Gauley Bridge, WV – New River Campground
The location of our site was perfect; we had a riverfront site and were able to enjoy the slow moving New River along with the various birds that call this area home. It is a small campground. It only has two sides – “mountain view” or river view. The mountain view is in quotations due to the mountain really being a hillside with trees. This area was very soggy due to the recent rain the area experienced and the campground being ten feet lower than State route 60 which is located between the site and the “mountain view.” The campground only has one road with sites left and right. The sites at the far end of the campground are designated for tents. Several season sites are located at the front of the grounds.
We arrived on Wednesday, June 27. Nearby are two water falls, one natural and one natural but in combination with a dam, which we visited in the evening of our arrival. We took off early the next morning with a plan on visiting three areas – Babcock State Park, New River Gorge Bridge area, and Hawks Nest State Park.
Babcock State Park was very enjoyable. We had great photo ops at the old time grist mill. Although not currently in operation, they do have water occasionally run through the mill to showcase the mill and how it was used. What made the visit memorable was the large creek or small river that runs through the park. This area is heavily populated by very large boulders which create natural falls and rapids in very shallow water. We spent about two hours playing in the water. It was a highlight of the day. We also brought a picnic lunch and ate it along the creek at the park’s historical visitor’s area.
Our second stop was the reason we visited this area – the bridge. New River Gorge Bridge is the longest arch bridge in America and the second highest in elevation from the gorge. The views are stunning. However, there isn’t a way to view the area from the bridge. I’d highly suggest stopping by the visitor’s area where the very brief history (built in the late 1970s) of the bridge can be found. The bridge replaced a very long and scenic road down to the bottom of the gorge and then back up – a one-hour trip that now takes less than a minute to transverse. That road is still open, and it is something that I recommend. From the river’s edge, you can view the very last rapids that the rafters experience (more about this later).
Our final stop was to Hawk’s Nest State Park on our way back north. I’m not sure we gave this area its just due. We arrived about 4:30 and the various areas closed at 5. Several in our group were able to take the tram down to the river ($7) to see the sights. The park also offers jet boat rides, but we didn’t have this in the plan. Exhausted from the day’s activities, we headed back to the campground to prepare for our big day of white water rafting!
None in our party has every rafted, so we eagerly looked forward to this part of our vacation with both anxiety and excitement. We made reservations with Adventure on the Gorge organization. I give this company my full support and five stars! Their “storefront” is fantastic; their staff was friendly and pleasant; there are games that be played while waiting for the adventure to begin.
The trip began with a 25-minute ride to the location at the bottom of gorge. The cost for the four-hour trip was $120 per person. We usually don’t find ourselves expending this much money, but it was for a great time. Our guide was Doug, and he was awesome! He entertained us with jokes at the beginning, but as we floated on the river, he shared many stories of the towns that had called that part of the river home 150 years ago through the late 1930s. Me, being a history nut, I absorbed all the local knowledge he shared of the small coal towns, the different nationalities that came to the area in search for jobs in the mines, and the bootlegging that went on during the prohibition. There was also an interesting story of the wars that took place between the miners and the unions that came to the area trying to stabilize the region. But what made Doug an excellent guide was his knowledge of the river (22 years experience). He had us hit every rapids in the exact spot to get the most thrill out of our experience. There were five other rafts with us, but as we had time to observe, none of the guides were as informative or entertaining as our guide, AND not all the guides were able to put their group into the best parts of the rapids. Hands down, Doug was a gem!
We purchased a group of 60 pictures taken of our group while rafting. When we arrived back on the property, Adventures on the Gorge supplied free showers including soap and shampoo. Our evening came to an end with several delicious pizzas from Gino’s.
Coming up next….Shenandoah River State Park, Virginia
Out numbered 4:1
2011 F350 PSD 6.7L Dually
2016 Cedar Creek 36CKTS
Empty Nest'n with our Rott!
