Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

Rivers & Rapids: The West Virginia Finale

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This is the third and final installment of our summer road trip through West Virginia.

Day 4

After a restful night at the hotel of the same name, we had wanted to bop on over to Blennerhassett Island, but were pressed for time. It was nearly two hours out to North Bend Rail Trail, and we had photos opps to tackle.

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

So instead, we headed to everyone’s favorite on-the-way-out-of-Parkersburg joint, JR’s Donut Castle, for snacks to go. The donuts did not blow my mind, but they were pretty tasty.

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip
Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

And they made for great photos, so there’s that, too.

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

By 9am, we were on the road in the direction of the North Bend Rails, which Google told us was about 45 minutes away, then we arrived and found the lodge it had mapped us to was an actual derelict (former) school with a massacred teddy bear next to a “NO TRESPASSIG [sic]” sign.

Jade and I were convinced we were about to be slaughtered or, worse, eaten by zombies; SVV, of course wanted to get closer to investigate.
Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

We compromised and turned around to try a new direction. In the end, it turns out you should never listen to Google Maps; it took us to Cairo when we needed to go to east of there almost to Harrisville. Once we righted that wrong, we were on the path toward the rail tunnels.

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

These seventy-two miles of former railroad-turned-hiking trails are popular with a number of old railway tunnels that make for great photos (and OK, a little learning, too). We hiked a mile or so out and went through just one, and I felt like we were on our way to Terminus the entire walk.

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip
Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay long—are you sensing a theme to this trip? go, go, go!—as we had things to do in Charleston, namely visit the Capitol Market before it closed. We were also supposed to run by Spencer on the way, but we ran out of time (why does everything in the Mountain State have to be so dang far?). Oh well, next visit for sure.

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip
Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

After a snack and wander around the Market, we went just south of the city to JQ Dickinson Salt-Works, wishing we’d been in town days earlier for their popular farm-to-table dinners beneath the stars.

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip
Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

But we were able to take a tour anyway and get a lay of the land, sample some salts and take others home with us.

I absolutely love that brother-and-sister team Lewis Payne and Nancy Bruns revived a family legacy that spanned seven generations by opening JQ Dickinson three years ago. What a cool thing to do, right?
Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

And then, another hour (more like two) of some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen, and we were at Adventures on the Gorge just in time for sunset and S’mores around the campfire—my favorite way to end any night, really.

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

Drive time: 195 miles / 3 hours, 34 minutes

Day 5

Adventures on the Gorge was so cool with its cabins and activities galore—another adult summer camp, it seems; one where you can also bring the kids—but unfortunately we were only really there to sleep as we had to make it all the way back to Tennessee that day. Wah!

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

So, it was up bright and early and into the cantina for breakfast before we took a stroll down to the viewing platform of New River Gorge Bridge, which is located just across the street from the entrance to AOG.

West-Virginia-116

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip
Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

For many years after it was constructed in 1977, it was the world’s longest single-span arch bridge (it’s now third in the world and the longest in the northern hemisphere), and the New River flows beneath it.

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

Not only is it a magnificent site to see, but the Gauley has some of the best Class V rapids in the world for those of you who love a little whitewater rafting.

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip
Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

On the way back to Interstate-64, we detoured for one final time to see Babcock State Park and its old Grist Mill. Once we arrived, though, we wanted to take a dip and weren’t technically allowed to swim—this was the case in a handful of the state parks we visited—so we snapped a few pics and then continued on our merry way.

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

One day, I’ll make it back to New River Gorge and do this place justice, this I promise you.

Parkersburg to New River Gorge: The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

Note: Our trip was amazing, delicious and full of fun, but I do not recommend going at the pace we did. In all, we drove more than 1,500 miles in five days and needed a vacation from our vacation when we got home! If I were to do it again, I’d pick one region—like New River Gorge, for example—and spend a good four or five days there. You have no idea how much time it actually takes to drive what seem like relatively short distances in West Virginia until you actually get there and see for yourself that they’re not.

The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip

Drive time: 479 miles / 7 hours, 37 minutes

Need more West Virginia advice? Check out these posts:

COMMENTS
  • August 17, 2016

    I’m so glad you liked West Virginia! WV is my home state and Charleston is my hometown. I loved reading about your experiences there over this series of posts. I’ve even found a couple of new spots I need to try to visit next time I go home. I also *maybe* gasped when you mentioned Capitol Market. That place is a staple back home. My parents head there every week!

    Thanks so much for creating these posts and showing others what a great place WV is!

  • August 17, 2016
    Brandy

    Wow, you guys definitely covered a lot of ground! That is definitely a problem in WV – so many places are down these twisty roads that wind through the mountains, so it takes much longer than it should to get anywhere that’s not an interstate.

    That said, I have totally enjoyed this series! I feel bad because I don’t even know about some of these places from my home state (the salt works place looks so cool!) but I will definitely check them out next time I go home.

  • August 17, 2016

    That was a very fitting reference to the Walking Dead! 🙂 I love love love the photo of the bridge! It reminds me of Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa. Even though the colour is different, the construction and setting look similar

  • September 4, 2016

    Beautiful photos! Sometimes you just have to squeeze it all in and take mental notes for the next, slower trip.

  • July 9, 2018

    Yes, you definitely had a very fast paced, whirlwind trip through the Mountain State (where I hail from originally). I enjoyed reading your entries and am glad my home state made a good impression on you!

    PS. One small error – the New River flows beneath the New River Gorge Bridge, not the Gauley. You are correct that the Gauley River offers some of the best class V rapids in the country, but it is located northeast of the New River Gorge area near Summersville Lake. Whitewater rafting is available on the New as well. The Upper New is more of a “float trip,” but the Lower New offers solid class II-IV rapids.

    • July 10, 2018

      Thank you for the correction, Ericka! Good to know, and I so hope to make it back there some summer soon, as I feel like we were robbed of a true West Virginia experience really getting to soak up those rapids =)

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