Canyon Rim Visitor Center walk, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
4/25/2025	0.3 miles	20 minutes	105'	1.5 mph	116.6 miles

Parking: 

• Canyon Rim Visitor Center

Map:

• Provided at Visitor Center

Directions:

• Follow the signs to the right of the visitor center to the scenic bridge overlook. Return the same way.

We drove to New River Gorge National Park - this is my 6th national park visit of the year. Dogs are allowed on trails here, so Krumm got to come on this trip. The weather was not cooperating. We had alternating periods of cloudy skies and torrential rain on the way. We dropped off our stuff at our hotel and headed to the visitor center, figuring we could at least stop there and look at the exhibits. I asked about park ranger talks, but they said they won't offer any until they get their seasonal staff after Memorial Day. There is a beautiful view of the gorge right from the visitor center. There is also short, paved walk from the visitor center to an overlook of the bridge. We were able to do that during a break in the rain. We had driven over the bridge on our way to the visitor center. The drive over it - it just feels like a normal bridge. It's not until you see it from below that you see what a beautiful bridge it is. You can do a walk literally on the underside of the bridge. Glen is not up for doing it, so I'll skip it. We did see people doing it. Which is crazy, because it started thundering and lightning, yet they were still just starting the walk of the underside. We returned back to our car, because I don't like hanging out in thunderstorms. At the visitor center, they had given us a map of the Fayette Station Road Driving Tour. It was pouring rain again, so it seemed like a good bet. The road isn't suitable for RV's, but it's fine for cars. There is an audio tour you can play during the drive, but we lost cell signal so couldn't listen to much of it until we got back to our hotel. The drive was pretty anyway, and went under the New River Gorge Bridge, three times. It crossed the river on a much lower bridge, a replica of an older bridge that used to be there. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to improve, so we'll be able to get out and do a little hiking. 

A group walking under the bridge

A view of the bridge from our driving tour