Parking
From U.S. 19 south of New River Gorge Bridge, turn onto the signed Fayette Station Road. After 0.8 miles, turn right for Bridge Trail parking. Auto parking and a vault or composting toilet are listed at the trailhead.
Overview
About Bridge Trail
Why go
- Walk directly beneath the steel bridge span.
- Connects to Fayetteville Trail if you want to keep going.
Heads up
- Steep, rocky footing makes the walk back harder.
- The 0.86-mile figure is one way; returning nearly doubles it.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the New River Gorge map
Full mapElevation1,437–1,716 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
5 active New River Gorge alerts
- ClosureRend and Church Loop trails closedRend Trail is closed from both trailheads through approximately December 2027; Church Loop Trail is also closed because its only access is from Rend.Official details
- ClosureKaymoor Miners Trail weekday closureThe upper Kaymoor Miners Trail is closed Monday–Thursday through November 19 for trail rehabilitation.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
New River Gorge Tour Guide
Your drive to Bridge Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Bridge Trail Beneath the Span0:00 / 0:20
“You're approaching the parking turnoff for Bridge Trail on Fayette Station Road. Choose this woodland hike if you'd like to look up into the steel bracing beneath the New River Gorge Bridge.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf New River Gorge Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Heron That Uses Bait
- Why the Bridge Is Brown
- Fayette Station and the Boxer's Bridge
- The Otter’s Underwater Whiskers
- 92 audio storiesacross New River Gorge’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, White-tailed Deer, Pileated Woodpecker, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 49 trails, 55 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Bridge Trail
A short connector with a strenuous returnBridge Trail is a 0.
Bridge Trail is a 0.86-mile one-way hiking connector from the signed Fayette Station Road parking area to its junction with Fayetteville Trail, passing beneath New River Gorge Bridge. The payoff is a close look at the steel span and gorge from below. Allow about 45 minutes one way; if you turn around at the same parking area, plan on about 1.72 miles and roughly 1½ hours. The path is occasionally steep and rocky, so the climb back takes more effort than the short distance suggests.
The bridge from belowThe trail passes through forest and arrives beneath the bridge, where its steel bracing fills…
The trail passes through forest and arrives beneath the bridge, where its steel bracing fills the view. The New River Gorge Bridge opened in 1977; it stretches 3,030 feet and stands 876 feet above the river. Before it opened, crossing the gorge meant a slow drive down the narrow road below; the bridge cut that crossing from about 40 minutes to less than one. For a photo, frame the bracing above the wooded slope to show the span's scale.
Getting thereFrom U.S. 19 south of the bridge, take the signed Fayette Station Road. After 0.
From U.S. 19 south of the bridge, take the signed Fayette Station Road. After 0.8 miles, turn right for Bridge Trail parking. The trailhead has auto parking and a vault or composting toilet, but no drinking water. Dogs are allowed on park trails; keep them on a physical leash no longer than six feet.
Wildlife
Wildlife in New River Gorge
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.
