Long Point – Great Views of New River Gorge!

Sitting on Long Point overlooking the New River Gorge Bridge, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — Sitting on Long Point overlooking the New River Gorge Bridge

If you only have time for one hike in New River Gorge National Park, I’d recommend that it be Long Point. Better than the Endless Wall Trail, better than Sandstone Falls, Long Point offers spectacular views of the New River Gorge Bridge and the gorge, itself. I had the great opportunity of taking the trail in the early evening after a small storm, so we pretty much had the viewpoint to ourselves along with the great evening light.

Quick Stats

Round Trip Length: 3.1 miles Trail Type: Out & back Elevation Gain: 543ft. Pets: Leashed Fees: None

The Endless Wall and views to the south of New River Gorge from Long Point, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — The Endless Wall and views to the south

The trailhead has a fairly large parking lot, but I expect it could be busy on summer weekends. A storm had blown through as we ascended from the bottom of the gorge via the old road, so that had hurried any hikers along back to their vehicles. A watery sun was showing through as we picked up our daypacks and headed down the trail.

The Long Point Trailhead, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — The Long Point Trailhead

The first part of the path is more or less wheelchair accessible since it leads to a viewpoint over the marsh. We took a quick look before continuing on the main trail.

A wasp on the trail sign for Long Point, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — A wasp on the trail sign

For the most part, the Long Point Trail is wide and easy to walk. Some sections have roots, puddles (remember the rainstorm?), and a few bridges over wet patches. The entire trail is in the forest, so don’t expect scenic views.

Hiking along the Long Point Trail, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — Hiking along the Long Point Trail

After 0.4 miles, the Fayetteville Trail crosses the Long Point Trail. Be sure to follow the signs and continue straight. The Butcher Branch Trail strikes off on the right (east) 0.25 miles later. Again, follow the signs to go straight (left) toward Long Point.

The bicycle rack on the Long Point Trail, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — The bicycle rack

About 1.3 miles from the trailhead, the trail comes to a bike rack. It’s an odd thing to see in the middle of nowhere in the woods! The trail seems to go straight here, past the sign that says “No Bicycles Beyond This Point.” It actually turns left to enter a tunnel of rhododendrons. Someone must keep this trail clear, since even my 6ft. companion didn’t have to duck!

Hiking through the rhododendrons on the Long Point Trail, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — Hiking through the rhododendrons

The trail after the bicycle rack is much narrower and is often riddled with roots. It also suddenly seems to have a hankering to travel downhill. The good news is that it’s only another 0.3 miles to Long Point!

Long Point and the New River Gorge Bridge, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — Long Point and the New River Gorge Bridge

The point itself is a very large rock. From here, there are sweeping views down on New River Gorge, about 850ft. below, and to the New River Gorge Bridge, about 0.7 miles away as the crow flies.

Closeup of the New River Gorge Bridge from Long Point, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — Closeup of the New River Gorge Bridge

The rain had left the depressions in the rock full of water. The potholes made for some nice reflections.

Reflections of the clouds in a pothole on Long Point, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — Reflections of the clouds in a pothole

One of the things I loved about this viewpoint is that you can look both south and north up and down the gorge. There are so many views here!

Clouds over the Endless Wall from Long Point, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — Clouds over the Endless Wall

You can even see what appears to be an unnamed waterfall on Fern Creek crashing down the cliff into the gorge.

An unnamed waterfall on Fern Creek from Long Point, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — An unnamed waterfall on Fern Creek

Enjoy the views, then retrace your steps back to the trailhead. The entire hike is only a little over 3 miles RT, so it’s well worth the trek if you happen to be in the area!

Clouds over the New River Gorge Bridge from Long Point, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — Clouds over the New River Gorge Bridge

Round Trip Trail Length: 3.1 miles out & back

Elevation Gain: 543ft. (1,961ft. to 1,686ft.)

Facilities: Primitive restroom at trailhead; bicycle rack at the end of the bike-friendly trail

Fees: None

A Virginia ctenucha moth larvae along the Long Point Trail, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — A Virginia ctenucha moth larvae along the trail

Trail Notes: Long Point doesn’t have railings. Use care by the sheer cliff edges. There are a few unofficial overlooks along the trail to Long Point; however, the real point is by far the best vantage point. Note that mountain bikes are permitted on the trail up to the point where the sign prohibits bicycles.

The waterfall in Fern Creek and the Endless Wall from Long Point, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — The waterfall in Fern Creek and the Endless Wall

Trail

Road

Signs

Scenery

Would I go 100 miles out of my way for this?

Overall Rating:

Rhododendron roots along the Long Point Trail, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — Rhododendron roots

GPS Coordinates for Long Point

Trailhead: 38.0417990°, -081.0780940° (38°02.50794′, -081°04.68564′ / 38°02’30.4764″, -081°04’41.1384″) (1,959ft.) (0.0)

Marsh viewpoint: 338.0438080°, -081.0767100° (38°02.62848′, -081°04.60260′ / 38°02’37.7088″, -081°04’36.1560″) (1,954ft.) (0.18)

Fayetteville Trail Junction: 38.0465400°, -081.0750110° (38°02.79240′, -081°04.50066′ / 38°02’47.5440″, -081°04’30.0396″) (1,929ft.) (0.41)

Butcher Branch Trail: 38.0495910°, -081.0757670° (38°02.97546′, -081°04.54602′ / 38°02’58.5276″, -081°04’32.7612″) (1,885ft.) (0.68)

No Bikes sign: 38.0561490°, -081.0758470° (38°03.36894′, -081°04.55082′ / 38°03’22.1364″, -081°04’33.0492″) (1,867ft.) (1.29)

Long Point: 38.0596370°, -081.0773920° (38°03.57822′, -081°04.64352′ / 38°03’34.6932″, -081°04’38.6112″) (1,685ft.) (1.59)

End: 38.0417830°, -081.0781150° (38°02.50698′, -081°04.68690′ / 38°02’30.4188″, -081°04’41.2140″) (1,959ft.) (3.15)

The gpx file for Longs Point can be downloaded – please note that this and the GPS Coordinates are for reference only and should not be used as a sole resource when hiking this trail.

Download GPX File size: 45.6 KB Downloaded 64 times

(Note: I do my best to ensure that all downloads, the webpage, etc. are virus-free and accurate; however, I cannot be held responsible for any damage that might result, including but not limited to loss of data, damages to hardware, harm to users, from use of files, information, etc. from this website. Thanks!)

Clouds over the Endless Wall across the gorge from Long Point, New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia — Clouds over the Endless Wall across the gorge from Long Point

Getting to the Long Point Trailhead

From the New River Gorge Visitor Center, turn left to travel back out to US-19. Turn left to cross over the New River Gorge Bridge. Exactly 2 miles after turning onto US-19, turn left onto N Court Street (Route 16) toward Fayetteville. Drive 0.7 miles through Fayetteville, then take a slight left onto Gatewood Road for 1.8 miles (A brown sign indicates that Cunard and New River Gorge are down this road). Turn left onto Newton Road; the parking area will be on your left about a tenth of a mile later.

Visual trail map and elevation profile for my hike to Long Point

This Week’s Featured Product!

See the beauty of western West Virginia with this guide to New River Gorge National Park! The newly-updated book contains 20 trails to choose from, covering New River Gorge from north to south. Buy your copy here!