West Virginia’s best kept gorge drops you 750 feet above a river older than the Himalayas

What’s waiting at Hawks Nest

Hawks Nest State Park sits on the edge of a cliff in Fayette County, West Virginia, and the view from that edge is the kind that makes you stop walking and just stand there.

The park covers about 270 acres near the small town of Ansted, right off U.S. Route 60. Below you, the New River cuts through the Appalachian Mountains like it’s been doing for millions of years.

There’s a lot more here than just the overlook, and the best parts are the ones you find after you’ve already seen that view.

Built by the CCC in the 1930s

People have been coming to Hawks Nest for its views since at least 1812, when Chief Justice John Marshall passed through.

The state bought the land in 1935, and workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps built the early park features.

The following year brought another piece of the puzzle: Hawks Nest Dam, completed in 1934, created the quiet lake sitting below the cliffs.

The park’s name comes from the ospreys, sometimes called fish hawks, that used to ride the wind currents rising out of the gorge.

Stand at the overlook and look straight down

A short paved path from the parking area brings you to the Hawks Nest Overlook, and on clear days, you can see for miles down the winding gorge.

The stone wall at the edge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the mid-1930s, cut from local rock, and it looks like it grew there.

If you stand quietly, you might hear a train echoing off the canyon walls below before you ever spot the tracks. The overlook does most of the talking on its own.

Step out over the gorge at Lover’s Leap

Behind the main lodge, a short trail drops down about 100 stone steps to Lover’s Leap Overlook.

At the bottom, a wooden boardwalk juts out past the cliff edge, and you’re standing over the New River with nothing beneath your feet but air and a long drop.

The view is different from the main overlook: closer, steeper, more vertical. The climb back up those steps is real exercise, so take your time on the way down.

You’ll need the legs for the return trip.

Walk the base of the sandstone cliffs

Cliffside Trail is the park’s most popular hike, and it earns that reputation.

The route runs about 2.6 miles with around 564 feet of elevation change, taking you along the base of sandstone cliffs with the river visible below in stretches.

Rock formations lean out over the path in places, and the drop-offs keep you paying attention.

The trail connects back to the main overlook, so you can end the hike at the same spot that started it, this time looking out from the top instead of below it.

Flat trails for everyone else

Not every trail here puts you on a cliff edge. The park has about eight miles of paths total, and some of them are flat enough for anyone.

The Hawks Nest Rail Trail follows an old railroad bed along Mill Creek, passing small waterfalls on a level gravel surface. Fisherman’s Trail runs alongside Hawks Nest Lake at a gentle pace.

Both are dog-friendly as long as your pet stays on a leash. If you want to walk somewhere without worrying about your footing, these are the trails you want.

Fish the lake or the stocked creek

Hawks Nest Lake fills the valley below the cliffs, born when the New River was dammed in 1934. The water runs calm and is open for boating and fishing.

Smallmouth bass, catfish, muskies and pan fish all come out of the lake.

Mill Creek along the park border gets stocked with trout in spring and fall, which draws anglers looking for a quieter stretch of water. One rule worth knowing before you wade in: swimming is not allowed in the lake.

Ride a jet boat toward the famous bridge

When the season is right, jet boat tours run from the marina at the bottom of the gorge, and the ride is worth the trip down.

The boat heads upstream toward the New River Gorge Bridge, giving you a look at the bridge from directly below. Along the way, you pass old fishing cabins tucked into the riverbank.

The whole trip, including the shuttle ride to get down there, takes about two hours. It’s a completely different angle on the gorge than anything you’ll see from the rim.

A bridge that shows up on a quarter

The New River Gorge Bridge sits about 10 miles north of the park, and you can see it from the jet boat and from several spots along the park.

The bridge stretches 3,030 feet with a single steel arch spanning 1,700 feet. It stands 876 feet above the river below.

Construction finished in 1977, and the design left enough of a mark that it ended up on the West Virginia state quarter. From the water, the scale of it is harder to ignore than any photo prepares you for.

A brand-new gondola takes you down

The original aerial tram first ran in 1970 and carried visitors down the cliff face for over 50 years before age and worn-out parts shut it down in 2021.

A new system built by Doppelmayr replaced it, with gondola cars that hold six people and are fully wheelchair accessible. The ride drops about 800 feet in elevation from the rim to the river level below.

If hiking down isn’t your plan, this is how you get there. The views through the windows on the way down are reason enough to ride it.

One of the oldest rivers on the continent

The New River carries a reputation that most rivers can’t touch.

Scientists estimate its age somewhere between a few million and several hundred million years, making it one of the oldest rivers in North America.

It also runs from south to north, which is unusual on this continent. Over all that time, the water carved the gorge out of the mountains one layer at a time.

Congress recognized the scale of it in 2020, when New River Gorge became a national park.

What else the park has going for it

The 31-room lodge at Hawks Nest sits right on the cliff, with rooms that look straight out over the gorge.

The firm founded by architect Walter Gropius designed it, and it opened in 1963 with that mid-century style still intact.

A nature center down at river level covers local plants and animals for anyone who wants more context on what they’re seeing.

About five miles west of the lodge, a nine-hole golf course originally built in 1932 for Union Carbide employees is still open for play.

Visit Hawks Nest State Park in West Virginia

You can reach Hawks Nest State Park at 49 Hawks Nest Marina Road in Ansted, West Virginia. The park opens daily at 6:30 a.m. and stays open until 10 p.m., year-round.

The overlook and most trails are free to access. Tram and jet boat tours run seasonally and carry separate fees.

If you’re planning to stay, the lodge takes reservations and puts you on the cliff edge with the gorge right outside your window. Check the official website for current tram and tour schedules before you go.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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