FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Visitors to one of the nation’s newest national parks can walk along cliff tops nearly 1,000 feet above one of the world’s oldest rivers. They can explore abandoned coal-mining communities and climb mountain streams past waterfalls into bogs that are home to rare orchids.
But which trails do experienced hikers favor? In an informal social Facebook poll, West Virginia Explorer asked hikers familiar with New River Gorge National Park which trails they consider best.
The park protects more than 70,000 acres along the New River, which has carved a deep canyon through the mountains. Its gorge became a national park in 2020 and is known for hiking, whitewater rafting, and historic coal towns.
Among 21 respondents who are seasoned gorge hikers, the Endless Wall Trail earned seven mentions, followed by the Glade Creek Trail with five. The Kaymoor Trail and Long Point Trail each received three.
Their answers revealed different preferences among mostly local hikers, including some who avoid the park’s busiest trails in favor of quieter paths through the gorge.
Endless Wall wins praise for views, but crowds are a concern
Mullens outdoor activity advocate Nathan R. England Sr. says he’s hiked nearly every trail in the park, but he favors the Endless Wall Trail, which follows sandstone cliffs above the New River near Fayetteville.
Along the way, it passes several clifftop overlooks, including the best-known, Diamond Point.
“Diamond Point Overlook is my favorite place to see the sunrise by far,” England said.
“The trail is well maintained and offers so many different views of the gorge below. The New River Gorge Bridge is even visible from several locations!”
The park service describes Endless Wall, which was ranked most popular among U.S. national parks by USA Today, as an easy hike ranging from 2.2 to 2.6 miles, depending on the route.
Frequent gorge hiker Robin Massey offered another reason for choosing Endless Wall.
“I feel so close to Heaven up there,” she said. It’s breathtaking and gorgeous.”
Amanda Fisher, a frequent hiker of Ohio and West Virginia trails, also favored the Endless Wall Trail, especially the climbers’ access ladder, which lets daring hikers explore below the cliffs near Fern Creek.
The wall is also one of the most popular rock climbing destinations in the U.S., and hikers are sure to encounter climbers along the way.
The trail’s popularity has changed how some residents experience it. Former park ranger Jodi French-Burr, who named Endless Wall and Glade Creek as her favorites, said she visits the wall less frequently because of the crowds.
“Sometimes you can still find a quieter time there in the dead of winter,” she wrote.
Beckley hiker Cathy Jo Fourney prefers some of the less popular trails, jokingly suggesting keeping visitors on Endless Wall so local hikers can enjoy the others.
The National Park Service advises that parking at popular trailheads can fill quickly, particularly during busy visiting periods from early spring to late fall. Visitors should use designated parking areas and consider alternative hikes when lots are full.
Glade Creek offers waterfalls and streamside scenery
Five respondents named the Glade Creek Trail, which follows a mountain stream through a forested valley toward the New River in the central park.
“Glade Creek is my favorite trail,” said Bill Lucas, a retired Beckley news editor. “I enjoyed the waterfall and the scenic bridge especially.”
Chris Wallace, a web developer from the Charleston area, also named Glade Creek among his favorites, while Lisa Ann Galitz, marketing director for the New River Conservancy, included it alongside the Kaymoor Trail.
The full Glade Creek Trail extends 5.6 miles one way, although visitors can reach its waterfalls without completing the entire route. Its route follows the creek through wooded terrain, passing cascades and pools along the way.
Unlike the Endless Wall Trail, which follows exposed overlooks along the gorge rim, Glade Creek explores the park’s forested interior. The park service includes it among the park’s recommended waterfall hikes.
Naturalists Shawn Means and Amy McLaughlin also recommended the trail, which they discussed at length in a previous West Virginia Explorer feature on lesser-known hiking destinations.
Kaymoor takes hikers into the gorge’s coal-mining past
Princeton attorney Bob Gardner favored Kaymoor, where hikers can explore the remains of a coal-mining operation that once employed hundreds of workers along the gorge’s steep slopes.
“You walk down there for the first time not knowing what to expect…and it’s just incredible seeing the ruins and signs and all… once you get over the huffing and puffing anyway lol,” Gardner said.
The Kaymoor mine operated for decades before closing in 1962. Its surviving industrial structures and interpretive signs document the coal industry that helped shape communities along the New River.
