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New River Gorge National Park & Summersville Lake Itinerary

New River Gorge National Park & Summersville Lake Itinerary
Compilation of photos from this trip (By: Hedy Zhou)

When I researched where to go and what to do in New River Gorge NP, I felt like there weren’t enough interesting things to do or see to spend 2 - 3 days exclusively there. I could be wrong but being that that was what I thought, I decided to look into the surrounding area for other fun things to do and found Summersville Lake! Between these two places, I came up with enough things to do to make a 2-3 day trip out of it.

Similar to my trip to the Smoky Mountains a few weeks ago, this was also my first time going to the New River Gorge and Summersville Lake. I wasn’t sure what to expect even after researching this area but I guess that’s just part of going to a new place. You can see below what my original itinerary looked like on the left and what actually happened on the right.

Day Original Plan What actually Happened...

(bodily functions were struggling on this trip which is why things kind of went a lot slower than expected)
Day 1

7am - Depart for New River Gorge National Park (from Charlotte)
11am - Arrive at Lower Glade Creek Trail Head (8.9mi, 774ft el gain) and hike/trail run it 🏃🏻‍♀️
1:30pm - Drive to Visitor Cetenter
2:30pm - Check out the visitor center, eat lunch🍴
3:15pm - Drive to Endless Wall Trail, Hike Diamond 💎 Point Overlook (2.4mi)
4:30pm - Drive to Fayette Rd Parking and check out Tunney Hunsaker Bridge
5:30pm - Drive to Battle Run Campground
6pm - Set up campsite
6:30pm - Cook and eat dinner 🏕
7:30pm - Clean up, enjoy the sunset, and get ready for bed
9pm - Go to bed

7am - Depart for New River Gorge National Park from Charlotte (saw a black bear 🐻 on the way!)
11:30am - Arrive at Lower Glade Creek Trail Head (8.9mi, 774ft) Barely ran the trail and didn’t do the whole thing either. It was super muddy and buggy. 🐛 The creek was beautiful though. Saw people cliff jumping into this deeper section.
3pm - Drive to Diamond Point Overlook
4pm - Hike Diamond Point Overlook (2.4mi)
5:40pm - Drive to Battle Run Campground (I’ve never seen such a ‘developed’ campground before. It had a playground and basketball court. 🏀 Most of the people there had RV’s too. I‘ve also never experienced such an extensive campground check-in process either.) So many firsts with this campground…
6:15pm - Set up campsite
7pm - Cook/eat dinner (Made some delicious mac and cheese) 😋
7:45pm - Clean up, enjoy the sunset, and get ready for bed
8:40pm - Go to bed
Day 2

7am - Walk up, eat breakfast, get ready, pack for the day, and do some stretching
8:45am - Drive to Lakeside Outfitters to get kayak 🚣🏻‍♀️
9:30am - Begin kayaking for the day, swim in the lake
3pm - Return to the car and return kayak
4:30pm - Early dinner at Fat Eddie’s (eat at Road Side Park) 🍟
5:30pm - Return to campsite and enjoy some downtime (hammock, walk, yoga, frisbee)
9pm - Go to bed😴

7:30am - Wake up, eat breakfast, get ready, pack for the day, and do some stretching
8:45am - Drive to Lakeside Outfitters to get kayak (Rented a tandem kayak for $90 for 8 hours) They provide pool noodles and straps if you don’t have a roof rack.
9:20am - Slowly drive to Launch Area
10am - Begin kayaking (Saw people cliff jumping, rock climbing, deep water soloing, jet skiing, boating) 🧗🏼‍♂️Didn’t put on sunscreen and got CRISP in the afternoon 🥵, had pb&j’s, chips, and granola bars for lunch
3:30pm - Drive back to to return kayak
4:30pm - Early dinner at Fat Eddie’s (It was overpriced.)
5:30pm - Return to campsite and hammock
7pm - Take a dip in the lake right behind campsite and take a shower 🚿
8:30pm - Campfire 🔥, used the Solo Stove I bought during Covid for the first time ever and made some smores with it
9:30pm - Get ready for bed and sleep
Day 3

8am - Wake up, eat breakfast, get ready, and pack up camp
9:30am - Depart from campground 🚗
10:15am - Arrive at and explore Cathedral Falls
10:45am - Depart from Cathedral Falls
11:30am - Drive to Beckley (Chocolate Moose Coffee)
3:30pm - Arrive back at apartment

8am - Wake up, eat breakfast, get ready, and pack up camp
9am - Depart from campground
9:20am - Arrive at Canyon Rim Visitor Center and explore overlook
10:30am - Depart from Visitor Center, made a couple pit stops and got McDonald’s (McChickens and soft serve hit hard after a camping trip) 🍦
3:30pm - Arrive back at apartment

A couple things that surprised me were how beautiful Summersville Lake was and how much of a hub that area was for outdoor recreation. I didn’t know this place was known for its rock climbing but having seen the rock formations that jut out of the water, it totally makes sense. I also didn’t realize how famous and popular white water rafting was in the Gauley River.

Not that I would’ve white water rafted on this trip but I think next time I visit this area, white water rafting is a must. In case you’re interested, Ace Adventure Resort seems like the place to book a white water rafting trip. They have a variety of trip options to choose from (full day ($119), half day ($79), private family ($1,699 for up to 12), overnight ($279)).

Another activity I should mention that I did consider but didn’t do, was the Bridge Walk. You basically get harnessed up and take a guided 2-3hr tour of the New River Gorge Bridge. It’s a cool bridge, but definitely not worth walking for $75 per person (in my opinion).

This camping trip was one of the more ‘enjoy doing nothing’ type of trips and it was nice. I liked not feeling the build up of anxiety to do some huge hike and just sitting out on the water for a whole day. I think there’s a balance of going camping for the sake of camping and going camping to do something or see something super cool.

I’m going to be enjoying lake life for the next few days and I’m really looking forward to it. Happy Summer!!