Restaurant · New River Gorge National Park
A former church turned cafe with towering stained glass.
Overview
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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 area
The Yellow Behind the Green“The yellow in an autumn leaf may have been there all summer. Green chlorophyll usually hides it while the leaf uses sunlight to help make food for the tree.”
Plays on the road 0.3 mi from Cathedral Cafe 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
Cathedral Cafe is a restaurant in downtown Fayetteville's National Historic District. It occupies a former church, and the high ceiling and tall stained glass windows make the room part of the visit. It's an easy breakfast or lunch stop before or after exploring New River Gorge; breakfast is served all day. Leave a little time if your schedule is tight, since waits can vary.
The cafe describes its food as fresh, local and seasonal, with soups alongside the regular menu. Its homemade dessert list includes Ultimate Carrot Cake, Mixed Berry Cobbler, bread pudding made from day-old muffins and cinnamon rolls, and Great Grandma Ruth's apple pie in season. Coffee is Equal Exchange fair trade; the drink list also includes local cider, wine, beer and mocktails.
The building was constructed as a church in 1905 and remained in church use until about 1985. After roughly a decade as storage, it opened as Cathedral Cafe in 1997. Wendy and Rick Bayes bought it in 2000 after years of rafting on the New River. Stained glass, a high ceiling, hand-painted tables and tiled counters keep the building's character in the dining room.
You order at the counter and the food comes to your table. The dining room is small, and waits vary from quick visits to a longer pause, so leave a buffer if you're heading to another activity. Expect downtown street parking rather than a dedicated cafe lot; space availability varies. Outdoor seating is also available.
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
EasyWorkman's Hollow Trail1 mi · 24 min · 0.4 mi awayA quick singletrack link to the Wolf Creek footbridge.
EasyPark Loop Trail1.1 mi · 36 min · 0.7 mi awayAn easy wooded loop you can add at Town Park.
ModerateBridge Trail0.9 mi · 45 min · 1.3 mi awayGet beneath the New River Gorge Bridge on a short, rocky hike.
ModerateKaymoor Trail8.6 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayAn 8.6-mile one-way gorge route past Kaymoor's historic mine.
ChallengingFayetteville Trail4 mi · 3 hr · 1.3 mi awayA creek crossing links Fayetteville’s trails to Kaymoor.
ModerateLong Point Trail3.2 mi · 1.8 hr · 1.6 mi awayThe bridge view repays the forest miles and rocky finish.
EasyTimber Ridge Trail1 mi · 30 min · 1.6 mi awayA short wooded link into the Fayetteville trail network.
ModerateLeCroy Trail1.8 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.7 mi awayNarrow singletrack, a rock bridge, and a rhododendron tunnel.
Sight · 1.4 mi awayKaymoor Mine FallsA mossy cascade where mine drainage meets Wolf Creek.Sight · 1.5 mi awayLong Point OverlookA rough last pitch opens onto the park’s signature bridge view.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayFayette Station River AccessRapids, two bridges, and the gorge from river level.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayNew River Gorge BridgeA 3,030-foot steel arch above a river 876 feet below.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayButcher Branch FallsA close-up waterfall reached by a short, steep spur.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayTunney Hunsaker BridgeA historic lower crossing on Fayette Station Road's one-way gorge drive.
Sight · 1.9 mi awayCanyon Rim Bridge OverlookTwo decks put the full bridge arch above the river gorge.
Visitor center · 1.9 mi awayCanyon Rim Visitor CenterPlan your park visit, then step out to the bridge view.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.
