A day playing in New River Gorge NP

1 day itinerary

Located about 4.5 hours from the nation's capital, and a little over 3 hours from Charlotte, NC, New River Gorge National Park is a fantastic location to enjoy the mountains and scenery of West Virginia. With plenty of adventurous ways to spend your day, have a good plan to make sure you can get all the activities you'd like to take on completed!

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Formerly a national river, New River Gorge was redesignated in 2020 and the park and preserve follows the route of the earlier national river. As a result, the park is long and narrow, stretching for 53 miles, which can make navigating it a little bit of a challenge. Where you decide to start your day can therefore be a bit tricky, but we like to start at New River Gorge Bridge on the northern edge of the park. This is probably the most famous view of the park, and you can get a good look of the bridge and the valley below with a very short walk down some steps at the Canyon Rim Visitor Centre beside it.

Starting your day here gives you a glimpse of the park and what is in store for your day, tucked into the edge of the Appalachian Mountains. It also gives you time to speak to the rangers in the visitor centre, where they can advise you on their favourite trails in the park and which might be best, depending on the time of year you are visiting.

Adrenaline activities are particularly popular in New River Gorge National Park, with the New River itself providing great opportunities for white water rafting. The flow of the river is usually suitable for both beginners and those more experienced during much of the peak season of Spring thru Fall. Have a look at West Virginia Adventures, who host excursions of varying lengths which will usually take you around 4-6 hours for the whole experience! Morning or afternoon departures are available close to the town of Glen Jean, perfect for allowing you to fit everything else into the rest of your day. It's almost certain that you'll get very wet, so make sure to bring a change of clothes so that you can quickly dry off and tackle more of the park straight away!

Others may prefer off-roading, with an ATV adventure tour taking you around trails from Fayetteville adjacent to the national park. Just bear in mind that a all guests will need to be at least 18 years old with a valid US driving licence - so unfortunately not one for international adventurers.

And our third top pick is zip lining, especially for those who may devote less time in the outdoors and may wish for a slightly less intense activity than white water rafting. The team at Adventures on the Gorge make sure you have an awesome time flying through the trees, with sections of small rivers crisscrossing beneath you. We absolutely loved our session, being one of our highlights from our time in West Virginia!

If you're don't mind the possibility of hiking in the dark, then make sure to bring your head torch and start your hike from Bowl Trail Trailhead as the light of the day begins to dim. The reward at the end of Long Point Trail is a stunning view of the same bridge that started your day, but this time as part of a spectacular larger sunset panorama with the New River Gorge stretching out to the north.

The hike is 3.2 miles roundtrip, out-and-back, and will probably take you about 2 to 3 hours depending on how long you want to spend at the viewpoint. A relatively flat hike, it shouldn't be too exhausting for you given how busy the rest of the day was! Take your time to safely hike back to the trailhead with head torches or flashlights. End your day with a well deserved hearty meal in Fayettevillle, with Pies & Pints being a popular choice with a range of craft beers on offer too! Perfect!

If you want to explore more of New River Gorge, check out our full national park guide! Or if you want to take on some rapids or rock climbing on a longer adventure, then you must check out our Northeastern Magic itinerary!