New River Gorge National Park

We left the Lookout Mountain area and spent two nights at Panther Creek State Park in Tennessee. We're keeping that park in mind for when we return to the area. Sevierville and beyond would be a nice day trip.

Panther Creek State Park

We arrived at Camp Creek State Park in West Virginia for a week long rest and relaxation period. We caught the tail end of some pretty fall foliage. The park has a couple of small waterfalls that are easy walking and biking distance. I had fun imagining the park when the rhododendrons would be in bloom.

Mash Fork Falls at Camp Creek

Campbell Falls at Camp Creek

Our only real objective for the week was to get our national park cancellation stamp for New River Gorge National Park. We had stopped at the bridge overlook on a previous trip. This time we drove underneath the bridge and to a couple of the other visitor centers.

 

As we drove WV82 down the gorge, across the New River, and back up, we kept in mind the ranger's comment that before the New River Gorge Bridge was built, this was the only way to cross the gorge. Yikes! I'd hate to meet an oncoming car or truck. The road is primarily one-way now. Today's drivers don't have that extra challenge. We noted the rhododendrons here too. 

The bridge is the third highest in the U.S. and the longest steel span in the western hemisphere, according to the national park service. As such, it draws quite a crowd at the annual Bridge Day festival, the largest single-day festival in WV. In 2019, the last time the event was held (covid cancellations in 2020 and 2021), over 100,000 people came to walk across the bridge and to watch BASE jumpers and rappelers. I get the heebie jeebies just thinking about looking down, let alone jumping or rappelling.

Old bridge at the bottom of the gorge

Grand View Scenic Overlook

We drove WV20 between I-77 and I-64, driving through other scenic overlooks and stopping at Pipestem State Park, where we climbed the observation tower. We bet the views were totally amazing when the fall colors were at their peak. 

Where Are We Going Next?