You can raft a West Virginia river older than dinosaurs and find its hidden ghost town

It’s also the deepest gorge east of the Mississippi

The New River runs south to north, which is already odd for an eastern river. But the real surprise is its age.

Some estimates put this river at over 300 million years old, possibly dating back to the supercontinent Pangaea. It carved a gorge so deep through southern West Virginia that nothing east of the Mississippi comes close.

You can raft it, hike above it, walk under a bridge 876 feet over it, and even explore a ghost town inside it. The river is ancient.

What surrounds it now is just getting started.

A 360-mile river that may predate the dinosaurs

Despite its name, the New River has nothing new about it.

Age estimates range from 3 million to over 300 million years, and some geologists tie its origins to the formation of Pangaea itself.

The river starts in North Carolina, cuts through Virginia, and pushes into West Virginia across about 360 miles. It flows south to north, one of the few rivers in the eastern United States that runs against the grain.

And along the way, it carved the deepest river gorge east of the Mississippi.

From coal country to America’s 63rd national park

President Jimmy Carter created the New River Gorge National River on Nov. 10, 1978. For over 40 years, it stayed a national river.

Then in December 2020, Congress redesignated it as the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, making it America’s 63rd national park.

The park now covers more than 70,000 acres along 53 miles of river in southern West Virginia. Dozens of coal mining towns once filled this gorge in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Today the park protects one of the most biodiverse river gorges in the central and southern Appalachians.

The steel arch bridge that never needs a coat of paint

Three years of construction ended on Oct. 22, 1977, when the New River Gorge Bridge opened. It stands 876 feet above the river and stretches 3,030 feet from end to end.

That 1,700-foot steel arch makes it the longest single-span arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere and the third-highest vehicular bridge in the country.

The builders used COR-TEN weathering steel, which forms a rust-colored patina over time. That patina protects the metal underneath, so the bridge never needs painting.

Crossing the gorge went from 45 minutes to under one

Before 1977, getting across the gorge by car meant 45 minutes on steep, winding mountain roads. The bridge cut that to less than a minute.

It cost $37 million to build, the largest project in West Virginia Department of Highways history at the time. In 2013, the bridge earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

You’ve probably seen it without knowing it, too. It appears on the West Virginia state quarter, issued in 2005.

Walk a two-foot-wide catwalk 876 feet above the river

The Bridge Walk puts you on a narrow catwalk beneath the bridge deck, 876 feet over the New River. The catwalk runs about 1.25 miles and is roughly two feet wide.

You wear a harness clipped to a safety cable the entire time. Tours last two to three hours and move at a relaxed pace, with plenty of stops for photos.

Guides talk about the bridge’s construction, the gorge’s history, and the wildlife below. You look straight down through open grating to the river.

One day a year, hundreds of people jump off this bridge

Bridge Day lands on the third Saturday of every October, and it’s West Virginia’s largest single-day festival.

It started in 1980 when two people parachuted from a plane onto the bridge while 5,500 spectators walked across. Now it’s the only day each year the bridge closes to traffic and opens to pedestrians.

BASE jumpers leap from the deck into the gorge, and rappellers descend on ropes. In 2023, 341 jumpers from 35 states and four countries made 713 jumps in a single day.

Hike through rhododendron tunnels to cliff-edge views

The park has more than 100 miles of trails, and two stand out.

Long Point Trail runs about 3.2 miles round trip and ends at a rock outcropping with one of the best head-on views of the bridge.

Endless Wall Trail covers 2.4 miles along the cliff edge to Diamond Point, where the gorge drops nearly 1,000 feet below you. USA Today readers voted it the best national park hike.

Both trails pass through rhododendron forests, West Virginia’s state flower, which blooms in June.

Sandstone Falls and a 1,400-foot-high horseshoe bend

At the park’s southern end, Sandstone Falls is the largest waterfall on the New River. A boardwalk trail of about one mile leads to viewing areas of the upper and lower falls.

Farther along, the Grandview area sits at the park’s highest point, nearly 1,400 feet above the river. From Turkey Spur Overlook, you can see a horseshoe bend in the river with views stretching in both directions.

Catawba rhododendrons bloom here in May, and great rhododendrons follow in June.

Paddle Class I rapids or take on 20 named whitewater runs

The park splits its rafting into two sections. The Upper New River runs Class I to III rapids, and outfitters welcome kids as young as six on guided trips.

The Lower New River pushes through the deepest part of the gorge with Class III to IV rapids and more than 20 named runs.

You finish the Lower New by paddling directly beneath the New River Gorge Bridge, which is a view you won’t get any other way. Keep your eyes on the banks for deer, river otters, and bald eagles.

Over 3,000 climbing routes line 60 miles of sandstone cliffs

The gorge has more than 3,000 established rock climbing routes along over 60 miles of Nuttall Sandstone cliff line. Climbers consider these walls some of the hardest and oldest rock in the eastern United States.

If you’ve never climbed, several outfitters run guided sessions for beginners that last two to four hours. Beyond climbing, you can zip line, mountain bike, ride horseback, tour caves, or try stand-up paddleboarding.

Every fall, the nearby Gauley River draws experienced rafters for Class IV and V rapids during scheduled dam releases.

Drive beneath the bridge on the old gorge-crossing road

Fayette Station Road used to be the only way across the gorge.

Now it’s a one-way scenic drive that drops from the rim, passes directly beneath the New River Gorge Bridge, and reaches the river.

At the bottom, the historic Fayette Station Bridge crosses the water and gives you a straight-up view of the modern bridge from river level.

The forest closes in around you on the way down, and you get a real sense of how hard gorge crossings were before 1977. You can access the road from the Canyon Rim Visitor Center area.

Fewer than a dozen people live in this old coal town

Thurmond grew up along the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in the 1870s and 1880s, deep in the gorge. During its peak in the 1920s, more coal tonnage passed through Thurmond than through Cincinnati, Ohio.

Then fires destroyed key buildings, the bank closed during the Great Depression, and diesel engines replaced coal-powered trains.

Today, fewer than a dozen people live here, and the National Park Service owns about 80 percent of the town. The restored 1904 train depot serves as a seasonal visitor center and Amtrak stop.

Explore New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia

You can start your visit at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center on U.S. Route 19, just north of Fayetteville. The center has exhibits, a park film, and boardwalk overlooks of the bridge and gorge.

Fayetteville, the small town nearest the bridge, is the gateway community with local shops and restaurants. The park has no entrance fee.

Eight free, first-come, first-served campgrounds sit throughout the park, though facilities are basic. About two-thirds of the U.S. population lives within a day’s drive.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• How a single bridge transformed forgotten coal country into West Virginia’s crown jewel
• America’s 63rd national park is in West Virginia and you’ve probably never heard of it
• Stand in three states at once at this West Virginia river town Jefferson called unmissable