It’s Friday at 5:00pm. The weekend’s finally here. Two days to hop in the car and find an adventure. Short on time but not stoke, you’re a Weekend Warrior. You’ve come to the right place for all the beta you need to help maximize your time. This is New River Gorge Adventure for the Weekend Warrior brought to you by adventure couple Emily and Brent.
Why Go Here
Hiking. Climbing. Whitewater rafting. Camping. Whatever outdoor activity you prefer, there are lots of options for a New River Gorge adventure. This beautiful wilderness in West Virginia isn’t a National Park yet, but it should be—expect stunning scenery while enjoying tons of outdoor recreation activities. About 5 hours from the DC metro area, the New River Gorge encompasses over 70,000 acres of land along 53 miles of the New River. The accessibility of world-class hikes, rock climbs, and whitewater rapids makes the New an ideal weekend destination for adventure seekers living in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Looking to be inspired? Check out our Inspiration Page!
Friday night: check into AAC Campground
After a 5-hour drive from DC, we pulled into the AAC Campground around midnight. The American Alpine Club Campground is the Camp 4 equivalent of the New River Gorge, and walking distance from several world-class climbing crags. Even though we were exhausted and running on Chik-Fil-A and Skittles, the campground was easy to find and navigate. Within minutes we found our site, pitched our tent, and trekked up the small hill to the communal bathroom to get ready for bed. Since it was peak season and we knew we’d be getting in late, we opted for reserving a private site ($20/night for AAC members; $24 for Access Fund members, $30 non members) to guarantee we had a spot. The communal campsite starts at just $8/night for AAC members, and campground offers a full shower house, two communal fire pits, and tent platforms in their private sites. The campground fills up pretty much every weekend from spring to late fall, so reserve a private or group site early!
Check out: Guide to the Best Tents of 2021
Glamping option: Fayetteville Airbnbs
*Overheard at the crag* If you’re more of a Tom Haverford than a Ron Swanson, there are some pretty sweet Airbnbs located in nearby Fayetteville. Go in with a group of friends and reserve a bigger house—our crag buddies even found one with a hot tub.
Check out: 10 Road Trip Tips to Consider Before Hitting the Open Road
Saturday
The sun peeked through the tree canopy to wake us up in the morning, and after enjoying some Jetboil-made oatmeal with peanut butter, apples, and bananas, we threw our packs in the car and headed out for a full day of New River Gorge adventure.
New River Gorge Adventure Option A: Climb On!
Bubba City
So, we’re a bit biased, but obviously we turned this adventure into a climbing trip. Bubba City is a great starting point for New River Gorge adventure newbies like us. The New is known for tons of hard sport climbing, but we were looking for some of the easier single-pitch trad routes to get acquainted with the area, and we found an abundance of options within walking distance of each other at crags like Beer Wall. Relative to other areas at the New, Bubba City has a slightly more arduous approach, but the 15-minute hike in is nothing compared to the approaches of most other renowned climbing areas.
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Recommended routes:
Plumber’s Crack (5.6) Trad
Daisy Cutter (5.7) Sport
Mrs. Field’s Follies (5.8) Sport
Basic Bubba Crack (5.9) Trad
The Decameron (5.10b) Sport
Read More: Best Daypacks for Every Adventure
New River Gorge Adventure Option B: Head to the river!
Even though the New River Gorge is not protected as a national park, a 53-mile stretch of the New River has been designated a National River. This part of the river is unofficially broken down further into two segments: Upper (southern) New River and Lower. The upper section of the river has some nice swimming holes and tamer rapids that go up to Class III. If you’re looking for excitement, the Lower New River‚—often referred to as the Lower Gorge—offers Class III-Class V rapids that are sure to get your adrenaline pumping, and there are several guided rafting options.
Saturday Night
Food and drink
There aren’t many options in downtown Fayetteville, but they’re good ones. The hardest choice we had to make was: Sandwiches or pizza? That wasn’t actually a hard choice for us since Emily can’t eat dairy and Brent can’t eat gluten, so we ended up at Secret Sandwich Society, which offers hearty burgers and presidential-themed sandwiches, with the option of gluten-free bread! If you have fewer dietary restrictions, Pies & Pints serves up both classic and creative pizzas. At both places you’ll find great beer, along with many other outdoor enthusiasts eager to debrief the day’s adventures. At SSS, there was even a live band in the upper bar area, where we ran into a friend from our home climbing gym who happened to be there the same weekend (Like we said, you don’t have a lot of options).
Check out: Ten Sleep, WY Climbing Guide
Gear
While we waited for our table at SSS, we discovered local gear shop Water Stone Outdoors. Conveniently located between Secret Sandwich Society and Pies & Pints, this local gem offers a surprisingly good selection of climbing and other outdoor equipment, and the friendly and knowledgeable staff gave us some super helpful adventure beta and local tips.
Check Out: How to choose a climbing rope
Sunday
New River Gorge Adventure Option A: Climb on!
Since we needed to head back to D.C. by mid afternoon, we sought out a crag that was close to the campground and had a quick approach. We found both in Junkyard Area, which offers a variety of routes for trad, sport, and top-rope climbers alike, and its proximity to the AAC campground (a 5-minute walk) is an added bonus. Due to the ease of access and approachable grades, it can be popular with guided groups, so get there early if you have your heart set on a specific route. There are some fantastic crack climbs that are easily top-ropeable for practicing technique. New Yosemite is a particularly classic line, and those who have climbed out west will find this aptly-named climb reminiscent of beautiful Yosemite Valley granite.
Junkyard Wall Recommended routes:
New River Gunks (5.7+) Trad/TR
Labrador Reliever (5.8) Trad
New Yosemite (5.9) Trad/TR
Four Sheets To The Wind (5.9+) Trad/TR
The Entertainer (5.10a) Trad/TR
Rapscallion’s Blues (5.10c) Trad
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Endless Wall
If hard sport climbing is more your style, you have seemingly endless options at the New, perhaps best epitomized by Endless Wall. The New’s most popular projects are almost all located along this picturesque 5-mile stretch of unbroken cliff. There are too many multi-star routes to name here, but some of the most popular are listed below.
Recommended routes:
Fantasy (5.8)
Black and Tan (5.10a)
Party in My Mind (5.10b)
Legacy (5.11a)
Mellifluous (5.11a)
Aesthetica (5.11c)
New River Gorge Adventure Option B: Take a hike!
Grandview Area has a variety of short hikes that offer some of the best views of the New River and its rock formations. Summersville Lake, located about 20 miles from the New River, also boasts a variety of scenic trails. If you’re looking for a more relaxing aquatic adventure than the Class V rapids, you can rent stand-up paddleboards and boats to explore the river up close—you can even paddle right up to some deep-water soloing.
Read More: Seneca Rocks, WV climbing guide
Sunday afternoon: Heading home
On our way out of town, we stopped at Kool Beanz for an unsurprisingly average caffeine fix. The drive home was far more pleasant than the drive there, partially thanks to the daylight but mostly thanks to the mountain air and a rejuvenating weekend away from the city. We stopped at Hardee’s for dinner off of the highway (are any other East Coast transplants confused about Carl’s Jr. being called Hardee’s here?!), and while we watched the Blue Ridge Mountains turn purple with the sunset, we started planning our next adventure!
