As mentioned in this post, we had stopped in New River Gorge a few years earlier but had neglected to post anything about it.
Like early explorers, this area was not on our early surveys. And like those explorers, this river seemed to suddenly appear and is the likely cause of it being called “New.” Despite this, the Parks Service claims it is one of the oldest rivers in the world.
Our journey south in 2024 let us stop at few things like the light house at an RV park and Bigfoot museum that was closed.
Dry weather left Cathedral Falls as only a sad trickle.
The New River Gorge was beautiful and we hiked the 2.1 miles out the Endless Wall Trail for an expansive, beautiful view of the gorge.
It was hard to image that about 100 years ago coal mines would have dominated the landscape.
Chestnut Creek Campground was a great place with private campsites and a great bath house.
As we continued south we stopped at the town of Thurmond, a once a thriving town in the gorge. However as steam trains, coal mines and money disappeared, its population dwindled. In 1995 the National Park Service renovated the train depot and stabilized and preserved some of the remaining buildings. Still, population continues to decline with only 5 people in 2020 and just 2 residents in 2025. It appears that Thurmond is destined to be a ghost town like others we have visited.
