October 15, 2023 New River Gorge

We woke to another cloudy, rainy day and decided to do a road trip to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

We took the back road up to the Gorge.  The tree colors were beautiful but sadly, the camera did not pick them up.

And the mountains, oh my!  We never explored this part of the country so I did not expect these beautiful mountains.  There are only a few towns but lots of little settlements both on the mountains and in the “hollow/holler”.

Some pictures on our way to the Visitor Center:

Views from the Canyon Rim Visitor Center:

“Established in 1978, New River Gorge National River was redesignated as New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in 2021. The park encompasses over 70,000 acres of land along 53 miles of the New River from Bluestone Dam to Hawk's Nest Lake. A rugged, whitewater river flowing northward through deep and spectacular canyons, the New River is actually among the oldest rivers on Earth. Here in southern West Virginia, the New River has carved and continues to carve the deepest and longest river gorge in the Appalachian Mountains.

Hiking along the many park trails, rafting the river, or biking along an old railroad grade, the visitor will be confronted with spectacular scenery that certainly makes this place worthy of being included in our national park system. However, the significance of this place goes well beyond the beautiful scenery. When looking out from Grandview, Diamond Point, Long Point, or one of the many other viewpoints in the park, we are actually looking at a globally significant forest containing the most diverse flora of any river gorge in the south and central Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Mountain forests are some of the oldest and most diverse ecosystems in the world. Here in southern West Virginia, the New River has sliced through the mountains, creating a mosaic of habitats: unfragmented forest, cliff and rimrock habitats, forest seeps and wetlands, and mature bottomland forests. These habitats provide a refuge for endangered mammals and rare birds and amphibians, including the endangered Virginia big-eared bat and Indiana bat and the Allegheny woodrat, a species of special concern in West Virginia and in decline throughout the eastern United States. The waters of the New River system contain a mosaic of hydrologic features and aquatic habitats that support a highly productive aquatic ecosystem that includes distinct populations of native fish, mussels, crayfish, and a broad array of other aquatic life, including rare amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

Looking out from the many fantastic viewpoints in the park will also provide a glimpse into the unique cultural history of the New River Gorge area that contributes to the significance of this place. From almost any viewpoint in the park one will see the railroad tracks that opened this rugged and isolated land to the outside world in 1872. From Grandview one will see the rail yards at Quinnimont, where coal was first shipped from the gorge, and the piers of an old bridge which once connected the timber towns of Hamlet and Glade. From Diamond Point hikers will gaze down at the ruins of Kaymoor, an early New River coal mining town. In addition to the coal mines and company towns found throughout the gorge are the old railroad depots, rail yards, rail grades, railroad equipment, and associated towns, like Thurmond, that were developed to support the railroad. Also contributing to the area's rich cultural history are surviving examples of subsistence farms, former community sites, homesteads, and other places in the park where the ancestors of families long associated with the New River lived and worked. Bits of coal along the tracks, rows of old decaying coke ovens, gaping mine openings in the hillsides, old rusted mine cars, and the gravestones of early pioneer families provide tangible reminders of the people who worked and lived here during the late 18th and 19th centuries, supplying the coal and lumber that helped fuel the industrialization of our nation.”

I had heard so much about the New River Gorge Bridge but I did not do my research on this park.  There is so much history and places to see. (Sadly, we are only here for the day )

The Bridge:

What an awesome sight:

One day a year, the bridge is shut down – Bridge Day.  It is open for folks to walk across, catapult down, or jump off with a parachute. That day is 10/21/23 but sadly we will not be here.  (I am writing this on 10/23 and a friend of ours, Rick, made it to Bridge Day.  His pictures are awesome.  Thanks Rick for sending them.)

From there we did the Lansing Auto Route that took us under the bridge and down into the Gorge.

It was awesome.  They do walking tours on the metal walkways under the bridge.  I would really like to do that!

Back on the road:

Crossing the New River:

And up the other side:

The park is 53 miles long!  So much more to explore.  We will be back!

What a lovely day.

Tomorrow we continue our journey south and west!  Enjoy today.