A first-timer's two days in the New River Gorge

The two days at a glance

Day one: the bridge end of the park

Canyon Rim Visitor Center

Start where almost everyone meets the gorge for the first time: Canyon Rim, 162 Visitor Center Road in Lansing, about a mile north of town. It's open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closing only on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Catch the 11-minute video, then follow the boardwalk out to two decks. An accessible ramp leads to the upper deck and its classic bridge view; the lower overlook is 178 wooden steps down, and yes, every one of them comes back up.

The Bridge Walk, if you book it

Want to stand on a catwalk under the deck of the New River Gorge Bridge, clipped in, with the river far below your boots? The guided Bridge Walk costs $79 and takes "2+ hours," says its FAQ. Walkers must be at least 8 years old and 48 inches tall, can't carry bags and can't get a refund, though you can reschedule with 48 hours' notice. Headquarters is across U.S. 19 from Adventures on the Gorge, close enough to Canyon Rim to pair the two in one morning.

Fayette Station Road

The old road into the gorge is one of the best drives in the park: an eight-mile, mostly one-way loop of 30 to 45 minutes that twists down to the little Tunney Hunsaker Bridge at river level, with the big bridge soaring overhead, and climbs back out. Start north of the bridge near Lansing and follow the one-way direction. Vehicles over 12 feet can't complete it, and the park doesn't recommend it for RVs or trailers. The August 15 and 16 floods closed part of the loop "from Teay's Landing to the two-way section," so check before you go.

An afternoon hike: Long Point or Endless Wall

Long Point Trail is the classic first hike and the one that gets you the postcard shot: 1.6 miles each way, rated moderate, from a lot on Newton Road off Gatewood Road, 1.9 miles from Fayetteville. There's "one steep section just before you arrive at the point," the Park Service warns, and then the whole bridge is right in front of you. Or take the Endless Wall Trail from the Fern Creek trailhead, turning around at Diamond Point for what the park calls "a popular two-mile out-and-back" along the cliff edge. Both lots fill on summer and fall weekends and neither takes RVs; the Fern Creek lot "is small and frequently fills up," so get there early.

Strong legs? Swap in the Kaymoor Miners Trail, a mile each way that drops 900 feet on 821 wooden steps to an old coal mine site. Its upper section is closed Monday through Thursday until November 19, 2026, so save it for a Friday to Sunday this fall.

Evening in Fayetteville

End the day on Court Street downtown with dinner and a drink. On October 17, 2026 the sun sets at 6:44 p.m., a little earlier down in the gorge, so plan your last hike accordingly. The dining guide has the best places to eat.

Day two: Thurmond, Grandview and Sandstone Falls

Day two is a road trip down the gorge, with plenty of winding miles between stops, so leave some slack in the schedule. Download the NPS app and maps before you leave town, since signal drops fast below the rim.

Thurmond

Thurmond is a real railroad town frozen in time, 16.8 miles and about 33 minutes from downtown via the Glen Jean exit and seven twisting miles of WV 25. It's still incorporated and sits on an active CSX line, so trains do rumble through; stay off the tracks. The depot visitor center is open weekends only, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., through October 25, 2026, then closes from October 31 until May 26, 2027. The road down is narrow and ends at a one-lane bridge, so leave the RV behind. The Rend Trail out of Thurmond is closed until about December 2027.

Grandview

At Grandview, reached from I-64 Exit 129 and six miles north on Route 9, you're at the park's highest overlook, with "nearly 1,400 feet down from the rim to the river" and the New curling through a huge horseshoe bend below. There are picnic areas and playgrounds, so it makes a great lunch stop. The visitor center is open noon to 5 through October 25, 2026, and the overlooks stay open after it closes. A 500-yard uneven path leads to a wheelchair platform at the Main Overlook, and the Grandview Rim Trail runs 1.6 miles each way along the edge. Climbing and alcohol are both off limits here.

Sandstone Falls

Save the falls for last, at the far south end. The park routes you through Hinton and nine miles up River Road, "single lane in places," to a fully accessible boardwalk that hops across islands to the falls, plus the half-mile Island Loop Trail. Don't mix up the falls with the Sandstone Visitor Center off I-64 Exit 139: they're 22.5 road miles apart, and that exit's eastbound ramp is closed through late October 2026. Running late? Skip the falls today and come back for a trip based in Hinton.

If it rains, or you only have one day

Rainy day? Go underground. The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, 21.8 miles and about 32 minutes south, takes you into a real mine at a steady 58°F. It's open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from April 1 to November 1, costs $22 for adults, and a visit takes 2 to 2½ hours. North of town, Hawks Nest State Park (11.6 miles, about 21 minutes) has a 160-yard walk to an overlook; its nature center is closed until the new aerial tram is finished. Down on the lake below, Adventures on the Gorge is running its jet boat trips on a pontoon boat while the jet boat is repaired, from $45 for adults.

Only have one day? Stay at the bridge end: Canyon Rim at 9, Long Point before the lot fills, Fayette Station Road if it's open and downtown for dinner. Driving the whole park is an "83-mile route" of about three hours, according to the Fayetteville tourism bureau, which leaves little time to get out of the car.

Two nights downtown or in Lansing makes this plan easy. The where to stay guide compares the bases, and the live map shows live prices. Adding a river day? Read rafting the New River first. Park entry is free, trailheads have no drinking water so fill your bottles in town, and in an emergency, call 911.