The New River Gorge Region Climbing

There are quite a few campgrounds with full facilities (wifi, showers, water) in the Fayetteville area, although most cater to rafters more than climbers. The American Alpine Club's recently constructed campground has become the new center for the local climbing community. Here is a brief list of campgrounds/sites in the area:

American Alpine Club Campground:

The climber campground in the area. Covered cooking area, dishwashing stations, dyno wall, dry-ish tent platforms, and coin operated showers.  It is open usually from late March to Thanksgiving, with honor-system primitive camping available year-round. County Rt. 60/96 directly across from Junkyard access on your left - you can't miss it. Walking distance to Junkyard. Reservations recommended.

Google Maps location

The Outpost -- New River Gorge

Great location for camping and events.  Located on Fayette Station Road, just across the highway from Keller Avenue.  This venue offers on-site and convenient hiking access to the New River Gorge and close access to climbing in the New River Gorge Park & Preserve.  Includes a heated bathhouse and lodge for after-adventure relaxation.  Tent sites, cabin hut rentals, and RV sites available.

Arrowhead Bike Farm

The newest addition to Fayetteville's campgrounds is just a few minutes from Kaymoor, rents bikes, has a small cafe with microbrews on tap, and has campsites ranging from $8 to $35 electrical RV hookups.

Opossum Creek Retreat

Cabins in the heart of the NRG!

Rifrafters Campground:

286 Rifrafters Campground Drive

Fayetteville, WV 25840

This is convenient for access to south side crags Kaymoor, Sunshine, Cottontop, etc.

Cantrell's Ultimate Rafting:

49 Cantrell Drive Fayetteville, WV 25840

En route to Kaymoor and South Nuttal crags.

Ray's Campground:

1199 Sunday Rd Hico, WV 25854

Located near the Meadow River crags, and also a bit closer to Summersville.

Google Maps location

Mountain State/Mill Creek campsites:

Ames Heights Road ~ PO Box 78

Lansing, West Virginia 25862

Very close to Junkyard crag

Summersville Dam:

Free minimalist camping at the base of the dam, near the Summersville crags. Limited available facilities but quick access to Summersville climbing and bouldering along the Gauley River.

Coffee

Range Finder Coffee

104 S Court St, Fayetteville, WV 25840
(304) 900-5035
Wonderful and eclectic coffeehouse located in downtown Fayetteville, open early (7 am) for those wanting to get the best crag parking. Friendly baristas, great espresso, and rotating pastries make this a go-to climber stop.

Get Directions to Range Finder

Appalachian Coffee House

32 Bounds Ln, Mt Nebo, WV 26679
(304) 651-7234
Cozy coffee shop roasting its own beans and offering teas in a casual setting. A peaceful spot with local art, comfy couches, and homemade baked goods. Great stop if you’re heading toward Summersville Lake.

Get Directions

Eateries

Ample Pizza

Wood-fired sourdough pizza, salads & sweets handmade by artisan bakers. Farm-to-table ingredients. Located at the Freefolk Brew House in Hico, WV. Expect seasonal toppings, incredible crust, and a great beer pairing.
Instagram @amplepizza

Adventures on the Gorge

adventuresonthegorge.com/dining
This large adventure resort just up the road from the AAC campground is a great place for climbers to get a dose of nightlife without having to drive back over the bridge. Lots of dining and entertainment options, including breakfast, pizza, pub fare, steak, and rafter mayhem at the Rendezvous Lodge. No matter how badass climbers think they are, trust me, you canNOT out-party river guides.

Arrowhead Bike Farm

arrowheadbikefarm.com
If you're looking for no-frills brats, microbrews, and great breakfast or lunch near Kaymoor, this is the place to be. Plus, they’ve got goats and bike rentals!

El Bandido
Great cheap Mexican food and margaritas. Casual, quick service and generous portions—perfect for a post-crag feast.

The Burrito Bar at Breeze Hill

179 Oscar White Rd, Lansing, WV 25862
(304) 574-2750
Tucked away off the road to Endless Wall, this place has great patio dining, live music, and is rarely crowded. Open hours are mysterious—best to call ahead or check social media. Worth the effort for the view alone.

Bridge Brew Works

335 Nick Rahall Greenway, Fayetteville, WV 25840
Fayetteville's much-loved microbrewery includes an outdoor tasting deck with a nice stone firepit. Bridge Brew typically has food trucks during the busy season. Normally, I'd say scope their social media page for more info, but the brothers haven't yet taken to the 'gram. Located next to Wolf Creek Trails—ride first, then relax with a Long Point Lager.

