerary – we hardly ever do!
What We Want To Do On Our Next Visit
There are so many adventurous activities that we weren’t able to fit them all into our 3 day itinerary in New River Gorge. On our next visit we are hoping to go White Water Rafting, visit the Beckley Coal Mine, and do several of the best hikes in New River Gorge National Park including the Endless Wall Trail, Grand Rim Overlook, and Castle Wall. We also hope to have enough time to visit the lower part of the National Park to go fly fishing and see Sandstone Falls.
Are you planning a National Park Trip? What will you add to your New River Gorge National Park Itinerary? Leave a comment below – I’d love to hear from you!
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