We recommend:
Mountain State Outdoor Center Campground
 Conveniently located only 1 mile from the New River Gorge Bridge and the National Park Service’s Canyon Rim Visitor Center, this facility offers the easiest access to the
area’s best attractions. You'll appreciate the quaint camp store (with assorted sundries, groceries and firewood), woodsy sites and the clean shower house. There are also camping cabins, wall tents, log cabins and a large cottage for rent if you prefer a dry roof over your head. Groups will like the large open tent sites where they can setup their own tent village and share a common firepit. Play a game of volleyball, pitch some horseshoes or mosey on down to the Visitor Center for some impressive views of the western hemisphere’s longest single span arch bridge and canyon below. Take a few minutes to meander further down Ames Heights Road (about ½ mile) to whitewater outfitter Class VI River Runners’ facility. This ‘wow’ facility is located right on the rim of the New River Gorge. Here, you can sign up for rafting, mountain biking, horseback riding, and more activities. Hike out to the overlook… superb photo op! There are also 2 exceptional restaurants, an outfitters store and if you’re lucky enough to be there on a Monday night, stop in and mingle with the locals at ‘Wing Night’ where you can fill up on hot wings & ice cold drinks.
Camping & Rafting on the New River Gorge National River
Established in 1978, the New River Gorge National River was made a part of the National Park Service (NPS). The New River's headwaters are in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Boone, North Carolina where it begins a more than 2000 mile journey that takes about 110 days. The water loses identity as the New River when it joins the Gauley River to become the Kanawha River, but finally empties into the Gulf of Mexico near New Orleans. The name "New River" is not completely descriptive for one of the oldest rivers in North America, at least 65 million years in its present course. The New River once flowed near the Great Lakes and was known as the Teays River.
Today 53 miles of this ancient river flow through a rugged canyon up to 1300 feet in depth and expose rocks as old as 330 million years. The canyon is majestic and a fast-growing, deciduous forest hides the coal boom of times past. The camping facilities are located close to numerous coal towns that once dotted the riverside, flourished, and became abandoned as the mines were played out.
From the river bank you can watch the motion of the water, or better yet, you can become a part of the motion. The current of the river changes and offers a variety of choices for everybody to choose - from mild to wild for ages six to eighty-six!
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