The Perfect Day at New River Gorge National Park

United States TravelCaliforniaFamily TravelNational Parks Travel

Nov 4

The Perfect Day at New River Gorge National Park

DO: Hike, Relax around the fire & enjoy nature!
DON’T: Miss out on Whitewater Rafting-we really wished we could have done this!

New River Gorge recently became a National Park and when we found out it was a pretty easy drive from Cincinnati (4.5 hours) we decided it would be perfect as our baby Graham’s first National Park! New River Gorge is perfect for adventure and relaxing. It has a great small town with everything you need, but is secluded enough to feel like you’re getting away from it all! It was the perfect trip for us, our new baby and our pups!

Note: One of the most popular activities at NRG is Whitewater Rafting & unfortunately we didn’t get to go on this trip, which just means, we’ll need to go back!

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Below you will find:

**Our top places to:**
Hike
Shop
Eat/Drink
Stay

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**HIKE**

Start the day with a hike on Long Point Trail to see the iconic viewpoint of the New River Gorge Bridge. This is a 3-mile (roundtrip) out & back trail that I would consider moderate difficulty. The trail starts out in a meadow and then into the woods you go for some ups and downs before descending to the view! Make sure you take plenty of water!
Endless Wall Trail is another one that is on a lot of lists, but we felt the views were better on the other!
Many of the National Parks aren’t the most dog-friendly, but this is one that allowed dogs on trails & ours loved it!

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**SHOP**

After our hike, we stopped at the Visitor Center to collect our usual gear. We love getting a sticker to put on our board, and a postcard for Graham. We now also get a stamp for his Jr. Ranger book.
Our favorite part of the visitor’s center was the walk down to the bridge viewpoint—Although, carrying the carseat wasn’t our best choice & we wish we would have put him in the Baby Bjorn! As you can see, Graham wasn’t too impressed.
We honestly weren’t too impressed with the actual visitor’s center stuff, probably due to it being so new on the list of National Parks, so we went next door to Canyon Rim Gifts. Wow, they had everything! If you’re into checking out souvenirs, this is the place for you. An added bonus is there was an ice cream window right outside!

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**EAT/DRINK**

A craft beer on a patio on a sunny day is exactly what we love after a nice hike, so we headed to Freefolk Brewery. The outdoor patio was really great & included: cornhole, a stage for live music, a ping pong table & some really cool murals for a photo op. They also had food, but we didn’t have any since we were “living the camp life” & packed all of our food for the weekend-cue the campfire pizzas & s’mores.

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**STAY**
We wanted a camping feel, but with a new baby (10 weeks) we really wanted some amenities like a refrigerator & bathroom. We found the Amish Cabins on Airbnb & they were exactly what we needed. The cabin was small and simple but was very clean and cozy. It was great because our good friends and their two little ones were also on our trip & we each had our own little cabin. There are 10 total cabins, and it would be an awesome group trip!

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We ended up loving our weekend getaway to this national park! We went in August & it ended up being perfect weather! I think the fall would be beautiful with the leaves, but summer would be ideal if you plan on doing any rafting! We will definitely be back!

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