New River … Live gauge Next up Beckley Half Marathon and 5K, September 26, 2026
The New River Gorge Bridge arching over the forested gorge in fall color at sunset, seen from an overlook boardwalk, with the New River and a rail line far below

Fayetteville, WV and the New River Gorge

Run rapids in the morning, walk out to a cliff-edge view of the bridge in the afternoon, and be back in town for dinner. Fayetteville sits at the north end of New River Gorge National Park, 53 miles of river, cliffs and trails that cost nothing to enter.

Plan your trip

Fayetteville is a mountain town of about 2,800 people on the plateau just south of the New River Gorge Bridge, and it makes an easy, walkable base for the whole gorge. Right outside town is New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: 53 miles of river and more than 70,000 acres of cliffs and forest, named the country's 63rd national park in December 2020, with no entrance fee.

The classic trip pairs one guided day with a day or two of free exploring. Book a raft or a climbing lesson with the local outfitters, walk the rim trails, and work your way through the sights along the gorge, from the bridge overlooks to the old railroad town of Thurmond and the big bend at Grandview. Then pick a base from the places to stay in and around town. Got more time? The events guide has Bridge Day and the festivals, nature covers the rocks, fall color and wildlife, day trips head out to Summersville Lake, Hinton and the Midland Trail, stories tell how the town and the gorge got here, and shopping starts with the gear shops downtown.

By the Fayetteville Insider editorial desk. Facts checked September 8, 2026; closures and upcoming changes updated September 22, 2026.

Right now in the gorge

River level

New River at Thurmond, WV, USGS 03185400

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Live USGS reading

Band edges in cubic feet per second at Thurmond, on a log scale.

Live U.S. Geological Survey data from the New River at Thurmond, pulled fresh every time you open the page. Glance at it before you book a river day.

Full river conditions and what each band means

Next on the calendar

  1. Beckley Half Marathon and 5K

    September 26, 2026, Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine

    Website

  2. New River Gorge Wilds Trail Run

    September 26, 2026, ACE Adventure Resort

    Website

  3. NRG Bike Fest

    October 2-4, 2026, New River Gorge / ACE Adventure Resort

    Website

Dates come from the organizers' own listings, so check the event's website before you drive.

See everything on the events calendar

Dates to plan around this fall

Five scheduled changes, latest date first. Updated September 22, 2026.

  1. November 19, 2026, scheduled

    The weekday closure on the Kaymoor Miners Trail is set to end. The trail's own park page says November 14, so check it before you plan a weekday hike down to the old mine.

  2. November 2026 to March 2027, scheduled

    Cunard Road closes below the Brooklyn Mine Trail for the winter, with repairs continuing through 2027.

  3. October 25 and 26, 2026, scheduled

    Last call for two visitor centers. October 25 wraps up the season at Thurmond Depot Visitor Center, open weekends only since September 12, and Grandview Visitor Center closes October 26 until May 27, 2027. The Grandview overlooks stay open all year, and late October color makes them worth the drive. Building hours can shift, so check the park's site before a special trip.

  4. October 17, 2026, scheduled

    Bridge Day runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and U.S. 19 closes to traffic from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the organizers. The same weekend brings the last Gauley releases of the season on October 17 and 18, closing out a run that began September 11.

  5. October 5 to mid-November, 2026, scheduled

    Burnwood group campground and the Burnwood Trailhead restrooms close for water-line replacement.

Every dated change on What's new

Status as of September 22, 2026: The August 15 and 16 flash floods closed several park roads down by the river. Keeneys Creek Road to Nuttallburg reopened by September 3, and Brooklyn Campground is open, with Cunard Road down to one lane for a short stretch. Glade Creek Road past Grandview Sandbar has no reopening date yet. Fayette Station Road has dropped off the park's closure alerts but has no formal reopening notice, so check before you plan the drive down. Since September 15, state paving may close the Canyon Rim Visitor Center entrance from U.S. 19 at times. Check the NPS closures page before you go.

Expect work zones on U.S. 19, too. Resurfacing from the bridge to Hico began March 30, 2026 and runs through at least June 2027, and WV511 lists a 14-foot width limit between mile markers 15.95 and 20.82, worth knowing if you're towing a camper or a trailer.

Best things to do in the gorge

A BASE jumper under a blue canopy drifts toward the river below the steel arch of the New River Gorge Bridge, with early fall color on the forested walls of the gorge, AI-generated illustration

Bridge Day

One Saturday a year the bridge closes to cars and opens to everyone: BASE jumpers leap from the deck, and it is the one day you can walk across it. Free, rain or shine, on the third Saturday in October.

