Picnic area · New River Gorge National Park
A meal stop among Grandview’s picnic shelters, playgrounds and trails.
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 Picnic Grounds“You're nearing Grandview's picnic grounds, a useful place to stop for a meal you've brought along. Check the shelter number if you're meeting a group: the picnic facilities spread across two separate clusters.”
Plays as you drive up to Grandview Picnic Area 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
Grandview Picnic Area is a group of picnic shelters and tables across the day-use grounds. It makes a useful meal break between the overlooks and trails, rather than a viewpoint itself. The map pin is at Shelter 2 in the northern picnic cluster; the main Playground Shelter sits in a separate cluster by the amphitheater, playground and ball fields.
West Virginia bought 52 acres at Grandview in 1939 for a day-use park. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the roads, shelters and picnic area; those facilities remain in use. The amphitheater, playgrounds and additional recreation grounds followed in the early 1960s.
Grandview Road leads to the day-use area at 4700 Grandview Road in Beaver. The picnic facilities occupy two clusters, and the pin marks Shelter 2 rather than the whole area. Grandview is open year-round.
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
EasyBig Buck Trail0.9 mi · 30 min · At the trailheadAn easy loop through Appalachian forest, with tree signs along the way.
EasyWoodland Loop Trail0.6 mi · 18 min · 0.1 mi awayAn easy forest loop from Grandview Shelter #2.
ChallengingLittle Laurel Trail2.6 mi · 2 hr · 0.1 mi awayAn old road drops from Grandview toward Royal's coal-town remains.
ModerateGrandview Rim Trail3.2 mi · 2 hr · 0.6 mi awayA wooded 1.6-mile route between two overlooks, with hills near Turkey Spur.
ChallengingCastle Rock Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 0.6 mi awayWalk beneath layered walls and exposed coal along a strenuous gorge path.
ModerateTunnel Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 0.6 mi awayA short, shady walk beneath Grandview’s broad sandstone overhang.ModerateGrandview Rim Loop3 mi · 2.5 hr · 1 mi awayRiver views, exposed coal seams, and a rocky loop back.
ModerateTerry Top Trail3.4 mi · 2 hr · 2.3 mi awayA quiet ridge walk ending at a nineteenth-century family cemetery.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayNorth OverlookA river bend framed by Grandview’s flowering rhododendrons.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayCliffside AmphitheaterA 1,200-seat stage for live summer drama at Grandview.
Visitor center · 0.6 mi awayGrandview Visitor CenterMaps, a small shop, and a walk to a seven-mile river view.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayGrandview Main OverlookSeven miles of river and gorge from one short overlook.
Sight · 1 mi awayTurkey Spur OverlookA steep staircase climbs to wooden platforms above the river.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayMill Creek River AccessA simple launch where Mill Creek meets the New River.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayMcCreery River AccessClass II McCreery Rapids begin right at the put-in.
Campground · 1.8 mi awayGrandview Sandbar CampgroundWooded campsites put you beside the New River.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.
