Parking
From I-64, take exit 133 (Bragg), head north about 0.8 mile, turn left at the church onto Polls Branch Road, and follow it to the parking area at the road end.
Overview
About Polls Plateau Trail
Why go
- Several creek crossings add variety to the woodland loop.
- An old farmstead gives the walk a bit of human history.
Heads up
- Drainages and overlapping old roadbeds can make the route hard to follow.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the New River Gorge map
Full mapElevation2,585–2,795 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 Polls Plateau 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 area
A Flame on a Miner's Cap0:00 / 0:33
“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
- Choosing Your Rafting Trip
- The Soldier Behind the Bridge
- Glade Creek's Waterfall Walk
- Antlers Start Over Every Year
- 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 Polls Plateau Trail
The Polls Branch loopPolls Plateau Trail is a moderate woodland loop from the Polls Branch Road trailhead.
Polls Plateau Trail is a moderate woodland loop from the Polls Branch Road trailhead. Follow a short shared approach to the loop, then return on the same path; including that access, the mapped Polls Branch walk is about 3.7 miles. The National Park Service page lists 4.9 miles round trip. The area map shows a separate southern branch, but I could not verify that it belongs to this Polls Branch loop or explains the longer figure. Check the current park map if exact mileage matters, and allow about 2–2.5 hours.
Where to watch the treadSeveral creek crossings break up the upland forest.
Several creek crossings break up the upland forest. Parts of the route follow old roadbeds, and drainages plus other roadbeds can make it hard to tell which line is the trail. Keep the park map handy through those sections instead of assuming every wide track continues the loop. There is no drinking water at the trailhead.
The old farmsteadThe trail passes an old farmstead, but the park does not name it or describe its occupants.
The trail passes an old farmstead, but the park does not name it or describe its occupants. Treat it as a quiet bit of history along a woodland walk, not a signed historic stop. There is no named summit or overlook here; the creek crossings, trees and old homestead are the payoff. Leashed dogs are allowed 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.