Read the guide
Six paddlers in helmets and life jackets drive a blue raft through a rapid on the New River, with sandstone ledges on one bank and the New River Gorge Bridge high above in the background, AI-generated illustration

Rafting the New River

Paddle rapids with the bridge arching high overhead. West Virginia outfitters ran about 103,000 commercial trips in 2019, by National Geographic's estimate.

Read the guide
From a rock outcrop on the Endless Wall Trail, a sandstone cliff line runs along the far rim while the New River winds through the forested gorge below in early fall color, AI-generated illustration

Endless Wall Trail

A rim walk through rhododendron out to sandstone cliffs and the river far below. Go early: both trailhead lots fill on summer and fall weekends, and neither takes RVs.

Read the guide
Wooden stairs with timber railings drop from the Canyon Rim boardwalk through rhododendron toward the gorge, where the arch of the New River Gorge Bridge stands in mist above the river, AI-generated illustration

Canyon Rim boardwalk

The easiest big view of the bridge. The visitor center sits about a mile north of town across the bridge, open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (304-574-2115). A ramp reaches the upper deck; the lower deck is 178 steps down.

Read the guide
Two adults walk along the brick storefronts of Court Street in downtown Fayetteville, past parked cars and hanging flower baskets, with the stone Fayette County Courthouse and its clock tower at the end of the block, AI-generated illustration

Downtown on Court Street

Brick storefronts, the stone courthouse and gear shops a few steps apart. Parking is tight, and the town's own 2024 plan calls Court Street parking "particularly troublesome," so walk in if you can.

Read the guide
The New River curves through the gorge below Grandview under drifting valley fog, framed by trees in rust and orange fall color and a sandstone ledge in the foreground, AI-generated illustration

Fall color

Fog in the gorge and rust and orange on the walls. Peak color usually lands mid-October to early November, and the state's 2026 foliage map updates weekly.

Read the guide

Where to stay near the gorge

Stay in Fayetteville and the bridge, the rim trails and the outfitters are all close by; the Park Service also points visitors to Hinton and Beckley for rooms and services. The newest bed in town is Hill Hall Hotel, which opened August 28, 2026 in a former school at 135 High Street, with 40 rooms from $225.

Coming for Bridge Day? Book that first. The Fayetteville CVB calls it the town's busiest lodging weekend of the year, and in 2017 rooms sold out as far away as Wheeling.

Where to stay: the full guide

Live map from Stay22. The site may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.

More of the gorge

Snow on the rim at the Long Point overlook, the bare sandstone point dusted with snow, snow-laden hemlocks and bare oaks, the rust-brown steel arch of the New River Gorge Bridge straight ahead across the gorge, AI-generated illustration
Long Point overlook, near Fayetteville
The Endless Wall seen from the opposite rim in deep summer, a long band of orange Nuttall sandstone cliffs capping the forested gorge wall, the river bending below, AI-generated illustration
Endless Wall, New River Gorge National Park

Plan your trip

Getting here

Most people drive in on U.S. 19, the four-lane highway that crosses the bridge and links to I-79, I-77 and I-64. It skirts downtown, so watch for the turn into town.

No car? It takes some planning: Greyhound stops in Beckley, taxis run out of Oak Hill and Beckley, and Amtrak's Cardinal calls at Hinton and Prince three days a week. Once you're near the park, trust the signs over your phone, since the Park Service warns that Apple and Google Maps can send you toward rough, inaccessible corners.

Getting here: the full guide

Best time to visit

Summer is high season, with July usually the park's busiest month and June or October close behind. Fall stacks up the big draws at once: peak color, Bridge Day and Gauley season.

The park logged roughly 1.96 million recreation visits in 2025, a record year by the Park Service's account, so expect company on summer and fall weekends and start early.

Climbers get two sweet spots: late April to mid-June, and mid-September to late October.

Best time to visit: the full guide

Camping

Want to fall asleep to the river? The park's primitive campgrounds are free and first-come, first-served. None has drinking water, so bring plenty.

Check closures before you pick a site. An August 11 mudslide closed Glade Creek Road past the Grandview Sandbar and Glade Creek Campground with it, and Burnwood group campground closes October 5 to mid-November for water-line work. Good news on Fayette Station Road: The Outpost campground, shut by flood damage on August 20, reopened fully on September 4.

Camping: the full guide

About this guide

Fayetteville Insider is an independent guide from Appalachian Frontiers LLC, made to help you plan a great trip to the gorge. It isn't connected to the Town of Fayetteville, either convention and visitors bureau, the National Park Service or any business it covers, and every page lists its sources and the date its facts were checked.

The guide is built from park notices, official pages, local news and visitor reports rather than staff visits, and the pictures are AI-generated illustrations of real places. The about page says who runs the site, and the editorial policy covers corrections and affiliate links.

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Facts on this page were checked on 2026-09-08. The editorial policy explains how pages are researched and corrected; send corrections to the editorial desk.