The New River Gorge Bridge is 876 feet above the water and for one day a year they close it to traffic and let people walk across it. The rest of the year you look at it from the overlook and that is plenty.
West Virginia With Kids Family Travel Guide
“There is a place in this state where your phone does not work and it is not an accident. It is federal law.”
Why families hire me for West Virginia
West Virginia got a national park in 2020 and most of the country still has not noticed. That is the window, and it will not stay open.
I have planned and priced more than three hundred trips and West Virginia is the one I keep raising with families who want something that does not feel like everybody else’s vacation. It has the newest national park in the country, the oldest mountains, and almost no crowds in a state you can drive across in four hours.
The headline is New River Gorge, which became a national park and preserve at the end of 2020. There is no entrance fee at all. None. You drive in, you look at a bridge 876 feet above a river, and you walk away having spent nothing.
But the thing I actually sell families on is Green Bank, which is a radio telescope in a valley where cell phones, wifi and bluetooth are restricted by federal law across thirteen thousand square miles. Your children will not have a signal. For some families that sentence is the whole reason to go.
Then there is the rest of it. A steam railway that still runs on an old logging line. A town at the point where two rivers meet and three states touch, which is also where John Brown made his raid. White water that is some of the best in the eastern United States. And a mountain with a ski resort on it that works just as well in summer.
I taught social studies for eight years and West Virginia is the state that was made by a war. It split from Virginia in 1861 because its people would not go with the Confederacy. Harpers Ferry is where the fuse was lit two years before that. Standing at the Point and looking at three states at once makes the geography of the whole thing obvious in about four seconds.
What I do is work out which corner of the state you want, because they are far apart and each one is a different trip.
Beyond the Bookshelf
A shelf of books and films before you go, and a warning about the one song everyone will sing in the car.
Somebody will start singing Country Roads before you cross the state line. Let it happen. It is on the radio, it is in every gift shop, and the whole state sings it at football games. The fact that the Shenandoah River and the Blue Ridge are both barely in West Virginia is a conversation you can have at Harpers Ferry, where they actually are.
For younger children, anything about trains. Cass Scenic Railroad still runs Shay locomotives up a mountain on an old logging line and a child who has read about steam engines will be beside themselves.
For middle graders, read about John Brown before Harpers Ferry. The raid, the engine house, the trial. It is one of the few pieces of American history that children find gripping and it happened in a town you can walk across in twenty minutes.
For teenagers, the story of how West Virginia became a state at all is worth an hour. It is the only state formed by breaking away from another one during the Civil War.
And read something about coal. Not a lecture, just enough that the kids understand what the towns in the hollows were for and why so many of them are quiet now. It changes what they see out of the window.
Why West Virginia works with kids
West Virginia works with children because it is outdoors, it is cheap, and almost nothing here has a queue.
The national park has no entrance fee. The state parks are free to enter. The overlooks are free. Walking across a swinging bridge, climbing rocks, riding a steam train and swimming in a river do not cost much, and a family can do a week here for less than three days somewhere famous.
The drives are the only hard part. The roads are mountain roads and the mileage lies to you. Sixty miles can be two hours. Plan for that and the state is lovely. Ignore it and you will have two very long days.
The national park is free. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve charges no entrance fee and sells no passes. You just drive in.
A bridge 876 feet up. The overlook at Canyon Rim is a short walk from the parking lot and the view does all the work. On the third Saturday of October they close the bridge and let people walk it.
A steam train that is the real thing. Cass Scenic Railroad runs restored Shay locomotives up the mountain on a line built to haul timber. Not a replica, not a park ride.
Somewhere with no signal, on purpose. Green Bank sits inside the National Radio Quiet Zone, thirteen thousand square miles where radio transmission is restricted by the FCC so the telescopes can listen.
Water that suits every age. Gentle float trips on the Upper New for young families, serious white water on the Lower New and the Gauley for teenagers and adults.
West Virginia Place by Place
Nine places that cover almost every West Virginia trip. They are spread across the state, and the distances between them are the whole planning problem.
New River Gorge
Fayetteville
Harpers Ferry
Lewisburg
Seneca Rocks
Blackwater Falls
Cass
Green Bank
Snowshoe
A state made by saying no
West Virginia exists because the people in these mountains would not follow Virginia out of the Union in 1861. They held their own conventions, wrote their own constitution and were admitted as a separate state in 1863. It is the only state formed that way.
