Michelle Cardenas
Established as a national park in 2020, New River Gorge is one of the newest additions to the national park system, and it provided us with some memorable firsts. The park is renowned for its rugged beauty, rich history, and the New River, which is one of the oldest rivers on the continent. Spanning over 70,000 acres, the park boasts over 100 miles of trails, offering a variety of experiences from strenuous hikes to scenic walks–although on the rainy, overcast morning we visited, the view was somewhat obstructed until later in the day.
We began our journey by taking a quick look around the Visitor Center, where we familiarized ourselves with the park’s history and features. The park ranger provided valuable information about safe exploration routes, ensuring our hike would be both enjoyable and secure. From the Visitor Center, we headed to the section of the New River Gorge that houses the Castle Rock Trail and the Grandview Rim Trail. These trails, totaling about 3.2 miles out and back, promised a mix of strenuous and scenic experiences.
Our group split up to tackle the different trails. Professor Yawn, Cinthia, Olivia, and Chrissy set out on the Castle Rock Trail, navigating its more strenuous, rocky terrain.
Meanwhile, Stephanie and I took the Grandview Rim Trail, which led us through a beautiful tunnel of luscious vegetation.
The trails eventually converged, and we all continued together toward our final destination, the Turkey Spur Overlook. When we arrived at the “overlook,” we were mostly looking over clouds.
But the sky slowly cleared, and we were able to see some of the river and train tracks in the gorge.
There were also stairs (150, to be exact) to a lookout that gave us an additional perspective.
But with the rain returning, we took shelter briefly under an overhang….
…and then returned to the car….
…while making the most of nature views along the way…
We even gave Flat Sammy a chance to explore!
…Although he didn’t much appreciate the rain.
New River Gorge is a National Park with multiple units, consisting of not only the “Grandview” area, but also Sandstone Falls and the Bridge. We were unable to visit the Falls, but we did make sure to see the Bridge, which was pretty magnificent.
It is the longest (3,030 feet) steel span bridge in the United States, and the third highest (876 feet), and it is really an architectural marvel and beauty from multiple perspectives.
Looking away from the bridge, visitors are graced with beautiful views of the gorge and a distant bridge.
The smaller bridge in the photo above was the former means of traversing the gorge, a route that takes some 45 minutes to drive. With the New River Gorge Bridge, that trip is now less than a minute.
The natural beauty of the area shone through, even in less-than-ideal conditions. Most importantly, this trip allowed me to check off another first with LEAP, creating lasting memories with a wonderful team and making my first national park visit an unforgettable experience.
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