We made our way to New River Gorge National Park, the country’s newest national park having being upgraded from a national river to a national park in December 2020. And because it is still so new, some of the park is still being configured to fit the increased number of visitors. Because the park stretches along part of the river, the park itself is very long and narrow and there are 4 different visitor centers. After trying unsuccessfully to find the Sandstone Visitor Center, we went to the main visitor center at the bridge. From the visitor center we made our way down the series of steps to the overlook and the gorge really is an amazing piece of West Virginia.

The park’s main point of interest is the bridge that spans across the river below. This is the third tallest bridge in the country. And every year they host ‘Bridge Days’ where dare devils from around the world come to jump off the bridge and soar above the gorge. Bridge days brings parachute jumpers, hang gliders, and bungee jumpers to experience the thrill of the bridge.

But the thrill of the bridge is not only for those who want to jump off of it, but also for those who want to walk underneath it. Visitors can go and walk along a 24 inch catwalk that goes under the bridge as they are secured to a harness in case of falling. Had we not had a little girl and a dog with us, we would have loved to experience the gorge like this.

But the bridge is not the only point of interest at this park. It also boasts of some of the best white water rafting and hiking in the country. There is no shortage of areas to enjoy the water or enjoy the trials within this park. This is somewhere we would love to come back and really explore more of. But we were glad to have gotten to go and to see the bridge crossing over such a incredible view of the gorge and river below.