That is not a trivia fact, it is the character of the place. This is small farm country rather than plantation country, and it always was. The land is too steep and too broken for anything else.
Then came coal, and that is the other half of the story. Whole towns were built in hollows to get at seams, owned by the company, paid in company money, and emptied again when the seam ran out. The mine wars of the 1920s were the largest armed uprising in America since the Civil War and almost nobody is taught about them.
You will drive past the evidence. Tipples, rail sidings, towns with more buildings than people, and a lot of pride. The state motto is Montani Semper Liberi, mountaineers are always free, and people here mean it.
None of this needs to be heavy with small children. But a nine year old who asks what that rusted thing by the river is deserves a real answer, and the answer makes the whole drive more interesting.
The Shay locomotives at Cass were built to haul timber off the mountain and they still climb it. The grade in places is eleven percent, which is almost unheard of for a railway.
Five things to eat in West Virginia
West Virginia food is coal camp food and mountain food. It is cheap, it is filling, and one of it was invented to go down a mine.
The pepperoni roll is the thing to understand. A soft bread roll baked with pepperoni inside it, invented in Fairmont in the 1920s for miners who needed something that kept without refrigeration and could be eaten with dirty hands. It is sold in every gas station in the state and children eat them without a word of complaint.
The other thing is slaw on a hot dog. Not next to it. On it, under chili, as standard, and asking for it without is how you mark yourself as being from somewhere else.
Pepperoni roll The official state food. Bread baked around pepperoni, invented in a Fairmont bakery for miners. In every gas station and bakery in the state.
A West Virginia hot dog Chili, mustard, onion and coleslaw, all four, on the dog. The slaw is not optional and the chili is not Texan.
Ramps, in spring A wild mountain onion somewhere between garlic and leek, dug in April and celebrated with whole town suppers. Strong. Children either love them or flee.
Buckwheat cakes Dark, sour and nothing like a pancake, served with sausage and syrup. There is a festival for them in Preston County every autumn.
Apple butter Cooked down for hours in a copper kettle over a fire at autumn festivals, then spread on everything. Buy a jar, it travels.
Two practical notes. Outside the towns, dinner options thin out fast and a lot of places shut early, so check before you drive somewhere hungry. And many West Virginia counties are still dry or partly dry, which catches people out when they want a glass of wine with dinner.
The place where your phone does not work, by law
This is the thing about West Virginia that nobody else writes properly, and it is the single most memorable thing you can do here with children.
Green Bank Observatory sits in a valley in Pocahontas County inside the National Radio Quiet Zone, an area of about thirteen thousand square miles that the FCC designated in 1958 to keep radio interference away from the telescopes. West Virginia has its own Radio Astronomy Zoning Act on top of it.
In practice that means this. Visitors are asked to turn off wifi, bluetooth and cellular data in settings before powering the phone down, because a phone that is merely switched off can still transmit. Any other wireless device gets powered off completely. If you are going on a tour or a hike behind the gates, you power everything off or leave it in the car.
Digital cameras, which includes your phone, can only be used around the Science Center and the observation deck. Past the gate, nothing digital. Film cameras and disposables are fine everywhere in the public areas, which is a sentence you will not read anywhere else in 2026.
Pacemakers, hearing aids and insulin pumps are all fine and do not need turning off.
The grounds are free to walk from sunrise to sunset every day. Guided tours run four times a day on open days, at ten, twelve, two and four, and take about an hour. They sell out, so book ahead or call.
The effect on a family is not subtle. Nobody can check anything. The children look at a telescope the size of a football field tipping slowly across the sky, and then they look at each other, because there is nothing else to look at.
The Science Center is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which catches people out. Check the hours before you build a day around it, and buy the tour ticket in advance because the four daily tours do sell out.
Getting there, and which corner you want
There is no single airport for West Virginia and that is the first thing to get straight.
For New River Gorge, fly into Charleston or Beckley, or drive from Charlotte, Columbus or Pittsburgh. Charleston is about an hour from the gorge.
For Harpers Ferry, fly into Washington Dulles and drive about an hour and fifteen minutes. Harpers Ferry is also on an Amtrak line and a commuter rail line from Washington, which makes it the one place in the state you can reach without a car.
For the eastern mountains, meaning Seneca Rocks, Canaan Valley, Blackwater Falls, Cass, Green Bank and Snowshoe, Washington Dulles is about three hours and there is no closer airport worth using.
