New River Gorge National Park & Preserve

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is a 70,000-acre National Park surrounding 56 miles of the New River in southern West Virginia.  Formerly a National River, New River Gorge became a National Park in 2020.  The New River, one of the oldest rivers in North American,  rises in North Carolina and flows through Virginia and West Virginia, eventually feeding into the Ohio River.  The river has some of the best whitewater runs in the country as well as numerous hiking trails along the river, campgrounds and scenic drives.

Map:

Trails:

Castle Rock Trail:

Length: 0.6 miles

Difficulty: Strenuous

Castle Rock Trail leads from the main overlook below the rim, passing towering cliff walls and ends at Grandview Rim Trail.

Glade Creek Trail:

Length: 5.6 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Glade Creek starts at the Glade Creek Campground and follows the creek upstream under I-64 to an upper trailhead accessible by 4WD.

Grandview Rim Trail:

Length: 1.6 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Grandview Rim Trail leads along the rim of the gorge from the main overlook to Turkey Spur.

Island Loop Trail:

Length: 0.5 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Island Loop Trail splits from Sandstone Falls Boardwalk and makes a loop around the largest island below Sandstone Falls.  The trail passes through an Appalachian Riverside Flatrock Community, a unique plant ecosystem found only in a few places in West Virginia.

Sandstone Falls Boardwalk:

Length: 0.2 miles

Difficulty: Easy

An accessible boardwalk that leads from Sandstone Falls parking area across two islands in the river to a overlook of the main Sandstone Falls.

Tunnel Trail:

Length: 0.5

Difficulty: Moderate

Tunnel Trail starts from near the main overlook and makes a short loop around a sandstone outcrop that features a natural tunnel.

Points of Interest:

Brooks Falls:

Brooks Falls is a river-wide waterfall on New River upsteam of Sandstone.

Glade Creek Falls:

Glade Creek Falls is a scenic 8-foot waterfall on a tributary of New River.

Grandview Main Overlook:

The Main Overlook at Grandview provides spectacular views of the New River Gorge high above a horseshoe bend in the river.

Grandview North Overlook:

The North Overlook at Grandview has great views of New River Gorge from a point between the main overlook and Turkey Spur.

Kates Falls:

Kates Falls is a 25-foot waterfall on a tributary of Glade Creek.

Sandstone Falls:

Sandstone Falls is a 20-foot high, 1500-foot wide waterfall on New River.

Turkey Spur Overlook:

Turkey Spur Overlook is at the summit of Turkey Spur; a wooden staircase provides access to three overlooks at the top of the mountain.

Wildlife:

Nodding onion (Allium cernuum)

Shrubby Saint John's wort (Hypericum prolificum)

Heartleaf skullcap (Scutellaria ovata)

Meehan's mint (Meehania cordata)

Wild sweetwilliam (Phlox maculata) is in the phlox family.

Sulphur shelf (Laetiporus cincinnatus)

I think this is a different species of sulphur shelf (Laetiporus sulphureus)

Eastern rat snake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis)

Black vultures (Coragyps atratus) at the Turkey Spur Overlook

Blog Entries:

28-May-2023: Bluestone Turnpike

27-May-2023: Glade Creek Hike

30-Jul-2020: Overlooks and Falls in New River Gorge

External Links:

National Park Service website: https://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm