The New River Gorge in W.V. – Weekend Fun with Kids

The New River Gorge is a “gorge”ous place! My daughter and I took a quick weekend trip to this area, so this is a perfect starting point for an itinerary in The New River Gorge with kids!

The New River Gorge is located in southern West Virginia. It stretches 53 miles along the New River between the towns of Hinton and Fayetteville. We came during July when my daughter was 10. It was decently hot out, but we did a lot in the water, so it was comfortable. Temperatures average 79 to 85 degrees during the day and 57 to 64 degrees at night during July.

One of the nice things about The New River Gorge is that you don’t have to pay any sort of entrance fees, parking fees, required permits, etc., so if you wanted you could just come, and do some free hiking on some amazing trails! Even camping along the river at the park’s primitive camping sites are free, but they’re first come, first serve.

Where We Stayed in The New River Gorge:

I found the cutest little home in Fayetteville perfect for two people on Airbnb (linked here)! It was very private, had a hot tub, and a screened in porch. There was also a very cool loft area keeping the living area separate from the one bed. The host even left a nice and yummy welcoming gift upon arrival.

The location of the house was also convenient to the hiking and activities we were doing.

The two main activities we did other than the hike were located at Ace Adventure Resort which have their own cabins. I almost decided to stay there, and I still think it’d be good for convenience, but I decided I wanted a place to really wind down each evening with our own personal hot tub and save some money since their one-bedroom cabins were similar to what I paid for the rental

, but not nearly as nice.

Our Itinerary for The New River Gorge:

Here is a map and a quick summary of the main activities we did throughout our trip. Below this, I go into detail for each day. I include information for cost, hours, etc., that is correct at the time of writing.

Day 1:

• Drive to Fayetteville, West Virginia (The New River Gorge) – 4.5 hours from our house
• Long Point Trail – 3.2-mile hike
• Ace Adventure Water Park – 20 min. from above
• Relax at house – 25 min. from above

Day 2:

• Ace Adventure Full Day Upper New River Rafting – 25 min. from house
• Relax at house

Day 3:

• Supposed to do Endless Wall Trail (2.4 miles) before leaving, but got rained out
• Travel back home – 4.5 hrs

Day 1: Long Point Trail, Ace Adventure Water Park

Long Point Trail

After our 4.5-hour drive, it was nice to get out and hike for a while! Long Point Trail. This is a 3.2-mile hike (out and back) that is rated at a moderate difficulty. There is a 350-foot elevation gain. The best part of this hike is the gorgeous, unobstructed view of the New River Gorge Bridge!

We got to this hike a little later in the day when it was looking like it was about to storm. We took a chance and thankfully only got rained on a little bit. A lot of times though during peak summer hours, the parking lot can fill up quickly, so aim to get here by 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. if you want to easily find a spot. *If the lot is full, don’t park along the road. Police heavily monitor this and will tow your car according to some of the things I read.

Cost:	Free
Hours:	24/7 every day all year, but daytime hours are recommended
Address:	Long Point Trailhead, County Rte. 9-8, Fayetteville, WV 25840
Parking:	Decently sized (several dozen cars), paved lot with public vault/pit toilets

Ace Adventure Water Park

We got to the park later in the evening, and rain was still heavily looming all around us, but we had a blast at the Ace Adventure Water Park! They let us play in the rain, but we did have to get out for 30 minutes when it thundered a couple of time. Thankfully, it was short (they do not offer any sort of refunds or rain checks for this), so we took advantage by grabbing a quick bite to eat along with some ice cream and then continued enjoying everything the water park offered. It also quit raining once the storms moved past, so we enjoyed the park without the rain until close to their closing time.

This may be the best inflatable water park I’ve been to – there were tons of different, fun things in the water to climb and play on. To be precise they had 50 huge inflatable toys and an obstacle course. They also had two ziplines, two 40-foot-tall water slides, and their famous giant inflatable launch bag known as “The Blob” where you can propel someone else into the air for a splash landing.

Cost:	Full Day Pass: adults – $32.95, 6 to 15 – $27.95 Half Day Pass (morning or evening): adults – $22.95, 6 to 15 – $17.95
Hours:	9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily from May 24 to September 2
Address:	Concho Rd Oak Hill, WV 25901
Parking:	Huge, free lot with sections for overflow parking

Day 2: Full Day Upper New River Rafting with Ace Adventure

There is a big difference between the Upper New River and the Lower New River. The Upper River consists of class I to class III (not many) rapids, and the Lower River consists of rapids III to IV+.

Therefore, the Upper River is much milder and calmer but still has some fun rapids and sections you’ll get your adrenaline going especially if you choose to go in an inflatable ducky like we did.

To go down the Upper River, you just have to be 6, so it’s perfect for families with children or first-time rafters. To go down the Lower River, you have to be at least 12, but 10- and 11-year-olds can do it in an oar-controlled raft which can be cancelled more easily if the weather is not good. My daughter was 10, so I wasn’t trying to experience IV+ rapids with her on her first trip!

Not only did we get to raft the Upper New River with Ace Adventures, but we got to also enjoy some other fun things. At one spot, we got to jump off a big rock into the water. At a different spot, we were allowed to turn our duckies over in the water, climb on top, and try to rock one another off which was especially fun for my daughter. Finally, we had a nice lunch on a beach making for a spectacular day!

Cost:	Adults: $139; 12-17: $69 (for 6-hour trip) *One child ages 6–11 rafts FREE with each full-paying adult. *Optional pictures: $69 for all of them, but can buy less
Hours:	Full day tours usually start at 9:00 a.m.
Address:	Concho Rd Oak Hill, WV 25901 – follow signs for the rafting
Parking:	Plenty of parking

Day 3: Drive Home

We had initially planned on doing the Endless Wall Hike before leaving to go back home, but it was raining again! This was the other hike I had seen recommended a lot with some cool ladders and what not, but we’ll do it next time we’re in the area along with a few of the other things I found below but didn’t have time for.

Recommended Items:

There wasn’t a ton I thought I needed for this trip, but I do think the following can be helpful. Each of the items below are an affiliate link to Amazon at no cost to you.

• Bag – My Osprey Daylite Plus has been a lot of places with me because I love it so much. It is lightweight, has multiple pockets, good space, water bottle holder, and nice shoulder pads, sternum strap, and hip strap.
• Comfortable walking shoes: I love my Asics with gel, but anything that will keep you comfy for a hike. You could bring hiking boots, but I think tennis shoes suffice as well.
• Water shoes: I love my Keens (adult, kid), but anything will be fine. They’re needed for the rafting and maybe for the water park.
• Upf swim shirt: This is what I used to always get for my daughter – great for swimming, rafting, waterparks, etc.

Additional Fun Activities to Make Memories in and Around The New River Gorge

Even with only 2 days we had a memorable and fun trip, but there are so many other cool things you could do if you have more time and/or different interests! Just check out the activities below for some additional ideas. Most of these are close, but some are about an hour away.

I really want to go back with my daughter’s girl scout friends and do some of the other activities that Ace Adventure Resort offered!

Each picture below is linked to their site for more information.

Please leave suggestions for cool activities or places to visit in The New River Gorge that I missed so future readers and I can learn from your knowledge and experience!

Here are a few other places that had stunning nature:

Southwest: 7-day itinerary with The Grand Canyon, Sedona, Bryce, Zion, and more

Minnesota: 8-day itinerary with a little of Walker, MN and a lot of the North Shore

New England: 11-day itinerary through 6 states including 3 days in Acadia

We’ve done beachy places, cities, and more. Click here to see a list of all of our trips!