Destination: New River Gorge National Park
Dates: June 23-25, 2021
Reason: Short getaway
Day 1 June 23, 2021
In desperate need of a short vacation, we decided to take a couple days to hike trails at New River Gorge National Park. Kat and Dylan Weidlich wanted to watch Luna and Ernie while we were away so we dropped the dogs off a little after 8:00am. Unfortunately, Julia got a message from work and realized that she had to send something in urgently. We went back to our house, she got it taken care of, and we hit the road at 9:30am.
Traffic was clear and easy the whole way through Chillicothe, Point Pleasant, and onward. Finn slept nearly until we stopped for lunch at an Arby’s in Nitro, West Virginia. After lunch Julia started getting nauseous from the winding mountain roads and Finn started getting crabby around the 4 hour mark of our drive.
We got to the New River Gorge around 3:30pm and stopped at the Sandstone Visitor Center first to get info and a Junior Ranger workbook. After stretching our legs we headed off to Sandstone Falls, a mere 1.7 miles from the Visitor Center, but a 30 minute drive since the nearest bridge to it is 10 miles down the gorge. We stopped at an overlook along the way.
At the falls, we popped Finn into a new carrier we bought and set out on the boardwalk. There were many great views of the waterfall, which spans across the whole width of the New River. The boardwalk itself takes visitors across an island in the river. It even had a spot where we could get off the path and dip our feet in the water, which included another spectacular spot to see the falls.
Off the boardwalk, we took the Island Loop Trail, a ½ mile hike that took us all around the island through the forest and along the banks of the river. During the hike, we discovered that the new carrier was causing us a lot of discomfort, so Finn got to walk a little bit and then was carried on my hip most of the way.
Our next destination was the Bluestone National Scenic River, which we decided to access from Pipestem State Park. It took about 25 minutes to drive there and we passed a dam across the New and some beautiful scenery at Bluestone Lake. At Pipestem we gathered our courage and rode the tramway down to the river. It consisted of enclosed cable cars and took us about 1,600 feet down. Julia and I were nervous, naturally, and Finn clung to his mommy. But it was well worth it. The scenic views were grand.
At the bottom, on the banks of the beautiful Bluestone River, they have a lodge, restaurant, and gift shop. We had dinner, which provided a ticket to get back up the tram too. Julia and I both got a burger topped with brisket, which we shared with Finn. They were tasty. But during dinner Finn got bored with his crayons and did what toddlers do, so we got take out boxes, paid the bill, and got back up on the tram. With the sun starting to set, the views of the mountains from the top of the gorge were stupendous.
Leaving Pipestem, we saw a large pileated woodpecker as we followed the Greenbrier River to get to our AirBnB in Alderson. Along the way we stopped briefly at the John Henry Historical Park near the Bend railroad tunnel. I was hoping to see the statue of John Henry, but a closed gate forced me to settle for a photo of the sign. We pulled into Alderson around 8:00pm and had no trouble getting to our rental. Since Finn was still unable to navigate stairs confidently, we confined ourselves to the bottom floor even though we had the whole house.
After quick showers we hit the hay.
Day 2 June 24, 2021
Our goal was to head out around 8:00am, but it ended up closer to 9 when we shoved off. An hour’s drive up a scenic local highway took us to the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, where Finn received his Junior Ranger badge. From the Visitor Center, a short boardwalk took us to a wonderful overlook of the New River Gorge Bridge. A couple of dogs on the pathway thrilled Finn.
The first hike we did was called the Endless Wall Trail. It was a 2 mile round trip jaunt through the forest that culminated at a rocky overlook called Diamond Point. I carried Finn on the way out and he slept the whole time, missing beautiful trees and winding paths past rhododendrons. The overlook was astonishing. To the left were sheer granite rock faces dropping into the gorge, and below us was the rushing New River, about 1,000 feet down. Julia and I took turns venturing out onto the point and snapping photos. Then she carried Finn back.
We went just a little further down the road to reach the next trail. It was the Headhouse Trail that leads to the abandoned Nuttallburg mining settlement. We started off on the path, and were immediately greeted with a small kitten who was cute but looked a little rough. Julia felt bad for the tiny guy, and Finn thought it was really neat. The trail itself ended up being much steeper than we bargained for. Julia was also getting nervous about the drop-off on the side, so we called it quits a portion of the way down and turned back. Carrying Finn was also doing a number on my shoulders. While we didn’t get to the settlement, we did pass by rocky crags and small caves, as well as more scenic beauty from the gorge. Julia also found some natural coal lying on the path.
After the hike, we were hungry, so headed to Fayetteville at the northern end of the park to look for lunch. The sandwich place we wanted was no longer there, so we went to a Pies and Pints pizza joint. Julia got a Thai pizza, I got a chipotle chicken one, and Finn got pepperoni. I also tried a local IPA that was good.
From lunch we went slightly south to our next trail: the Long Point Trail. This one was about 2 and a half miles, but provided the best view of the bridge over the gorge. The path was peaceful and wound through the forest, until the last 2/10 of a mile, when it descended steeply and narrowly through rhododendron tunnels. Julia carried Finn, who had fallen asleep again. We reached the overlook and it took our breath away. The arduous parts of the hike were well worth it. When we started to head back, we switched carrying Finn, but he woke up and became very cranky. Eventually he settled down and we made it back without any trouble.
For the last stop of our day, we decided to check out Grandview. We debated about whether to stop since we were tired and Finn was fed up with being constrained all day, but we’re glad we did it. The overlook is right by the parking lot and provides a stunning view. It captures a horseshoe bend in the river with an amazing panorama.
Exhausted and ready for bed, we headed back to Alderson, showered the hiking stink off, and went to bed.
Day 3 June 25, 2021
The final day of our trip began with an easy pack-up and check out. We left shortly after 8:30am and followed the same scenic drive, US 60, north of the gorge to Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park. The battlefield was the site of a Union victory in 1861 that ultimately led to the removal of Confederate troops from western Virginia, which allowed that part of the country to become its own state. At the park we stopped by an overlook to see rapids shooting along the Gauley River, part of the Gauley River National Recreation Area.
Back on the road, we wound our way through poverty-stricken back-country towns on the hunt for I-64, which we took west. The plan was to stop at the capitol building in Charleston, but Finn was a little cranky, so we skipped.
Our next destination was Hillbilly Hot Dogs in Lesage, WV, a little north of Huntington on the banks of the Ohio River. It’s a funky eatery that specializes in “trashy” charm and deep-fried dogs. We ate in an old school bus converted to a diner. Julia had a Hawaiian dog with pineapple, while I went more traditional with a chili dog, albeit with some cajun spices. Finn had a weiner with ketchup.
From there we followed US 52 along the Ohio River, eventually popping up to 32 and getting to 123 in Mt. Orab. We passed the turnoff for West Union in Adams County, which was nostalgic for me.
We reached home right at 5:00pm and stopped by the house to unload some stuff before we picked up the dogs from Kat and Dylan’s. On the way back we grabbed Skyline for our traditional “welcome home” meal.
Robinsons on the Road 