Hawks Nest State Park Nearby Attractions

Babcock State Park is the perfect getaway with its famous Glade Creek Grist Mill just 21 miles southeast of Hawks Nest State Park on U.S. Route 60. It has a lake for fishing and boating, hiking trails, campgrounds, cabins, and trails for hiking and biking.

Located 13 miles southeast from Hawks Nest on U.S. Route 60, the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, a National Parks Service facility, offers visitors information on the history and attractions of the New River Gorge, along with scheduled nature activities throughout the year.

Are you ready for a challenge? The Endless Wall Trail is a 2.4-mile moderate walk that passes through rich forest, crosses Fern Creek, then zig-zags along the cliff edge. Many vistas can be seen along the trail. Find the trailhead 13 miles from Hawks Nest State Park, southeast on U.S. Route 60.

Blaze a new trail and make a furry friend in the process! Cowboy Town on U.S. Route 60 in Hico – 8 miles from Hawks Nest.

Midland Trail National Scenic Byway is the road of choice for those who prefer the scenic route. Route 60 winds 180-miles across West Virginia’s midsection, offering a drive filled with fabulous vistas, world-class rafting, outdoor fun, art and artisan treasures pioneer history. It passes right by Hawks Nest State Park and has many roadside attractions you can’t miss!

This popular roadside attraction is two miles east of Hawks Nest on U.S. Route 60. Here, the laws of gravity seem to have gone berserk and your sense of balance is reset. Come see what the mystery’s all about for yourself!

At a height of nearly 900 feet, the New River Gorge Bridge is the second highest bridge east of the Mississippi. Foot traffic is only allowed on the bridge on the third Saturday in October for Bridge Day. On that day, the bridge is open to pedestrians, food and craft vendors, musicians and more. During the rest of the year, guests can take a Bridge Walk, touring the underside of the bridge via catwalk 850 feet above the New River. Bridge Walk tours are scheduled daily and tickets with reservations are required.

Plunge into the clearest water east of the Mississippi. Known as the “Little Bahamas of the East,” this exotic lake is a popular spot for boating, swimming, scuba diving, and stand-up paddle boarding. It’s also West Virginia’s largest lake, with 60 miles of shoreline.

During the first two decades of the 1900s, Thurmond was a classic boomtown. With the huge amounts of coal brought in from area mines, it had the largest revenue on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. Today, with a population of less than 10, the town of Thurmond remains surprisingly untouched by modern development. It is a link to the past, and a town with many stories to tell, including the impact of America’s industrial revolution. Find Thurmond 25 miles south of Hawks Nest State Park on U.S. Route 19.

Book your world-class zip line canopy tour through the old-growth hemlock forests of the New River Gorge. This unique combination of zip lines, cable sky bridges, and stationary tree platforms are an adrenaline-charged way to view the local flora and fauna from areas that are otherwise inaccessible. This is located at Adventures on the Gorge.

Welcome to America’s 63rd national park – the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve. Home to more than 70,000 acres of public lands, this park has been a hallowed spot for locals for centuries. The recent designation as the nation’s newest national park invites travelers, like you, to visit, explore and discover your own slice of heaven.

Set on the rim of the Gauley River Canyon, the 156-acre Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park is an important Civil War battle site. It is part of the Civil War Discovery Trail, which links more than 300 historical sites in 16 states, and commemorates the 1861 Battle of Carnifex Ferry, a major Union victory that led to the eventual Confederate withdrawal from western Virginia. Carnifex Ferry is one of the oldest state parks in the United States and is a popular site for Civil War reenactments.