Cathedral Café

134 S Court St, Fayetteville, WV 25840
(304) 574-0202
A beloved local hangout for climbers, paddlers, and artists. Housed in a former church, Cathedral Café serves breakfast, brunch, coffee, and smoothies with a side of funky charm and climbing community vibes.

Fat Eddies

3224 Summersville Lake Rd, Mt Nebo, WV 26679
Awesome milkshakes, sundaes, and fast food. Located on the Summersville Dam road—perfect for a post-lake climbing cool-down.

Wanderlust Creative Foods

105 W. Maple Avenue, Fayetteville, WV 25840

Laid-back eatery offering a fusion menu including chicken tikka masala, naan dumplings, and lamb burgers.

OK Chinese Buffet

Fayette Square, 100 Fayette Town Center Rd, Fayetteville, WV 25840
Okay Chinese food buffet that's all you can eat for around $9. Not fancy, but it hits the spot.

Pies and Pints

piesandpints.net
This Fayetteville institution is now a successful chain, but it started right here. Very interesting and different types of pizza with a large variety of beer. $20–$25 for a large pie. Expect a 1–2 hour wait during peak season.

Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant

Just before the Kroger parking lot in Fayetteville
Decent Mexican food, decent margaritas, and rarely crowded. Great prices and quick service. Solid for a low-key dinner.

Southside Junction Taphouse

101 S Court St, Fayetteville, WV 25840
Right on the main intersection in Fayetteville next to our only traffic light (ha ha). A great selection of climber-friendly beers and wines (no liquor), reasonably-priced pub food, darts, and live events on the weekends.

The Stache

105 S Court St, Fayetteville, WV 25840
Located downtown Fayetteville. Come here if you need post-send victory ice cream—or not-send consolation ice cream. Either way, ICE CREAM!

Secret Sandwich Society

103 Keller Ave, Fayetteville, WV 25840
Beloved local spot for creative sandwiches, burgers, and craft cocktails. Try the Roosevelt or the Truman, and don’t skip the fries. Patio seating and a good beer list make this a climber favorite.

Tudor's Biscuit World

Intersection of Court St and US-19, Fayetteville, WV
A West Virginia institution. This fast food-style chain dishes up big southern-style breakfasts and biscuit sandwiches that can either fuel your day or completely wreck your send. You've been warned.

There are all kinds of things to do for rest days in the NRG. Some of them rely on having warmer weather, some do not.

White Water Rafting

Depending on how thick your skin is you can always take a commercial trip down the New or during September and October you can try your hand at the Gauley. There are a lot of outfits around town. The closest one to the AAC campground is Adventures on the Gorge.

Hiking

There are so many hiking trails here. Long Point is the active rest day classic.  Go take in the views from a different perspective! Check out Bryan Simon's awesome hiking guide book here.

Bike riding

The mountain bike scene at the NRG has really been developing lately. The Arrowhead Bike Farm has rentals near the Kaymoor area, a great campground/biergarten, and direct access to an amazing network of trails and backcountry exploration potential. Check out the nearby Wolf Creek Trails (also with their own adjacent microbrewery, Bridge Brew!) as well.

A 20% chance of rain vs a 90% chance are often the same here in Wild, Wonderful, Wet Virginia. You may never see a rain cloud, or it may rain the entire day. The good news is that there are several crags that stay dry during rainstorms here.  Check below, or in Mikey's guidebook for the details on chasing dry rock in this temperate rain forest.

As Roger at Kaymoor years past would suggest - 'Rico's dry...' when asked where to go when it's a bit wet outside.

Climbing

Most of the stuff to climb when it's raining out is harder. But if you can use common sense and not act like an idiot everyone can have fun. Listed below are the areas that more or less stay dry in the rain.

Bridge Buttress The only routes that stay dry are the ones to the far right starting with Labor Day. The cracks do seep a good bit, so if it's been raining a while skip this place.

The Cirque  Stays completely dry in a downpour, unless it's blowing rain then there is no hope, even for the mutants.

First Buttress This place stays pretty dry and has a 5.10, (may be wet), and a 5.11! The very top of Boomerang and some of the other longer routes get wet at the top. I've seen sends of these routes during the rain so it's possible!

The Hole Ready to get pumped beyond belief? Easy approach and hard climbing await, although this place tends to seep and condense worse than other overhung areas.

