WV: America’s Newest National Park, New River Gorge

When I was asked to be a bridesmaid for my friend’s wedding, I couldn’t say no. I was excited to be a part of her day. While she lived in LA at the time, the wedding was going to be held in her home state of North Carolina.

Since I was on the verge of beginning my full-time RV life, it wasn’t going to be difficult to make sure my RV and I ended up in NC. 

Life of course never goes as planned, and I was in Ohio waiting out covid, selling my Class C, working for my mom, teaching at a college, buying a truck, and finding a trailer so I could get back on the road. In June I sold my RV, so I knew I would need to book a hotel. I was planning on taking my dad’s Cadillac but ended up purchasing a new-to-me 2013 Dodge RAM 1500.

It was my first road trip with my truck, which allowed me to test the ease of driving distances and handling mountains. From Canton, the trek to Moorseville, NC was about 430 miles, which is about 6-7 hours, depending on stops. 

I had also purchased a small portable fridge to be used on the truck on travel days. This ended up being one of the best purchases I made. Leaving at 7 am, to make sure I got there in time for a photoshoot with the bride and to meet her at her parents’ place. I said goodbye to the pups, packed up the truck, and left by 7 am.

The truck performed perfectly.

Chasing Fall Foliage in West Virginia.

I planned a week-long stay, not only to help her with anything that needed to be done but to allow me time to explore and visit the area. I did not realize that North Carolina during the beginning of October was going to be as rainy and dreary as it was. The weather cleared by the wedding day and quickly turned to perfect.

The last couple of days I had to myself, and since Autumn was late to the game, I was hoping that the cooler weather and rain would have sped up the fall foliage change while I was there. Driving down color was just beginning to show on the trees. 

I did some research and knew I wanted to drive to the New River Gorge area on my way back to Ohio. Not only was it the newest National Park addition, making it the 63rd park, but I had also been there previously in my 20s during a white water rafting trip. I knew if I had any chance to catch fall, I was hoping it would have been perfect by the time I got there. If not, at least it would be gorgeous.

I decided that I wanted to try and get fog which usually finds its way into the mountains of West Virginia, which meant in order to get to the area in the morning hours, I had to wake at 4 am and leave as quickly as I could. I made it to Virginia by 7:20 am and West Virginia by 8:30 am. 

Since it was cooler, I knew that the fog wouldn’t lift as quickly as it can and my gut instinct paid off. I made it to Bluestone Lake and it was perfect. I spent an hour taking photographs, time-lapse, vlogged before moving onto Sandstone falls.

Finding areas around the National Park to Explore.

Using my Roadtrippers app, I was easily able to locate places worth visiting as I made my way to the New River Gorge. 

Sandstone Falls is the largest waterfall on the New River and spans the river where it is 1500 feet wide. Divided by a series of islands, the river drops 10 to 25 feet.

Not only is this gem off the beaten path, but it is also wheelchair-friendly, pet-friendly, and photographer-friendly! A boardwalk leads you through the short distance to the main waterfall. This easy-to-use walkway allows for picnics, sitting, and taking your time in nature. There are a few access points that allow you to follow some small trails that lead you around the falls, especially perfect for photographers.

Warning, however, it is very rocky, with lots of tree roots and an uneven surface. 

Your journey to view the falls will require some driving time, but it will take you along two of the park's most scenic roads, Route 20 from I-64 at the community of Sandstone, ten miles upstream to the town of Hinton, then downstream eight miles along River Road, the park's only scenic riverside drive. Both these routes offer several overlooks, historic sites, natural areas, trails, and river access points.