Grandview

The main overlook at Grandview looks straight down onto one of the New River's most dramatic features, a sweeping horseshoe bend where the river loops around a long forested ridge. From the rim you can trace the water far below and follow the gorge as it winds off toward the horizon, the canyon walls stacked in green ridges.

The New River, despite its name, is among the oldest rivers on the continent, older than the mountains it cuts through. Over immense stretches of time it carved this deep gorge down through hard sandstone and older rock, and the rim you stand on is that same durable sandstone, left high while the river ground its way down toward the level far below.

Beyond the main overlook, trails follow the rim to additional viewpoints, threading through hardwood forest and past ledges of exposed rock. The Grandview Rim Trail links overlook to overlook along the canyon edge, and shorter loops reach quieter perches away from the crowds.

Grandview is famous among West Virginians for its spring flowers. In late spring the rim blazes with the blooms of Catawba rhododendron and flame azalea, turning the woods pink, purple, and orange against the deep green of the gorge. It is one of the best places in the state to catch that display, and it draws visitors specifically for the show.

For much of the twentieth century Grandview was a West Virginia state park, complete with an outdoor amphitheater where the state's outdoor historical dramas were staged on summer nights. Its overlooks and gardens made it a beloved regional destination long before the wider gorge won national protection.

In recent decades Grandview was folded into the national park unit protecting the New River Gorge, and in 2020 that unit became New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, West Virginia's first national park. Grandview is now its high, southern gateway, a quieter counterpoint to the busier areas around the great steel bridge downstream.

The New River Gorge was, for generations, coal country. The narrow canyon below Grandview once held a chain of company coal towns and the rail lines that hauled the coal out, and the ruins and stories of that boom-and-bust era still shape the park's identity. It is a landscape of both natural grandeur and hard industrial history.

Long before the coal camps, this was the ancestral homeland and shared hunting ground of the Shawnee, the Cherokee, the Lenape, and other peoples, whose descendant nations continue today beyond West Virginia. Today the gorge is a haven for hikers, climbers, and paddlers, and its forests shelter black bear, white-tailed deer, and abundant birdlife, while the river below runs some of the best whitewater in the East.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

Grandview, in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve near Beckley in southern West Virginia, is a spectacular overlook and park area famous, as its name suggests, for its grand views of the New River Gorge. From the main overlook, perched atop towering cliffs, visitors gaze down more than a thousand feet into the deep, forested gorge as the ancient New River makes a dramatic horseshoe bend far below. Along with breathtaking overlooks, Grandview offers hiking trails, picnic areas, rhododendron gardens, and stunning scenery, especially in fall. With its magnificent gorge overlooks and trails, Grandview offers a spectacular destination in West Virginia.

You can take in the magnificent views of the New River Gorge and the river's horseshoe bend from the overlooks atop the cliffs, hike the rim trails to more viewpoints, stroll the rhododendron-lined paths, picnic, and enjoy the scenery, especially spectacular when the rhododendron bloom in early summer and the forests turn color in fall. The grand overlooks and the trails are the highlights, offering some of the best views in the New River Gorge National Park. With its stunning overlooks, trails, and gardens, Grandview offers a rewarding outdoor experience near Beckley in southern West Virginia.

The overlooks sit atop very high, steep cliffs, so stay on the designated overlooks, trails, and behind railings, keep back from the edges, and watch children closely, as the drops into the gorge are enormous and falls could be fatal. Never climb over barriers or onto rocks beyond the safe viewing areas. Trails along the rim can be rocky, so wear sturdy shoes. Staying behind railings, keeping back from the cliff edges, and supervising children ensure a safe visit to Grandview in the New River Gorge of West Virginia.

Late spring through fall is the best time, with early summer bringing the rhododendron into bloom along the trails, summer offering lush greenery, and fall bringing spectacular color to the gorge, one of the most popular and beautiful times, a favorite for the overlooks. Clear days offer the best gorge views. The views are stunning year-round. For the rhododendron aim for early summer, and for brilliant fall color, autumn, at Grandview in the New River Gorge National Park of southern West Virginia.

Grandview is in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve near Beckley in southern West Virginia, within reach of the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, Tamarack, Sandstone Falls, Pipestem Resort State Park, and the New River Gorge. That makes Grandview a spectacular stop to combine with the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, Sandstone Falls, and the other attractions of the New River Gorge region in southern West Virginia on a visit to the state.