New River Gorge National Park
New River Gorge National Park & Preserve is one of America’s newest national parks. A rugged, whitewater river flowing northward through the deep canyons of the Appalachians, the New River is among the oldest rivers on the continent. This West Virginian park encompasses over 70,000 acres of land along the New River, is rich in cultural and natural history, and offers an abundance of scenic and recreational opportunities.
Place to Stay While Visiting
The park does not have any lodging facilities, but motels, cabins, and bed & breakfasts are available in surrounding towns. Nearby Hawks Nest and Pipestem Resort State Parks have lodges, and Babcock, Bluestone, and Pipestem Resort State Parks have cabins for rent.
Nearby Towns:
- Fayetteville, WV (3 miles away)
- Oak Hill, WV (9 miles)
- Mount Hope, WV (16 miles)
- Summersville, WV (23 miles)
- Beckley, WV (30 miles)
- Montgomery, WV (33 miles)
VISIT New River Gorge National Park:
Park Details
New River Gorge National Park was established on November 10, 1978, and has a total area of 70,000 acres (109 square miles, or 283 square kilometers).
| Address | 104 Main Street, Glen Jean, WV, 25846 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 304 465-0508 |
| Hours | The park is open year-round, but the visitor centers are open daily 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, but closed in January. |
| Entrance Fee | Free |
| Learn More | Official Website |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
New River Gorge National Park is the 51st most visited park in the country.
We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit New River Gorge National Park. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit New River Gorge National Park is.
Our data shows the best months to visit New River Gorge National Park are July, June, August & September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Visits | 33,856 | 36,361 | 103,151 | 126,454 | 151,995 | 220,558 | 288,827 | 212,484 | 178,614 | 173,459 | 110,368 | 46,593 |
| Precipitation | 109 | 106 | 141 | 123 | 127 | 95 | 104 | 81 | 88 | 83 | 103 | 121 |
| Avg Temp | 39 | 42 | 50 | 61 | 68 | 74 | 78 | 77 | 72 | 62 | 52 | 42 |
| Max Temp | 59 | 61 | 68 | 76 | 79 | 83 | 85 | 85 | 82 | 76 | 69 | 60 |
| Avg Temp | 24 | 26 | 33 | 43 | 51 | 59 | 63 | 61 | 55 | 45 | 35 | 27 |
| Min Temp | 4 | 6 | 12 | 23 | 35 | 45 | 52 | 51 | 39 | 29 | 19 | 9 |
New River Gorge National Park Road Trips
Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where New River Gorge National Park is visited.
| Trip Name | Trip Miles | Trip Days |
|---|---|---|
| DC, Shenandoah, New River Gorge to Great Smoky Mountains | 767 | 9 |
Other Nearby National Park Sites
From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to New River Gorge National Park.
| Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Gauley River National Recreation Area | 21 mi |
| Bluestone National Scenic River | 29 mi |
| Booker T. Washington National Monument | 92 mi |
| Blue Ridge National Parkway | 100 mi |
| Appomattox Court House National Historical Park | 131 mi |
| Red River Gorge Geological Area | 139 mi |
| Friendship Hill National Historic Site | 140 mi |
| Hopewell Culture National Historical Park | 143 mi |
| Guilford Courthouse National Military Park | 143 mi |
| Fort Necessity National Battlefield | 151 mi |
Nearby Campsites & RV Parks
If you are looking to pitch a tent or park an RV at a campsite near New River Gorge National Park, here is a list of the closest campsites in the surrounding area. They all have slightly different amenitites, so its best to check them all out instead of just chosing the first on the list.
| Name | Details | Miles Away |
|---|---|---|
| Stone Cliff - New River National Scenic River | Oak Hill, WV more | 2 miles |
| Plum Orchard Lake WMA | Scarbro, WV more | 7 miles |
| Army Camp - New River National Scenic River | Layland, WV more | 7 miles |
| Grandview/Glade - New River National Scenic River | Beaver, WV more | 7 miles |
| Babcock State Park | Danese, WV more | 8 miles |
| War Ridge - New River National Scenic River | Meadow Bridge, WV more | 10 miles |
| Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine Campground | Beckley, WV more | 14 miles |
| Lake Stephens Campground | Beckley, WV more | 16 miles |
| Battle Run | Summerville, WV more | 20 miles |
| Bluestone State Park | White Oak, WV more | 25 miles |
Nearest Ski Resorts
For those of you who are the diehard outdoors type, visiting a national park on a ski trip can be quite the adventure. Here are the ski resorts within 100 miles of New River Gorge National Park:
| Name | Location | Summit | Difficulty Score™ | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winterplace | Ghent, WV | 3,600 ft | 32% | 6 mi |
| Snowshoe Mountain | Snowshoe, WV | 4,848 ft | 42% | 56 mi |
Nearest Airports
When visiting a National park, many people are faced with either a very long drive across country, or a much shorter flight. For those of you looking to fly into New River Gorge National Park, we've listed the closest airports in the area.
Large Airports
A large airport has scheduled major airline service with millions of passengers per year. This type of airport always accepts international flights. Here are the closest large airports to New River Gorge National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Glenn Columbus International Airport | CMH | Columbus, OH | 171 mi |
| Pittsburgh International Airport | PIT | Pittsburgh, PA | 181 mi |
| Charlotte Douglas International Airport | CLT | Charlotte, NC | 190 mi |
| Raleigh-Durham International Airport | RDU | Raleigh/Durham, NC | 192 mi |
| Washington Dulles International Airport | IAD | Washington, DC | 207 mi |
| Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport | CVG | Cincinnati / Covington, KY | 208 mi |
| Richmond International Airport | RIC | Richmond, VA | 208 mi |
Medium Airports
A medium-sized airport has scheduled regional airline service. This type of airport may or may not accept international flights. Here are the closest medium-sized airports to New River Gorge National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh County Memorial Airport | BKW | Beckley, WV | 12 mi |
| Yeager Airport | CRW | Charleston, WV | 40 mi |
| Mercer County Airport | BLF | Bluefield, WV | 46 mi |
| Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport | ROA | Roanoke, VA | 75 mi |
| Tri-State/Milton J. Ferguson Field | HTS | Huntington, WV | 85 mi |
| Mid Ohio Valley Regional Airport | PKB | Parkersburg, WV | 98 mi |
| North Central West Virginia Airport | CKB | Clarksburg, WV | 103 mi |
Credits: Campground data provided by USCampgrounds.info. Map shapes from CartographyVectors. Weather data from NOAA. Airport data from OurAirports.com. Images from Unsplash, Flickr and Parks&Trips. All data has also been updated and augmented by Parks&Trips.