Waterfall Hero Hikes: New River State Park

New River State Park is a 3000-acre state park composed of several access areas along the New River. One of the oldest rivers in the world, the New River is unusual in that it flows from south to north. The North and South Forks of the river begin in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northwest North Carolina and flow together just south of the Virginia state line. Efforts to protect the river began in 1965 when Appalachian Power Company applied for a license to dam the river for hydroelectric generation. Local opposition grew and in 1975, the General Assembly declared the New River in North Carolina a State Scenic River, preserving it in its natural state. In 1976, the federal government designated the same portion of river part of the National Wild and Scenic River System.

Contact Information:

358 New River State Park Road
Laurel Springs, NC 28644

Phone: (336) 982-5817
Email: new.river@ncparks.gov

Map:

Trails:

Dogwood Trail:

Length: 0.1 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Blaze: Yellow

Dogwood Trail leads 0.1 miles from the picnic shelter to an overlook of the river.

Hickory Trail:

Length: 1 mile

Difficulty: Moderate

Blaze: Red

Hickory Trail is a 1-mile loop that is also the park's Track Trail. It makes a 1-mile loop and a spur leads down to the river.

River Run Trail:

Length: 1.4 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Blaze: Orange

River Run Trail leads from the boat launch and follows the river to Stump Home Site then climbs up and ends at Hickory Trail.

Points of Interest:

Overlook:

The overlook at the end of Dogwood Trail provides views of the river.

Stump Home Site:

The Stump home site is located along River Run Trail at the US-221 access. The Stump family lived here during the early 20th century and lived as subsistence farmers.