New River Gorge National Park Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour
- 2–3 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Discover the heart of Appalachia with this self-guided tour of the stunning New River Gorge National Park! Check out the world-famous, record-smashing New River Gorge Bridge. Learn about the West Virginia mine wars. And get to know a few of the park’s most iconic critters, from the hellbender to the black bear! Each stop provides gorgeous views, unforgettable experiences, and narratives that will have you on the edge of your seat! Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together! After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Inclusions
What's included
- Just bring your car and phone; the app guides your tour.
- Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.
- Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.
- Private tour experience for your family, in your own car.
- Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.
- Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.
- One purchase covers everyone in your car, not per person.
- Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.
- Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.
- Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.
What's not
- No live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and car rental are separate.
Itinerary
Coming up in about half a mile is the Kaymoor Trail, a daunting 16-mile trail that runs alongside the gorge. But this trail isn’t just for hardcore hikers! Just 500 feet down the trail sits Wolf Creek Falls, tumbling beautifully down a series of rapids. Note: The tour is over 62+ miles long, with more than 69 audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
If the name sounds a little familiar, it should. Fayetteville gets its name from the Marquis de Lafayette! That was the young Frenchman who became an essential advisor and general to George Washington during the Revolutionary War.
Welcome to New River Gorge National Park! From the lofty heights of its iconic bridge to the dark depths of its famous coal mines, this brand-new National Park is truly unlike anywhere else in America.
It’s named for Tunney Hunsaker, a police chief from Fayetteville. Hunsaker is best known for another feat: He was Muhammad Ali’s first professional opponent! As you might imagine, Hunsaker lost the fight. Still, he didn’t make it easy for Ali.
From this viewpoint, we can look out over a dramatic horseshoe-shaped bend in the New River. The detour takes us a little off the beaten path, but this is one of the most iconic views in New River Gorge.
In 1952, on the final night of the year, a snowstorm swept across the South. Williams found himself stuck in Montgomery, Alabama, where he hired a college student named Charlie Carr to drive him all the way to Ohio.
We’re approaching Dunloup Creek Falls. Here, Dunloup Creek intersects with the New River, where it falls 20 feet down a stunning sandstone shelf.
Like most towns in this area of West Virginia, Mount Hope’s story begins with the discovery of coal. In the late 1800s, miners found coal at nearby Turkey Knob. It was only a matter of time before the streets of Mount Hope were teeming with industrious miners and their families.
We’re about to cross the Thomas Burford Pugh Bridge, which crosses the New River at the tiny town of Prince. Although we’ll drive over the bridge for free today, this wasn’t always the case. Back in the 1930s, each driver would have to pay a hefty fee of… 25 cents! Hey, that was a lot of money during the Great Depression!
At one time, nearly 500 people lived in Quinnimont. Almost everyone had some connection to the nearby mines.
Up ahead are the remnants of Layland, a former coal town. Keep an eye out on our left in just a moment for a collection of abandoned coal company houses. These broken-down buildings were owned by the local mining company, who rented the homes to their impoverished workers.
We’re now making our way through the small town of Meadow Bridge. While we’ve seen many coal towns today, this is our first real timber town. The nearby Meadow River Lumber Company once cut and sold millions of feet of lumber.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.3
- 520
- 44
- 33
- 21
- 12
Ratings come from 30 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Begin from Canyon Rim Visitor Center, 162 Visitor Center Rd, Lansing. After booking the tour, search your emails and texts for "audio tour". Your tour is VALID FOREVER, so follow these instructions NOW to finish setting up the tour while you have Wi-Fi/data. Do NOT wait until you are onsite.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- Travel with Action
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Check current park conditions and road closures before your visit.
- Bridge Day is held annually on the third Saturday of October. During the event, the New River Gorge Bridge on US-19 is closed to vehicle traffic, so plan for delays and detours.
- Plan ahead when travelling with an RV, as some park roads and areas may have vehicle restrictions.
- No entrance pass or entrance fee is required to visit New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
- Easy to use: GPS-triggered audio plays automatically along the route for a hands-free experience.
- Private tour: Explore in your own vehicle without crowded buses or large tour groups.
How it compares in USA, outside the cities
- Its from-price is 77% below the median of the 2274 experiences we list in USA, outside the cities.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 222 of 2274.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
Special offers in USA, outside the cities
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