Pittsburgh works well for the northern half and often has the best fares.
The thing to accept is that you will not do the gorge and the eastern mountains in the same short trip. They are about four hours apart on mountain roads and that is a day each way.
Yeager Airport, Charleston. Closest to New River Gorge, about an hour. Small, easy, and limited flights.
Washington Dulles. The practical airport for Harpers Ferry and for the whole eastern mountain side. More flights, longer drive.
Pittsburgh. Good fares and a sensible gateway for the northern counties and Blackwater Falls.
Harpers Ferry by train. Amtrak and the Washington commuter line both stop there. The one car free trip in the state and a very good day out from DC.
Mileage lies here. Mountain roads, switchbacks and slow trucks. Add half again to whatever the map tells you, and more after dark.
The roads are the reason the state is empty and the reason it takes longer than you think. Sixty miles of this is two hours, and worth every minute in October.
New River Gorge, and what it costs
Nothing. There is no entrance fee to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, no pass to buy, and no pass sold at the park. It is one of the only national parks in the country where that is true.
The headline view is the Canyon Rim Visitor Center on the north side of the bridge. Park, walk a few minutes down a boardwalk and a lot of steps, and the bridge is in front of you, 876 feet above the New River. Small children can do the first platform without the stairs.
Then drive Fayette Station Road, which is the old road that switchbacks all the way down to the river, crosses the original bridge underneath the new one, and climbs back out the other side. It takes about forty minutes, it is single lane in places, and it is the best thing in the park.
On the third Saturday in October the bridge closes to traffic for Bridge Day, tens of thousands of people walk across it, and BASE jumpers go off the side. It is the biggest event in the state. Note for families, though: no strollers, no bicycles, no pets and no large bags on the bridge that day.
For water, the Upper New is gentle enough for families with young children and most outfitters will take kids from about six. The Lower New is bigger, and the Gauley in September is for strong teenagers and adults only.
The park is long and thin and stretches more than fifty miles along the river, so check which end your hotel is at. Most families base at Fayetteville, which is a small town with good food and almost everything within twenty minutes.
Can you do West Virginia without a car?
Only Harpers Ferry, and it does that beautifully.
Amtrak’s Capitol Limited and the Washington commuter rail both stop at Harpers Ferry station, which is a few steps from the historic lower town. You can arrive by train from Washington, walk the whole town, climb to Maryland Heights for the view back down, and go home the same day.
Everywhere else needs a car. There is no rail or bus network connecting the gorge, the eastern mountains or anywhere in between, and the places worth going are at the ends of roads.
If somebody in your group cannot drive, the workable version is Harpers Ferry by train for two or three days, with day trips, and leave the rest of the state for another time.
When to go
October is the month, and it is not close. The Appalachians put on one of the best fall colour displays anywhere and West Virginia is the quietest place to see it. Peak is usually early to mid October in the high country and a week or two later lower down.
That said, the third Saturday in October is Bridge Day, and tens of thousands of people come. If you want the gorge quiet, go a week either side.
Summer is green, warm and busy by West Virginia standards, which still means uncrowded. It is rafting season, the state parks are all open, and the mountains are ten degrees cooler than the valleys.
Spring is when the ramps come up and the water runs high. Good for white water, mixed for everything else, and some mountain roads are still rough from winter.
Winter is a real season here. Snowshoe and Canaan Valley both ski, Blackwater Falls freezes into something spectacular, and the rest of the state goes quiet. If you are not skiing, a lot of what you came for will be shut.
The Gauley has its own season. Dam releases in September and early October make it one of the best white water runs in the country, and it is strictly for strong adults and older teenagers.
How Many Days & First-Trip Routing
How many days do we need in West Virginia? Five nights, and pick one half of the state. Five around New River Gorge gives you the bridge, Fayette Station Road, a rafting day, Hawks Nest and Babcock, with a day spare. Five in the eastern mountains gives you Seneca Rocks, Blackwater Falls, Cass, Green Bank and Snowshoe.
Three nights works for a focused trip on either side. It is enough for the gorge and a raft, or enough for the train and the telescope and a waterfall.
Harpers Ferry on its own is a very good two night trip from Washington, by train, with no car at all.
Eight to ten nights lets you do both halves with a move in the middle, and that is the trip I would build for a family with older children who do not mind a long drive day.
