Sight · New River Gorge National Park
A vanished coal town, with beehive ovens still by the trail.
Overview
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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 Red Ash Rescue“At Red Ash, a rescue attempt became a second disaster. In March nineteen oh five, the Red Ash and Rush Run mines were connected underground.”
Plays on the road 0.9 mi from Rush Run Community Ruins 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
Rush Run Community Ruins are the scattered foundations and stone walls of a former coal-mining town along the Southside Trail beside the New River. A line of beehive coke ovens sits nearer the river and gives this spread-out site its clearest landmark. Reach the ruins on foot along the trail; they occupy a stretch of route rather than one compact village. Use a trail map to plan your approach and turnaround before setting out. The ovens’ arched openings are the easiest thing to look for and the best reason to stop for a closer look.
Rush Run was established in 1889 by the Rush Run Coal Company. The town had a post office and a saloon; after the mine shut in the 1940s, it was abandoned. Historical evidence suggests there may once have been as many as 180 beehive ovens here. That’s a possible original count, not the number still standing.
Stay on the public trail, don’t walk on the walls, and leave artifacts in place. The railroad near Southside Junction is active private property, so stay off the tracks. Nearby Red Ash Mine’s 1905 explosion sequence killed 24 men, including rescuers, after the mine reopened and connected to Rush Run.
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
EasyRend Trail6.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.9 mi awayFive railroad trestles turn a gentle creekside walk into a gorge story.
ModerateChurch Loop Trail1.8 mi · 1 hr · 1.9 mi awayA short Rend Trail outing to Thurmond’s historic Black church.
ModerateStone Cliff Trail2.7 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.2 mi awayA shaded New River road ends near a rare old-growth stand.
ModerateBrooklyn Mine Trail5.4 mi · 3.3 hr · 3.1 mi awayA shaded old road leads to the ruins of a coal mine.
ModerateSouthside Trail14 mi · 5.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayA long river rail grade past abandoned coal towns
Sight · 0.9 mi awayRed Ash Community and Mining RuinsSee an unusual bread-loaf coke-oven design on the Southside Trail.
Visitor center · 0.9 mi awayThurmond Depot Visitor CenterA rail-history stop worth the winding drive if you're exploring town.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayThurmond Historic DistrictA preserved coal town beside an active rail line.
Picnic area · 0.9 mi awayDun Glen Day Use AreaA handy river access point with a permit-required picnic shelter.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayConcho Rim OverlookWatch the New River curl around historic Thurmond from above.
Campground · 2.2 mi awayStone Cliff CampgroundFive sites on sand, two under the trees.
Sight · 2.3 mi awayRed Ash Island CemeteryA wooded island cemetery ties miners’ losses to everyday community life.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayBrooklyn Mining Complex & Community RuinsA 1890s coal camp left a ruined tipple and coke ovens.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.
