Your New River Gorge National Park CME conference.

New River Gorge after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM local time. For an easy afternoon, choose one outing near your study setting: the Canyon Rim Visitor Center and its short boardwalk to two observation decks, an out-and-back walk on the Endless Wall Trail, or a drive to Fayette Station Road. The park service warns that many roads are narrow and winding and asks visitors to allow extra time, so leave a margin for the drive and for daylight.

Travel, accommodation and any guided trips are arranged separately. Your conference is built around your specialty and interests; the gorge is the setting you choose for it.

The bridge and where to see it

The New River Gorge Bridge is 876 feet high and 3,030 feet long, and it opened in 1977. The park service stresses that it is a highway, not a pedestrian bridge. Canyon Rim Visitor Center sits on the north side of the bridge and is open year-round. Its short boardwalk leads down into the gorge to two observation decks, and a ramp serves the upper deck.

The park service also lists the Long Point trail, which has a rocky outcrop with bridge views, and Fayette Station Road, which offers views from beneath the bridge and is a 7.5-mile drive from Canyon Rim. Guided Bridge Walk tours follow the maintenance catwalk underneath the bridge. Bridge Day, held on the third Saturday in October, is the one day each year the bridge is open to pedestrians.

Endless Wall and the rim

The Endless Wall Trail runs 2.4 miles one way along the cliff edge, rated easy to moderate with about 427 feet of elevation gain. An out-and-back to Diamond Point Overlook is a popular two-mile hike. Overlooks look down on the river nearly 1,000 feet below, and rock climbers are often visible on the gorge walls.

The Fern Creek Trailhead is off Lansing-Edmond Road, just north of Canyon Rim. The park service says its small lot fills quickly and that cars parked on the road may be towed, so the Nuttall Trailhead, about half a mile farther, is the alternative. Use caution near cliff edges.

Rim, river and the drive between them

The park service describes the park as an up-and-down experience by vehicle: some roads travel along the rim, some along the river, and others wind between the two. A scenic drive encircles the park in about three hours over 83 miles, so treat the gorge as several separate areas rather than one short loop. Kaymoor Mine is 3.9 miles from US 19 on Gatewood Road, and the Endless Wall Trail also passes the Nuttallburg Mine, once the largest in the New River Coalfields.

The Fayetteville visitor site describes Fayetteville as a small town with historic character, where old historic homes line quiet streets, set close to wild mountain country. Canyon Rim Visitor Center is on US 19 just north of the town, according to the park service.

Whitewater or a day on the rim?

The park service says rafting trips are available year-round, with the season running from April through October. Licensed outfitters provide guided trips with guides, equipment, instruction and transportation. The upper, southern section has long pools and rapids up to Class III, while the lower gorge ranges from Class III to Class V, with boulders and undercut rocks. Ask an outfitter how long a trip takes before planning one around your 2:00 PM finish; it may suit a day outside study better.

Thurmond and the southern park

Thurmond is a historic railroad town about seven miles from US 19 at Glen Jean. In the early 1900s it was a coal boomtown, and the park service calls it once among the greatest railroad towns on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, with fifteen passenger trains a day. The restored depot is a park visitor center, and visitors can watch Amtrak trains pass.

Visitor centers at Thurmond and Grandview are seasonal, generally open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Sandstone Visitor Center is near I-64 exit 139 and stays open year-round. Sandstone Falls is 22.5 miles from that exit, which is a long drive for an afternoon.

When to visit New River Gorge

May–June and September–October are useful starting points. The park service’s monthly averages for Beckley put July highs at 78°F and lows at 59°F, with July the wettest month at 5.23 inches. October highs average 62°F and November highs 52°F, and winter highs run 38–42°F. The park service cautions that Appalachian weather can be unpredictable and change quickly, so check the forecast before a trail or a river trip.

Getting to New River Gorge and your study setting

The park service names Charleston as the closest major airport, approximately 70 miles northwest of the park; West Virginia International Yeager Airport (CRW) serves Charleston. Some flights are also available at Beckley, and Beckley has a Greyhound terminal and taxi services. Choose your accommodation and ground transport with both your study setting and your plans outside study hours in mind.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.