How to Route a West Virginia Week
The routing rule here is about geography, not taste. West Virginia has two trips in it and they are four hours apart.
The gorge trip, based at Fayetteville. New River Gorge, the bridge, Fayette Station Road, rafting, Hawks Nest, Babcock State Park and the Mill. Everything within forty minutes.
The mountain trip, based at Snowshoe, Davis or Elkins. Seneca Rocks, Dolly Sods, Blackwater Falls, Cass, Green Bank and Canaan Valley. Everything within ninety minutes of each other, and nothing fast.
Harpers Ferry on its own. Two nights, by train from Washington, no car. Pairs naturally with a DC trip rather than with the rest of the state.
Lewisburg as the bridge between the two. About two hours from the gorge and two and a half from the mountains. A pretty town with good food and a reasonable place to break a long drive.
Book Green Bank first. Four tours a day, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and they sell out. Everything else bends around that one booking.
Do not plan a long drive after four in October. It gets dark early, the roads are unlit, and deer are everywhere. Be where you are sleeping before dusk.
Where these places are
A map of every place named on this page, so you can see how close together they really are.
Regions at a Glance
New River Gorge
The southern coalfields and the national park. The bridge, the white water, Fayetteville and the old mining towns in the gorge.
The Eastern Panhandle
Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown and Berkeley Springs. An hour from Washington, easy to reach, and barely feels like the same state.
The Potomac Highlands
Seneca Rocks, Dolly Sods, Canaan Valley, Blackwater Falls. The highest, wildest and coldest part of the state.
Pocahontas County
Cass, Green Bank, Snowshoe and the Greenbrier River Trail. Trains, telescopes and a radio quiet zone, with almost nobody in it.
The Greenbrier Valley
Lewisburg, White Sulphur Springs and the Greenbrier resort. Softer country, good food and the easiest driving in the state.
The Kanawha Valley
Charleston and the capitol with its gold dome. The state’s biggest city and the airport most people fly into.
Seneca Rocks is a 900 foot fin of Tuscarora quartzite standing on end. There is a trail to an observation platform near the top and it is a proper climb.
Must See and Do
The Canyon Rim overlook, New River Gorge. Free, no entrance fee to the park at all. A short boardwalk and a lot of steps to the bridge view 876 feet above the river.
Fayette Station Road. The old road down into the gorge and back out, under the bridge, about forty minutes. Single lane in places and the best drive in the state.
Green Bank Observatory. Free to walk the grounds sunrise to sunset. Hour long guided tours at ten, twelve, two and four on open days, and the site is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Cass Scenic Railroad. Real Shay steam locomotives up an old logging grade. Book ahead in October.
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Twenty dollars per vehicle for three consecutive days, fifteen for a motorcycle, ten per person on foot or bicycle, under sixteens free. Card only, no cash.
Blackwater Falls State Park. Free to enter. A sixty foot falls on amber water, reached by a boardwalk and steps, and spectacular frozen in winter.
Seneca Rocks. Free. A trail to an observation platform below the summit, about a mile and a half each way with switchbacks.
Rafting the New River. The Upper New for families with young children, the Lower New for bigger water. September on the Gauley is for adults and strong teenagers.
Dolly Sods Wilderness. High plateau that looks like Canada, with wind flagged spruce and open heath. The access roads are rough and there is no signal.
The Greenbrier Trail. Seventy eight miles of old railbed along the river, flat, car free and perfect for family cycling.
Doing West Virginia With Children
West Virginia is easy with children in every way except the driving.
Book Green Bank and build the week around it. Four tours a day, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and they sell out. Everything else is flexible.
Turn wifi, bluetooth and data off in settings before powering phones down at Green Bank. A phone that is only switched off can still transmit. Digital cameras work around the Science Center and the observation deck only.
Expect no signal in several places. The quiet zone, the gorge bottom and Dolly Sods all have none. Download your maps before you leave the hotel.
Pick the right river for the right age. Most outfitters take children from about six on the Upper New. The Lower New and the Gauley are not for young children and no good outfitter will pretend otherwise.
Fill the tank when you can. Stations are thin on the ground in the mountains and many close early.
Watch for deer at dusk. This is the most common way a West Virginia trip goes wrong. Be off the mountain roads before dark.
Check which counties are dry. Some are, some are partly, and it surprises people who assumed they would get a glass of wine with dinner.
