Long Point Trail (New River Gorge)

Long Point Trail is a 3.2-mile round-trip hike in New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia, offering one of the most dramatic cliff-edge viewpoints in the Appalachians. The trailhead is located along Brooklyn Road in Fayetteville, where free roadside parking is available at the Long Point Trailhead. No permit is required. The trail follows a forested dirt path with moderate undulation, gaining approximately 200 feet in elevation through a mixed hardwood forest of oaks, maples, and sourwood trees. Hikers traverse gentle ridgeline terrain with occasional rocky outcrops before emerging at Long Point, a sandstone promontory jutting above the New River Gorge. From this cliff-edge overlook, visitors are rewarded with panoramic views of the gorge, the New River winding nearly 1,000 feet below, and the distant rim of the surrounding mountains. The trail surface is packed dirt and exposed sandstone with tree root sections; trail shoes or light hiking boots are adequate for most conditions. Shade is consistent throughout except at the exposed viewpoint itself. There are no water sources along the route, so hikers should carry sufficient water from the trailhead. No shelters or huts are present. The out-and-back route is largely self-explanatory, with the overlook serving as a natural turnaround point. The trail is particularly spectacular in autumn, when the surrounding canopy blazes with fall color visible in all directions from the cliff edge. Wildlife including white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and various raptors is commonly observed along the forested approach corridor.