New River Gorge
December 16-18 2022
December 16
Morning drive to New River Gorge & get settled in
6 hour drive
Arrive at Canyon Rim Visitir’s Center
There is no entry fee for park!
Stamp National Park passport
The visitor’s center has a viewing deck which is situated for a perfect view of New River valley. There are several exhibits that explain the coal mining history of the area and the park, and a movie theater that shows a film by request that lasts about 15 minutes with more details about the park.
AirBnB in New River Gorge tiny house
Very welcoming AirBnb host who bakes us a few treats. The tiny house was located about 20 minutes away from the visitor’s center.
There is no camping in the park during the winter but there are several AirBnbs and about 20-30 miles in the area of the park.
Bridge Walk @ 10 AM
An amazing experience on the longest single-span steel arch bridge in the United States! 800 feet in the air, with just a harness, we felt like we were on the edge of the world! Breathtaking views, are definitely a must for any adventurer.
Bridge Day brings thrill seekers from all over the country to participate in base jumping, repelling, and other extreme sports for one day each year in October.
Explore town and
have dinner at Cafe One Ten
Most restaurants do not open until after 4 PM. Be prepared to have a snack or something else available until places open for dinner.
Cafe One ten had a large selection of sandwiches and, entrees, and sweets with a dinner-style feel.
buy groceries at Grant's Supermarket
Limited items are available, so if you NEED hummus for your weekend adventures, purchase that before you reach the town of Oak Hill. Otherwise, the store is well stocked with essentials and friendly staff. We had almost a 20-minute-long conversation with a cashier who thought Diamon was one of her distant cousins.
December 17
An up close and personal view of the bridge with spectacular views of the valley and river as well. The road leads you to several starting points for the area hikes.
We hiked a few miles of this trail and the beautiful waterfall near the beginning has to be mentioned. It definitely resembles something from a fairytale, and is a must-see!
We also came across ruins of the former mining industry and had some meaningful reflections about what it meant to be Black in this area at that time. We saw a few trail markers with a little history written on them denoting race relations during the time when coal was king in New River Gorge. Blacks and whites worked together in the mines, but their supervisors didn’t want them collaborating above ground to stymie any talk of unionizing for better working conditions.
The beginning of this trail is flat and accessible, facing the back of some homes in a neighborhood, but then becomes more difficult to traverse as we came across thick bushes of mountain laurel and rhododendron. Watch out for exposed roots!!
Head home for a simple dinner at AirBnb
A couple of cans of soup, and leftovers were enough to tide us over for until the next day
December 18
Breakfast at Tudor's Biscuit World A local breakfast chain serving larger than life biscuits with a side of southern charm
Return to Baltimore
Packing list
Hiking Boots
Warm layers
Water bottle
Day pack
Overnight bag
Pocket knife
Blankets/pillows
Towel
Trash bags
Extra Drinking Water, snacks, food to cook
Toilet paper
Flashlight/headlamp/lanterns
Batteries
Cooler for food/ice
Rain jacket/umbrella
Journal
Multi tool
Reflections
Diamon and I really enjoyed our time in New River Gorge. Although the park was not too crowded, everyone we ran into was extremely friendly and helpful. The park rangers were informative, and the tour guides very cheerful. I would love to visit this area again in the fall to see the foliage, and do a sunrise hike at the tip of the gorge! We had a few upsets going into this as our first National Parks trip. There was a major ice storm on the path to the park from Baltimore, which upset our plans, but what really stood out to me was the ease and flexibility of folks who are in communion with nature. Our AirBnb host had no problem adjusting our reservation to the next day to accommodate us for the storm, and the folks at the Bridge Walk were also happy to do the same. It just goes to show that the rigidity that we face in our everyday lives with schedules, deadlines and quotas etc., can all be healed with a little nature.