No strollers on the bridge on Bridge Day. Also no bikes, no pets and no large bags. If you have a toddler, that day is a carrier day or a different day.
Who West Virginia Suits, and Who Should Skip It
West Virginia suits families who want to be outside and do not need anything to be polished. The scenery is first class, the infrastructure is modest, and the trade is a very low price and almost no crowds.
It suits children who like trains, rocks, rivers and space. Cass, Seneca Rocks, the New River and Dolly Sods are all hands on in a way that museums are not.
It suits anyone who wants a few days with the phones off, and Green Bank turns that from an intention into a rule.
It suits families on a budget better than almost any state. The national park is free, the state parks are free, and the lodging is a fraction of what the same week costs in the Smokies.
It does not suit anyone who wants resorts, nightlife or fine dining. Outside Lewisburg and the Greenbrier, that is not what is here.
And it does not suit a family that cannot cope with two hours of winding mountain road. That is the price of admission and it is not negotiable.
Worth the Money in West Virginia
A guided rafting day. Worth the money every time. The outfitters know the river, carry the gear, feed you and take the photographs, and the safety margin on the New is not something to economize on.
The Cass train, the longer ride. The short run is fine. The one that goes to the top of Bald Knob takes most of the day and is the one people remember.
Staying inside a state park lodge. Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley both have them, they are inexpensive, and being on site before the day visitors arrive is the whole point.
Skip the paid attractions near the gorge. The bridge, the overlooks, the road and the river are the park. The gift shop attractions on the highway are not.
Skip the helicopter and zipline packages unless the kids are old enough. Most have real age and weight minimums and a disappointed eight year old at the desk is a bad start to a day.
The Greenbrier, if you want one grand night. A proper old American resort with a decommissioned government bunker underneath it that you can tour. Expensive, and a very different evening from the rest of the trip.
Fayette Station Road switchbacks all the way to the river and crosses the original 1889 bridge directly underneath the new one. Forty minutes, single lane in places, and nobody who drives it forgets it.
Things That Surprise First Timers
The national park is completely free. No entrance fee, no pass, nothing sold at the gate. Almost unique among American national parks.
Your phone will not work at Green Bank, and that is the law. Thirteen thousand square miles of restricted radio transmission, in force since 1958.
Film cameras are allowed where digital ones are not. Past the gates at Green Bank, a disposable camera works and your phone does not.
Sixty miles is two hours. Mountain roads, switchbacks, trucks. Every West Virginia itinerary is built wrong the first time.
The state is two trips, not one. The gorge and the eastern mountains are about four hours apart and people keep trying to do both in five days.
Slaw goes on the hot dog. Under the chili, as standard, and nobody will ask you first.
Some counties are dry. Not all, not consistently, and it is not signposted. Check if it matters to you.
Harpers Ferry is a train ride from Washington. The only place in the state you can do properly without a car, and one of the best day trips out of DC.
Where I Would Start
If you are starting from nothing, I would do this.
Five nights in the first half of October, based at Fayetteville. Canyon Rim and Fayette Station Road on the first full day, a family raft on the Upper New on the second, Babcock State Park and the Mill on the third, and a long day out to Lewisburg or the southern coalfields on the fourth.
Avoid the third Saturday in October unless Bridge Day is the reason you came.
If your children are the sort who would rather have a telescope and a steam train than a river, flip it entirely and do five nights in Pocahontas County instead, with Green Bank booked first.
And if you only have a weekend, take the train to Harpers Ferry from Washington and do that properly. It is a complete trip on its own.
West Virginia by the numbers
Facts to know before you go
West Virginia is not one kind of trip
People talk about West Virginia as one state to do, and the geography makes it at least four separate trips.
The gorge trip
New River Gorge, the bridge, Fayette Station Road and the river. Four or five nights at Fayetteville. The one most people mean.
The mountain trip
Seneca Rocks, Dolly Sods, Blackwater Falls, Canaan Valley. High, wild and cold, best in October.
The train and telescope trip
Cass, Green Bank, Snowshoe and the Greenbrier Trail. The quietest version and the best one for curious children.
The Harpers Ferry trip
Two nights by train from Washington, no car, and a town you can walk end to end. Pairs with DC rather than with the rest of the state.
What families come to West Virginia for
A free national park. No entrance fee, a bridge 876 feet up, and a road that switchbacks to the river and back.