Hikers can reach the former mine site by the Kaymoor Trail or the steeper Kaymoor Miners Trail. From the mine site, 821 wooden steps descend toward the remains of the coal-processing plant, coke ovens, and former settlement near river level.
The National Park Service rates the Miners Trail as strenuous because of its steep descent and substantial elevation change. Hikers must climb back up, and the trail does not reach the river.
Madi Cheek, a frequent visitor to the gorge from Ohio, named Kaymoor Miners as her second choice after Endless Wall, while Galitz included Kaymoor among her favorites.
Long Point and Grandview offer different views of the gorge
Rachel Adkins, owner of several short-term rentals near the park, said Long Point is the trail she recommends most often to visitors, although her personal favorite is Southside.
“Long Point is the one I tell everyone not to miss. Southside is my personal favorite; I love being by the river,” she wrote.
The 3.2-mile round-trip Long Point Trail leads to a rocky promontory with a nearly head-on view of the New River Gorge Bridge. The route passes through fields and forest before reaching the overlook.
West Virginia public radio announcer Chuck Anziulewicz, 67, said hiking has become harder with age, but Long Point and Endless Wall remain his favorites.
Other respondents recommended Grandview, near Beckley, where trails overlook a sweeping bend in the New River.
Health care advocate Jackie Hallinan called the Grandview Rim Trail “pretty spectacular,” while Johnny Miller, a native of the gorge region, named Grandview Rim and Beauty Mountain among his favorites.
The Grandview Rim Trail connects Main Overlook and Turkey Spur, passing through forest along the gorge’s upper slopes. The trail is 1.6 miles one way, or 3.2 miles for a round trip.
Lesser-known trails have devoted followers
The Big Branch Trail, near Brooks Falls in the southern portion of the park, was a favorite of a respondent who went by the name “Skater Ziggy.”
“It’s beautiful, easily accessible, just the right amount of elevation change, and the perfect length for a not too long hike,” the respondent wrote.
The hiker also recommended visiting Brooks Falls and the Sandstone Falls Island Loop Trail during the same outing, noting that encounters with other hikers on Big Branch were uncommon.
Although the Big Branch loop is only about two miles long, the National Park Service rates it as strenuous because of its steep sections. The route passes waterfalls and the remains of an abandoned farmstead.
Other respondents nominated the Mill Creek trail corridor at Ansted, Beauty Mountain, the Hawks Nest Rail Trail, and the Old Sewell Trail along Manns Creek. Some of these destinations lie in the surrounding New River Gorge region rather than within the national park.
Ellen Allen described a six-mile hike beginning at Fayetteville Town Park that connects portions of the Fayetteville Trail, Timber Ridge Trail, Long Point Trail, and Butcher Branch Trail.
“Great loop with a little bit of everything,” she wrote.
The National Park Service hiking guide identifies more than 40 trails within the park, including short walks to overlooks and longer routes through former mining communities. Several trails connect to create extended hikes.
Southside Trail holds memories of a beloved companion
For frequent park hiker Vickie Aliff, choosing a favorite trail meant remembering years of hiking with her late dog, Peepers.
Aliff said the two had walked every trail in the New River Gorge more than once. She eventually chose the Southside Trail, which follows the New River between Thurmond and Brooklyn, because of the adventures they shared there.
The seven-mile trail follows a former railroad corridor past communities established during the gorge’s coal-mining era.
Aliff recalled wildlife encounters along the trail, including a black snake, a black bear, and an animal she identified as a mountain lion.
She also remembered exploring old industrial sites and taking long walks with Peepers, sometimes traveling from Thurmond to Brooklyn and back in a single outing.
On one occasion, she left the trail to explore near the old coke ovens and ventured toward the river. On the way back, she fell backward onto rocks.
“I did not get hurt, but with my backpack on I was like a turtle on its back. I was not getting up,” she said.
“Peepers stood above me on a rock, looking at me like I was a complete idiot.”
Aliff eventually managed to roll over and get back onto her feet.
The Southside Trail follows the river past former mining communities, including Rush Run, Red Ash, and Brooklyn. Its relatively gentle grade makes it suitable for longer walks, although completing the entire route in both directions requires a 14-mile hike.
For Aliff, the trail remains closely associated with the dog who accompanied her on so many outings.
“I sure do miss walking with her,” she wrote.