Rico Suave Uber classic 5.10a and a handful of 5.11s stay dry.

Coliseum Huge cave that stays dry and houses 5.12 - 5.14d.

White Wall

The three classic 5.12s here stay dry for the most part, and are super good!

Diamond Point This area does not stay dry in the rain, but it dries the quickest! Also, check out the route Exoduster at Fern Point for a nearly-always dry bolted 5.10.

Bouldering

There are a handful of bouldering caves spread across the NRG that have a lot to offer. Junkyard, Beauty Mountain, and Cotton Top crags all have great caves. For more info swing by WaterStone Outdoors to get the full beta or pick up the new bouldering guidebook HERE! You can even rent a bouldering pad at WaterStone Outdoors!

If you need gear, beta or advice, stop by the local shop WaterStone Outdoors. They have everything anyone could need for a visit to the New River Gorge. Also, if you enjoy nice approach trails and shiny new bolts, drop some cash for NRAC into the donation jar at Water Stone. The New River Alliance of Climbers is an organization dedicated to the maintenance of fixed hardware on established routes, and maintaining a positive relationship between the climbing community, the NPS, and land owners. Access to these areas is not guaranteed, and without NRAC, it's likely that the amount of rock that has been cleared for climbing would not have been. 

A couple of NRAC's latest projects have been improving and redirecting the trails going into Sandstonia/Tattoo Wall, making new switchbacks to the (formerly treacherous and steep) start of the Fern Buttress trail, improving the crag base at Butcher's Branch, and installing a new metal staircase at Summersville. So, if you clip and/or fall on bolts, or travel the approach trails (which all of us do), stop by and give them a donation- even if it's only a dollar or two. Every little bit helps, and it goes to a worthy endeavor and hard-working folks. You can also donate online HERE.

Lowering vs rappelling

The ethics for this area as listed in Mikey's book are to always lower when possible. Rappelling is inherently dangerous and was the cause of the only fatality we've ever had at the NRG; lowering can be done without ever coming off belay. There is simply no need to introduce the most dangerous part of multi-pitch climbing into single-pitch cragging. We take pretty good care of our hardware here, so that isn't an issue.

Fixed protection

New River Gorge National Park is administered by the National Park Service; treat it essentially the same as you would any other national park, and follow all regulations and informal LNT ethics. Inside of its boundaries, all fixed gear and permadraws are illegal (although steep crags like the Cirque and the Hole still have quite a few). It is considered very shoddy practice to leave draws on vertical projects for longer than a day within the gorge. To put up a new route you need to submit a form with money to NPS and wait for them to accept/deny your permit. To rebolt you must be on the NPS rebolting permit, contact NRAC for more info.

Outside of the New River Gorge proper is a different story. Summersville Lake is managed by the Army Corp of Engineers, and there are currently no restrictions in terms of bolting or fixed gear. Please respect the areas that you are in and how they were originally developed. Going off and putting up sub-par routes in areas that are filled with classics is looked down upon here. Unfortunately, there are a few developers (well, mostly just one) who have put routes up in the Meadow and Gauley river gorges that are simply bad– they cross over or obliterate previous trad routes, do not pay attention to natural features, and are often not cleaned or even redpointed prior to opening. Ask locals if you're concerned about routes by these folks; we'll let you know which ones to stay off of.

Crowds and Routes

With the explosion of climbing's popularity over the last few years, respecting one another, being tolerant, and sharing resources (routes) is becoming more and more important. The Junkyard and Bridge Buttress crags are popular with commercially guided groups. Rock Guides at the NRG are among the friendliest out there. Please do not cause a conflict with them if they are guiding a party on a route you wish to climb. See if you can work something out, be polite, and if they're on the route first, it's theirs.

COLLEGE OUTDOOR CLUBS, MEETUP GROUPS (and that sort): The climbing group size limit for the New River Gorge is 15 people total at Bridge Buttress, and 10 total for all other crags. This includes guides, bystanders, and that dude that just wants to sit in the hammock and play guitar. If you're in a group that exceeds these numbers, split up into different crags with different parking areas.

Don't leave unattended topropes hanging, offer to let smaller groups play through, offer to hang ropes after you're done for the next party, and just in general be cool.

If you hate crowds, go climb scary or difficult things, or go to obscure areas like South Nuttall, Carnifex Ferry, or Long Point. You're almost guaranteed to have the place to yourself if it has an approach that is longer than 20 minutes.