Fall colour without the crowds. The Appalachians in October, and far fewer people than the Smokies or New England.
White water for every age. The Upper New for small children, the Lower New for teenagers, the Gauley in September for adults.
A real steam railway. Shay locomotives on an eleven percent logging grade at Cass.
Somewhere with no signal. Green Bank and the radio quiet zone, by federal law since 1958.
History that started a war. Harpers Ferry, the engine house, and three states visible from one rock.
A week that costs very little. Free parks, cheap lodging and food, and almost nothing with a queue.
Only in West Virginia
Switch it off
The National Radio Quiet Zone
Thirteen thousand square miles where radio transmission is restricted so the Green Bank telescopes can listen. Turn off wifi, bluetooth and data in settings before powering the phone down, because a phone merely switched off can still transmit.
Third Saturday
Bridge Day
One day a year they close the New River Gorge Bridge to traffic, tens of thousands of people walk across 876 feet above the water, and BASE jumpers go off the side. No strollers, bicycles, pets or large bags.
Baked for miners
The pepperoni roll
Invented in a Fairmont bakery in the 1920s so miners had something that kept without refrigeration and could be eaten with dirty hands. Now the official state food and in every gas station.
Combine It With
Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive are an easy add from Harpers Ferry, and the Blue Ridge Parkway runs south from there.
Antietam is twenty minutes from Harpers Ferry and Baltimore is ninety. The obvious pairing for the eastern panhandle.
Pittsburgh is about two hours north of the northern counties and Gettysburg is close to Harpers Ferry.
West along the coal country for Mammoth Cave and Louisville. A long drive and a different kind of week.
Tell me who is coming, and when.
Tell me who is coming, how old they are, and when you can travel, and I will tell you which corner of the state to pick. West Virginia is two or three separate trips and the only real mistake is trying to do them all in five days.
West Virginia, Answered
The ones that come up in almost every planning call. If yours is not here, ask me.
Is there an entrance fee for New River Gorge National Park?
No. There is no entrance fee to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, no pass is needed, and passes are not sold at the park. It is one of the few national parks in the country where entry costs nothing.
How many days do you need in West Virginia?
Five nights, and pick one half of the state. The New River Gorge and the eastern mountains are about four hours apart on slow roads, so trying to do both in a short trip means two days in the car. Harpers Ferry works as a separate two night trip by train from Washington.
Why does your phone not work at Green Bank?
Green Bank Observatory sits inside the National Radio Quiet Zone, about thirteen thousand square miles the FCC designated in 1958 to protect the telescopes from radio interference. Visitors turn off wifi, bluetooth and cellular data in settings before powering phones down, and digital cameras can only be used around the Science Center and the observation deck.
Can you visit the Green Bank Telescope?
Yes. The grounds are free to walk from sunrise to sunset every day. Guided tours run about an hour at ten, twelve, two and four on open days, and tickets can be bought in advance online or at the gift shop. The site is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays and tours do sell out.
When is Bridge Day?
The third Saturday in October. The New River Gorge Bridge closes to traffic, tens of thousands of people walk across it 876 feet above the water, and BASE jumpers go off the side. Strollers, bicycles, pets and large bags are not allowed on the bridge that day.
How much does Harpers Ferry cost?
Twenty dollars per private vehicle, valid three consecutive days from the purchase date. Fifteen for a motorcycle and ten per person arriving on foot or by bicycle, with under sixteens free. An annual pass for that park alone is thirty five. The park does not accept cash.
What is the best month to visit West Virginia?
October, for the fall colour, with peak usually early to mid month in the high country. Avoid the third Saturday if you want the gorge quiet. Summer is good for rafting and the state parks, and winter works only if you are skiing.
Can you raft the New River with young children?
On the Upper New, usually from about age six depending on the outfitter and the water level. The Lower New is bigger water for older children and adults, and the Gauley in September is for strong adults and teenagers only.
Can you visit West Virginia without a car?
Only Harpers Ferry, which is on an Amtrak line and a commuter rail line from Washington and is walkable from the station. Everywhere else in the state needs a car and there is no useful bus or rail network between the places worth going.
What is a pepperoni roll?
A soft bread roll baked with pepperoni inside it, invented in a Fairmont bakery in the 1920s for miners who needed food that kept without refrigeration. It is the official state food and sold in nearly every gas station and bakery in West Virginia.
Keep exploring from West Virginia
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