Cross Country Vacation Sept./Oct. 2025-Post 6

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, West Virginia

Our son-in-law recommended that we check out New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

I am so glad that he did!

*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!

We drove across New River Gorge Bridge and turned into the park. The Canyon Rim Visitors Center is very nice and helpful to orient you to the history and points of interest in the park. Guided tours are offered, including a tour to walk across the bridge. One doesn’t walk on the highway, but there is a catwalk under it. It is not open to the public, and one must purchase a guided tour to walk there. If you choose to take this tour, never fear, you will be harnessed to the bridge!

The bridge was designed by the Michael Baker Company and the final cost of construction was $37 million (equivalent to $149 million in 2024 dollars). It was approximately $4 million, or $16 million in 2024 dollars, over bid.

From the website linked above:

Height: 876 feet / 267 meters
Length: 3,030 feet / 923.6 meters
Arch Length: 1,700 feet / 518.1 meters
Weight: 88,000,000 pounds / 39,916,129 kilograms

Two Statues of Liberty and one Washington Monument can fit under the arch with 20 feet to spare!

When completed in October 1977, it was the world’s highest bridge carrying a regular roadway until the 2001 opening of the Liuguanghe Bridge in China.

The New River Gorge Bridge is the longest steel span in the western hemisphere. It removed the need to navigate down narrow mountain roads across an ancient river and provides a much quicker and easier route through the Appalachian Mountains.

The stairs leading to the overlook are wide and have several landings where you can stop and catch your breath if needed.

In 2006, the U.S. Mint chose the bridge to represent West Virginia on the state commemorative quarter.

The New River is one of North America’s oldest waterways and has carved out the longest and deepest gorge in the Appalachian Mountains. Besides the scenic drives and photographic opportunities, one can hike, bike, picnic, rock climb, raft, kayak and fish.