Our first destination was New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia. I love West Virginia; it’s a beautiful state, totally worthy of its own song. We learn from each trip we take. One of the reasons we start our trips in early-to-mid September is because school is back in session which (usually) means crowds are smaller at high traffic locations such as national parks. (Mount Rushmore and Glacier National Park in July were not for the faint of heart.)
The first step for us is to check out the Visitor’s Center. At the very minimum, we need a stamp and sticker for our National Parks Passport and I’m always on the lookout for interesting stocking stuffers and/or souvenirs. Then we grab a map of the park and determine what we want to see. We decided to check out the scenic outlooks near the visitor’s center followed by a scenic drive.
After completing our selfie attempts at the overlook nearest the bridge, we noticed people walking on the girders under the bridge. My first thought was, “What are those idiots doing?” We then realized they appeared to be wearing safety harnesses which were attached to an overhead cable. So, these weren’t just random people being careless. It turns out there is a company named Bridge Walk just before the entrance to the park. Per their website, “Bridge Walk offers guided tours of the New River Gorge Bridge from the catwalk 25’ beneath the Bridge.” If you are brave enough to do it, I’ll wish you well and wave goodbye as you begin your journey; this girl is not a fan of heights and my feet are staying firmly on the ground.
It was a beautiful day to spend at a beautiful park.
When we finished up at New River Gorge, we made the twenty mile drive to Babcock State Park. The scenery at the park was gorgeous; I’m sure when the fall colors arrive it edges into spectacular. (Water levels were really low during our visit.)
Next stop: Ohio!
Have you been to either of the places featured here?
Linda Lou's Life 
I’ve been to West Virginia, which is beautiful. Unless I was driving through, I was mostly there as part of the Appalachia Service Project, helping repair houses in low income areas. Made me loathe big coal.
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I visited New River Gorge before it was a national park. I remember people bungee jumping off the bridge. It was a long time ago. That size of that bridge is hard to fathom. I would not bridge walk! Wonderful pictures!
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Thanks!
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I’ve never been to West Virginia and even before I saw your link to John Denver’s song, it was playing in my head. I like the idea of the “Almost Heaven” signs representing the song. The New River Gorge National Park looked very scenic with that beautiful bridge. I also like the grist mill; it’s too bad you visited on a day it was not in operation. You have some beautiful photos there and your selfie looked great as well.
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Thank you!
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Beautiful photos! I’ve never been to either of those places before.
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Thanks!
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Beautiful place. I have not been there, though I have been to West Virginia a couple of times. It does deserve its song.
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West Virginia is underrated! We used to drive through on our way to New Jersey to visit family when I was a kid. Wheeling also stuck out to me as being especially scenic.
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I’ve never been to Wheeling. Maybe next time.
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Linda Lou, I really enjoyed this post about a place near and dear to my heart. My family spent time in WV every summer to visit my grandparents. I’ve been to the New River Gorge a few times. The last time was a few years ago before it became a national park. The bridge is amazing to see. Thanks for bringing back happy memories!
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I’m so glad my post could bring back such good memories for you! Thanks for stopping by.😊
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