Visiting America’s Newest / Old National Park
Visiting national parks has always been a highlight of our trips. Anytime we are in an area with a park we always make time to visit. On this trip we decided to base our entire trip around visiting America’s newest national park!
NEW RIVER GORGE NATIONAL PARK & PRESERVE
During the COVID pandemic the New River Gorge National River in Southern Virginia became the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve making it America’s 63rd national park. This, unfortunately, didn’t get the publicity of most newly minted parks due to the sweeping pandemic and election chaos. Now people are starting to roam and this park is getting it’s due recognition.
The best part of this park for us is that it’s close enough to make a quick trip and with the new status there will be more places to camp. The down side is that being a national park means these places to camp will be booked more.
In preparing for our trip I googled and searched for campgrounds and things to do in the area. I asked for recommendations on social media and watched YouTube videos. I did all the things I normally do before a trip and was surprised at how little information I found. Because of this we were basically “flying blind” and just took a shot in the dark at somewhere to stay. Fortunately we hit the bullseye with Rifrafters Campground just 2 miles South of the New River Gorge Bridge. The park was extremely well maintained and the staff was very friendly. The bathrooms were kept clean and the sites were mostly level with power and water.
Rifrafters Campground Site 26
TOURING THE PARK
One of the biggest draws to the park is the arch bridge that crosses New River. This bridge is the longest arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere and is 876′ from the roadway to the river below. Just across the bridge is the Canyon Rim Visitor Center which was our first stop. This is the main visitor center for the park and has a boardwalk leading down to an overlook for the bridge. From this point you can see the canyon, New River and the bridge from an angle up close.
Leaving the main visitor center we traveled through the country roads to the ghost town of Thurmond. The area was once a thriving railroad town and is now inside the national park. The park also maintains a visitor center inside the original train depot. This visitor center has a robust display inside while outside much of the town remains. A short walk down the railroad led us past several old buildings including the post office and a couple banks.
Our second day visiting held more exploration starting with a hike to see the New River Gorge Bridge fully from across the canyon. This hike started at the Long Point trail head and took us 1.6 miles out to a rock point overlooking the entire canyon and bridge. The views from this point were absolutely breathtaking and the hike is fairly easy to accomplish. The trail is well marked but use caution around the point as the rocks can be slippery at times. We opted to hang around for a while and enjoy some snacks with the views before heading back down the trail!
After finishing our hike it was on around the park to visit the other visitor centers. This is one of the tasks in the Junior Ranger book for the kids to obtain their badge and patch. The next stop on the route took us to Grandview Visitor Center where we found an overlook allowing us to see into the deepest part of the canyon. ***Parents be prepared for the playgrounds here!!!***
From Grandview we continued on to the Sandstone Visitor Center where we met Ranger Sheila and the kids got their badges! This visitor center is a green center and has tons of exhibits teaching sustainability. This center also boasts a floor feature map of the entire river and watershed area that is a MUST SEE!!!! This is also the visitor center where you need to detour off the scenic park drive and go to Sandstone Falls. The park staff will direct you but DO NOT let the 32 minute drive each way deter you!!!!
Sandstone Falls
This park has SO much to offer that we could have spent a few more days exploring………and probably will soon!!!! There are other ghost towns in the park that we visited including Nuttallburg. I did highlight these areas in my YouTube vlog of the park but due to the current accessibility of the areas I won’t go into detail here. I will say some of these areas shouldn’t be attempted in low clearance vehicles as I had to use four-wheel drive once. I’m certain as the park begins getting more funding that these roads will be vastly improved.
I highly recommend a visit to this park but again be aware of the changes happening in the area. Be patient with the staff as they transition with the influx of tourists. My final note is to drive like you have sense! Many of the roads are not designed for the amount of traffic they are getting and I saw one of the area sheriff’s departments working traffic on the only road in and out of a section.
Be sure to check out our visit to the Grand Canyon just before this trip. Make sure you’re subscribed to our blog and YouTube because there’s a LOT still coming. We leave again in less than a week for more fun and adventure! Until next time……..