Sight · New River Gorge National Park
A broad river rapid for a quick roadside pause.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
New River Gorge Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for New River Gorge National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the New River Gorge audio tourRecorded for this place
Brooks Falls: A Quick River Stop“You're approaching Brooks Falls Roadside Park, a quick river-view stop with picnic tables beside a broad stretch of whitewater.”
Plays as you drive up to Brooks Falls Roadside Park in the Parkwolf New River Gorge Tour Guide.
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“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Brooks Falls Roadside Park is a small roadside viewing and picnic area on the west side of the New River near Hinton. People come for the broad whitewater drop called Brooks Falls, plus a place to pause along River Road. Keep it as a quick stop or picnic break; if you expect a tall waterfall, the shallow rapid may feel modest.
The water drops about four feet across a stretch roughly 1,000 feet wide. That makes Brooks Falls more like a broad Class III rapid than a plunging cascade. It is the smaller sister to Sandstone Falls, about two miles north, so the two are easy to pair on the same drive.
The rapid can look fast and foamy at higher water, while lower water exposes more rock. For a photo, use a wide view that takes in the full spread of whitewater; the river’s breadth is the defining feature here.
Wildlife
18 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
126 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
25 sightingsPileated WoodpeckerMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
15 sightingsBarred OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
14 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
58 sightingsCopperheadMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across New River Gorge. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingBig Branch Trail2 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.1 mi awayA strenuous loop through cascades, farmstead ruins, and gorge views.
ModerateGwinn Ridge Trail3 mi · 1.8 hr · 2.1 mi awayA wooded 3-mile ridge loop with occasional winter views.
ModerateSandstone Falls Overlook0.2 mi · 15 min · 2.5 mi awayA quick gravel walk to a high view of Sandstone Falls.
EasyIsland Loop Trail0.7 mi · 30 min · 2.9 mi awayA short island loop from river views into returning forest.
EasySandstone Falls Boardwalk0.5 mi · 30 min · 3 mi awayA wide, low waterfall reached by bridges and an accessible boardwalk.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayHellems Beach River AccessPublic river access below Brooks Falls Rapids.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayBig Branch FallsA waterfall hike with spring flowers and a story in the hollow.
Sight · 1.4 mi awayTrump-Lilly FarmA mountain farmstead where every outbuilding had a job.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayTug Creek River AccessPublic New River access via River Road, near Hinton.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayBrooks Island OverlookA five-minute stop for the wooded island and river below.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayRichmond Hamilton FarmA preserved farmstead shows how families made do before the railroad.Sight · 2.5 mi awaySandstone Falls OverlookA short gravel walk, then 1,500 feet of falls from above.
Sight · 2.9 mi awaySandstone FallsA short boardwalk reaches islands framed by 1,500 feet of low falls.Parkwolf’s New River Gorge ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
