Sight · New River Gorge National Park
A 1,200-seat stage for live summer drama at Grandview.
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
Grandview Main Overlook“Up ahead is Grandview, where a short walk from the main parking area reaches a broad horseshoe bend in the New River. The overlook stands about fourteen hundred feet above the water.”
Plays as you drive up to Cliffside Amphitheater in the Parkwolf New River Gorge Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
Cliffside Amphitheater is a 1,200-seat outdoor theater at Grandview, where Theatre West Virginia presents summer productions. Plan around a performance: shows are seasonal, generally June through August, and the dates and lineup change, so check the current schedule and show content before driving over. From I-64, take Exit 129 or 129B, then follow Route 9 north about six miles to Grandview.
Curved rows of seats face the outdoor stage beneath the trees. The open-air setting is part of the appeal, but evening conditions can change the experience. The seats have been described as hard plastic; a thin cushion may help during a full-length show.
The amphitheater's construction began in 1960. Theatre West Virginia grew out of the West Virginia Historical Drama Association, founded in 1955 to create an outdoor drama. Its signature Honey in the Rock opened here on June 27, 1961. Written by West Virginia native Kermit Hunter with music by Jack Kilpatrick, it tells the story of the state's founding in 1863. The company continues to present a changing summer program.
Frame the stage from a seating aisle and let the curved rows lead into the picture; that shows the scale and layout better than a close view of the set alone. The production scenery changes, while the auditorium's arc and wooded setting give the place its character.
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
ModerateGrandview Rim Trail3.2 mi · 2 hr · 0.2 mi awayA wooded 1.6-mile route between two overlooks, with hills near Turkey Spur.
ChallengingCastle Rock Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 0.2 mi awayWalk beneath layered walls and exposed coal along a strenuous gorge path.
ModerateTunnel Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 0.2 mi awayA short, shady walk beneath Grandview’s broad sandstone overhang.
EasyWoodland Loop Trail0.6 mi · 18 min · 0.4 mi awayAn easy forest loop from Grandview Shelter #2.
EasyBig Buck Trail0.9 mi · 30 min · 0.4 mi awayAn easy loop through Appalachian forest, with tree signs along the way.
ChallengingLittle Laurel Trail2.6 mi · 2 hr · 0.5 mi awayAn old road drops from Grandview toward Royal's coal-town remains.ModerateGrandview Rim Loop3 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.2 mi awayRiver views, exposed coal seams, and a rocky loop back.
ModerateTerry Top Trail3.4 mi · 2 hr · 2.7 mi awayA quiet ridge walk ending at a nineteenth-century family cemetery.
Visitor center · 0.1 mi awayGrandview Visitor CenterMaps, a small shop, and a walk to a seven-mile river view.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayGrandview Main OverlookSeven miles of river and gorge from one short overlook.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayNorth OverlookA river bend framed by Grandview’s flowering rhododendrons.
Picnic area · 0.5 mi awayGrandview Picnic AreaA meal stop among Grandview’s picnic shelters, playgrounds and trails.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayMill Creek River AccessA simple launch where Mill Creek meets the New River.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayTurkey Spur OverlookA steep staircase climbs to wooden platforms above the river.
Campground · 1.9 mi awayGrandview Sandbar CampgroundWooded campsites put you beside the New River.
Sight · 1.9 mi awayMcCreery River AccessClass II McCreery Rapids begin right at the put-in.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.
