Campground · New River Gorge National Park
Wooded campsites put you beside the New River.
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 Sandbar by the River“Grandview Sandbar Campground is coming up beside the New River, with wooded drive-in sites and a smaller walk-in tent area. Choose it for a simple riverside night, but have a backup: sites are first come, first served.”
Plays as you drive up to Grandview Sandbar Campground 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
Grandview Sandbar is a wooded campground beside the New River, with 16 sites: 10 drive-in and 6 walk-in tent sites. It suits campers who want river access for fishing or boating and are happy with a primitive setup. Sites are first-come, first-served with no reservations, and campgrounds can fill in busy months, so keep a backup plan.
There is no drinking water, electricity, hookups, showers, food service or camp store. Bring water and food; nearby markets are several miles away. Drive-in sites have parking by the pad, while walk-in sites require a short carry from the parking area. Campers have picnic tables, fire rings, grills and composting toilets. Two sites by the river are accessible, and the restroom is wheelchair accessible.
The approach includes about a mile of gravel road and a short, winding descent. The tight access favors smaller rigs; the park recommends small or medium RVs.
The New River is right beside camp, but it is not a swimming hole: the park strongly discourages swimming because of powerful currents, rocky banks and sudden drop-offs. Trains across the river can be audible at night, which may cut into the quiet.
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 Loop3 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.8 mi awayRiver views, exposed coal seams, and a rocky loop back.
ChallengingLittle Laurel Trail2.6 mi · 2 hr · 1.6 mi awayAn old road drops from Grandview toward Royal's coal-town remains.
EasyWoodland Loop Trail0.6 mi · 18 min · 1.7 mi awayAn easy forest loop from Grandview Shelter #2.
EasyBig Buck Trail0.9 mi · 30 min · 1.8 mi awayAn easy loop through Appalachian forest, with tree signs along the way.
ModerateTerry Top Trail3.4 mi · 2 hr · 1.8 mi awayA quiet ridge walk ending at a nineteenth-century family cemetery.
ModerateTunnel Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 1.8 mi awayA short, shady walk beneath Grandview’s broad sandstone overhang.
ChallengingCastle Rock Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 1.9 mi awayWalk beneath layered walls and exposed coal along a strenuous gorge path.ModerateGrandview Rim Trail3.2 mi · 2 hr · 1.9 mi awayA wooded 1.6-mile route between two overlooks, with hills near Turkey Spur.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayTurkey Spur OverlookA steep staircase climbs to wooden platforms above the river.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayMill Creek River AccessA simple launch where Mill Creek meets the New River.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayNorth OverlookA river bend framed by Grandview’s flowering rhododendrons.
Picnic area · 1.8 mi awayGrandview Picnic AreaA meal stop among Grandview’s picnic shelters, playgrounds and trails.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayGrandview Main OverlookSeven miles of river and gorge from one short overlook.
Sight · 1.9 mi awayCliffside AmphitheaterA 1,200-seat stage for live summer drama at Grandview.
Visitor center · 1.9 mi awayGrandview Visitor CenterMaps, a small shop, and a walk to a seven-mile river view.
Sight · 2.2 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.
