The New River Gorge Bridge National Park

The New River Gorge Bridge is one of the most photographed places in West Virginia. After visiting it when the leaves were at their peak, I can understand why so many people would want to see this beautiful landscape.

It is currently the longest single-span steel arch bridge in the United States and the third-highest bridge in the country. With a height of 876 feet above the waters of the New River (topping the Washington Monument by 325 feet), the bridge is the highest east of the Mississippi and second highest in the nation only to Colorado’s Royal Gorge Bridge over the Arkansas River. The weight of the bridge is 88,000,000 pounds.

A seven-mile drive takes you on a winding one-way road down to the bottom of the river. It has several spots to pull off and take pictures. It was breathtaking! The drive ends at The Outpost Campground at New River Gorge. I wasn’t aware of this when I booked a site there.

On the third Saturday of October, the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce hosts “Bridge Day.” The bridge is open to pedestrians and a wide variety of activities attract thousands of people. Visitors experience the magnificent views, vendors, base jumping, rappelling and more. Bridge Day is not only West Virginia’s largest one-day festival but also the largest extreme sports event in the world.

The completion of the New River Gorge Bridge in 1977 solved a travel challenge. The bridge turned a 40-minute drive into less than a minute. It removed the need to navigate down narrow mountain roads to cross the river at the bottom.

The people, surroundings and everything I encountered was perfect. Well worth the visit!