Our newest national park puts on its winter face for visitors
By Tom Adkinson
December 31, 2021

Snow-covered banks and a blue winter sky accent the towering New River Gorge Bridge. Image by Adventures on the Gorge

FAYETTEVILLE, West Virginia – The wave of approximately 1.4 million visitors who swept over America’s newest national park during its first year has subsided, and a quieter atmosphere has settled onto the vast acreage of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. It became America’s 63rd national park in December 2020.

Gone are the whoops and hollers of whitewater rafters on the New River and the Gauley River. It is calmer now, but there is still plenty to do.

“This is a time for low-key recreation,” said Roger Wilson, president and CEO of Adventures on the Gorge (AOTG), a resort that declares its mission is “leading the world outdoors.” It is just two miles from the park’s Canyon Rim Visitor Center.

A ziplining guest zooms into one of the stations on the route called Gravity, whose last leg is almost a mile long. Image by Adventures on the Gorge

Hiking is big during the cold months. No bugs, no snakes, fewer people – and very different views of the New River Gorge itself and the many ridges and valleys in the national park and preserve that covers more than 70,000 acres in five counties. That’s because vistas open up through leafless trees.

More than 100 miles of trails (0.25 to 7 miles long) are in the park, and Adventures on the Gorge guests have 5.5 miles of trails directly at the resort, according to Wilson. Wilson said hikers often route themselves to see rock climbers working their way up some of the national park’s sheer rock walls. Locations called the Endless Wall and the Bridge Buttress are popular climbing and viewing sites.

Adventurers on a BridgeWalk expedition pause for a group photo 851 feet above the New River. Image by Tom Adkinson

The region’s star attraction remains the New River Gorge Bridge, an engineering marvel that has become a symbol of the Mountain State. The bridge is on the state’s commemorative 25-cent coin.

Even in winter, one of the region’s most thrilling adventure activities remains available, barring extreme weather. That activity is buckling up to safety lines and walking on a 24-inch-wide catwalk underneath the full length of the bridge. It’s called BridgeWalk, and those who dare can attest that the 851-foot drop to the river is impressive.

To put 851 feet in perspective, imagine the Washington Monument at the bottom of the gorge with two Statues of Liberty stacked on top. You’d still be 20 feet short of the bridge.

“I’ve done this thousands of times, and it never gets old,” said BridgeWalk guide Doug Coleman before leading a group onto the cloud-shrouded catwalk earlier in 2021 The views can change minute to minute and certainly from day to day, he observed.

The TreeTops zipline trail at Adventures on the Gorge has three suspension bridges on its trip through the trees. Image by Adventures on the Gorge

Another year-round activity requiring safety harnesses is AOTG’s ziplines. One, called TreeTops, in essence is a guided nature walk up in the trees. The other, called Gravity, provides more of an adrenaline rush.

It’s a trip above a reclaimed coal mine, and the outing’s last leg covers almost a mile. Riders can hit 60 miles an hour – bracing, to say the least, on a cold winter day.

Dedicated anglers brave winter’s cold to pursue muskies, the hard-to-catch top predators in the New River. Image by Matt Reilly Fly Fishing

One more winter activity is especially for some of the hardiest of anglers – musky fishermen. Torpedo-like muskies are the top of the food chain. They are challenging to hook and intimidating to land, considering their razor-sharp teeth. AOTG’s Wilson says the New River can produce muskies up to 50 inches long.

The Canyon Rim Visitor Center is a focal point for New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia. Image by Tom Adkinson

Traditional hotel lodging near the New River Bridge is in Fayetteville, and AOTG keeps 50 residential structures in winter operation. Those range from one-bedroom cabin units to four-bedroom homes, some with very welcoming hot tubs.