West Virginia has a cliff 750 feet above one of the oldest rivers in North America

It’s older than the mountains it carved

You don’t expect a river to be older than the mountains around it.

But that’s exactly what scientists think about the New River, one of the oldest waterways on the continent, cutting through the Appalachians below Hawks Nest State Park in Fayette County, West Virginia.

From the cliff’s edge, the river is 750 feet down. The park sits right on the rim, free to enter, open year-round, and very easy to underestimate.

Chief Justice Marshall stood on these same cliffs

Before West Virginia bought this land in 1935, it was known as Marshall’s Pillars, named after Chief Justice John Marshall, who visited in the early 1800s and left impressed.

The Civilian Conservation Corps got to work soon after, cutting the overlook, picnic shelters, and round stone tower restrooms from local sandstone.

Those structures are still standing, considered some of the finest CCC craftsmanship in the state.

A marker near the park also notes the site of one of West Virginia’s worst industrial disasters, tied to a hydroelectric tunnel drilled through nearby Gauley Mountain in the early 1930s.

A Bauhaus architect designed the lodge overlooking the gorge

The four-story lodge went up in 1967, designed by The Architects Collaborative, the firm co-founded by Walter Gropius, the German-American architect who brought modernist design to the United States.

Most of the 31 rooms have balconies that look straight out over the New River Gorge. The lobby has a fireplace, a gift shop, and enough space to spread out after a long day on the trails.

The restaurant, with its floor-to-ceiling windows framing the gorge, underwent renovations in late 2025, so check ahead on the current status.

The aerial tram shut down in 2021 and just came back

The original tram opened in 1970 and carried about 28,000 riders a year between the lodge and the river below. It closed in 2021 when a critical part broke and couldn’t be replaced.

West Virginia put $8 million into a completely new system, built by Doppelmayr USA, which reopened in 2025. Three six-person gondola cars run on a pulse system, and for the first time, the tram is fully ADA-accessible.

It’s a short ride down, but the view out the gondola windows covers a lot of West Virginia.

Stone walls and iron railings frame the gorge below you

The main overlook is a short walk from the parking area on a paved trail, built by the CCC from the same local sandstone they used on everything else.

What you see from the top: the New River below, Hawks Nest Dam, and mountains rolling out in every direction.

On a clear day, ospreys and red-tailed hawks work the thermals right in front of you, and if you’re patient, bald eagles sometimes show up too.

It’s one of the most photographed views in the state, and once you’re there, that makes complete sense.

The Cliffside Trail runs along a 564-foot climb through the gorge

At 2.6 miles, the Cliffside Trail is the park’s most-used hike for a reason.

The path traces the base of the cliff with river views and dramatic rock formations the whole way, eventually looping back up to the overlook.

Sections run close to steep drop-offs, so watch your footing and keep kids near you. It’s rated moderate, best suited for anyone comfortable with exposure to heights.

Give yourself a couple of hours and don’t rush the rock formation sections.

Lovers Leap drops you 100 stairs to a boardwalk above the marina

The short trail behind the lodge leads down nearly 100 stairs to a boardwalk overlook with a wide view of the New River and the marina far below.

Local legend ties the spot to a story about two Native American lovers forbidden to marry. The Park Loop Trail near the CCC pavilion is an easy wooded walk perfect for kids and wildflower hunting in spring.

The Fisherman’s Trail runs flat along Hawks Nest Lake with views of the dam and Turkey Creek Waterfall, low effort with a solid payoff.

An old coal railway through blooming rhododendrons leads to Ansted

The Hawks Nest Rail Trail starts near the tram base and follows Mill Creek toward town on gravel that works fine for strollers and bikes. The grade stays gentle the whole way.

You’ll pass two bridges, waterfalls, and the ruins of a coal mine that ran through the 1920s, back when trains moved product along this same path.

Come in spring and the rhododendrons and wildflowers are going full, and migratory songbirds are moving through the creek corridor. It’s one of those trails that does more than it advertises.

A jet boat runs you under the longest steel arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere

New River Jet Boats runs seasonal trips from the park marina on Hawks Nest Lake.

The ride lasts about 30 minutes and heads upstream past fishing cabins and under a railroad trestle before the New River Gorge Bridge comes into view.

That bridge stands 876 feet above the water and stretches 3,030 feet across the gorge, the longest single-span steel arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere when it opened in 1977.

Blue herons, ospreys, peregrine falcons, and occasionally bald eagles work the river during the trip.

Smallmouth bass, muskies, and serious whitewater sit minutes from the lodge

Hawks Nest Lake is a dammed section of the New River built in the 1930s, and it holds smallmouth bass, catfish, muskies, and panfish.

A boat launch ramp sits at the marina near the tram base, and you can also fish from the shoreline along the Fisherman’s Trail without launching anything.

Beyond the lake, the park puts you squarely in West Virginia’s whitewater country.

Several outfitters run trips on the New River and the Gauley River within minutes of the lodge, covering everything from mellow floats to serious rapids.

America’s 63rd national park begins right at the park’s edge

Hawks Nest State Park borders the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, which Congress designated as the country’s 63rd national park on Dec. 27, 2020.

The park runs 53 miles along the New River and covers more than 72,000 acres. Since the designation, visitation to the region has grown by more than 40 percent.

Right nearby: the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, the Bridge Walk catwalk tour that takes you out under the New River Gorge Bridge, and Bridge Day every third Saturday in October.

The Midland Trail National Scenic Byway runs directly through Hawks Nest on US Route 60.

Peregrine falcons nest on the bridge’s steel beams above the river

Bald eagles have come back to the New River Gorge and occasionally show up from the overlook or during jet boat rides.

Peregrine falcons nest right on the steel structure of the New River Gorge Bridge itself, one of the more unlikely wildlife habitats you’ll come across anywhere.

On park trails, deer, raccoons, foxes, and wild turkeys are regular sightings.

The nature center near the marina has exhibits on the local plant and animal life in the gorge, worth a stop before you head out on the trails or down to the water.

Explore Hawks Nest State Park in West Virginia

Hawks Nest State Park sits on US Route 60 near Ansted, West Virginia, about an hour east of Charleston and 10 miles north of the New River Gorge Bridge.

The 31-room lodge is open year-round and takes reservations online.

The aerial tram, jet boat tours, and pool run seasonally, generally from late May through early fall. Admission to the park is free.

It’s a practical base for spending several days exploring New River Gorge National Park, and the lodge puts you right on the rim with nothing between you and the gorge but the railing.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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