New River Gorge National Park, WV
Old logging roads, fields and a steep creek crossing.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
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
A Flame on a Miner's Cap“Before electric headlamps, a coal miner might work by a little flame mounted on his cap. A carbide lamp made its own fuel. Water dripped from an upper chamber onto calcium carbide below, producing acetylene gas.”
Plays on the road 1.3 mi from the trailhead 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Kates Plateau Trail is a strenuous out-and-back from Polls Branch Road through old logging roads, fields, hardwood forest and wetland edges. The named trail is listed at 5.1 miles round trip. Reaching its junction from the road-end lot follows Polls Plateau Trail for about 1.75 miles each way; the full outing from parking is about 8.9 miles round trip on the mapped route. Allow five to six hours. Choose it for a long woods walk and a rugged creek crossing, not a quick stop.
Park at the end of Polls Branch Road and follow Polls Plateau Trail to the Kates Plateau junction; the approach is a real stretch of trail, not a roadside spur. Kates continues toward Upper Glade Creek over old logging roads, through fields and forest, and near wetlands. Follow the blazes through the woods. Drainages and old roadbeds can make parts of the Polls approach less obvious.
Kates Branch is a challenging crossing with steep terrain, so allow time to pick your way through it. There is another steep section on the route. Trailheads have no drinking water; carry enough for the longer outing. Pets are allowed on a physical leash no longer than six feet. Watch for signs of beaver, deer and turkey rather than expecting a sighting.
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
ModeratePolls Plateau Trail3.7 mi · 2.5 hr · At the trailheadCreek crossings and an old farmstead on a quiet forest loop.
ChallengingKates Falls Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 1.9 mi awayA short, steep climb ends at a sandstone waterfall.
ModerateGlade Creek Trail5.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.9 mi awayA gentle rail grade keeps you beside cascades most of the way.
ModerateTunnel Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 4.6 mi awayA short, shady walk beneath Grandview’s broad sandstone overhang.
ChallengingCastle Rock Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 4.6 mi awayWalk beneath layered walls and exposed coal along a strenuous gorge path.
ModerateGrandview Rim Trail3.2 mi · 2 hr · 4.6 mi awayA wooded 1.6-mile route between two overlooks, with hills near Turkey Spur.
EasyWoodland Loop Trail0.6 mi · 18 min · 5.1 mi awayAn easy forest loop from Grandview Shelter #2.
EasyBig Buck Trail0.9 mi · 30 min · 5.2 mi awayAn easy loop through Appalachian forest, with tree signs along the way.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayKates FallsA stepped sandstone waterfall at the end of a long creekside hike.
Sight · 2.1 mi awayGlade Creek FallsA creekside hike leads to tiered falls across a sandstone ledge.
Campground · 3.1 mi awayGlade Creek CampgroundA wooded camp at the end of an old creekside rail trail.
Campground · 4.2 mi awayWar Ridge CampgroundEight drive-in sites at the park’s only off-river campground.
Sight · 4.3 mi awayMill Creek River AccessA simple launch where Mill Creek meets the New River.
Campground · 4.4 mi awayMeadow Creek CampgroundFree riverside tent camping comes with train horns and little shade.
Sight · 4.6 mi awayGrandview Main OverlookSeven miles of river and gorge from one short overlook.
Visitor center · 4.6 mi awayGrandview Visitor CenterMaps, a small shop, and a walk to a seven-mile river view.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.
