New River Gorge
America’s 63rd National Park, and in my opinion, one of the most underrated ones! Redesignated to National Park status in 2020, the New River Gorge protects some of the best whitewater and oldest mountains/rivers in the country. With West Virginia being known for having some of the most vivid fall colors in the country, visiting New River Gorge in the fall became one of my best fall foliage photography opportunities.
Below are my 3 best fall foliage photo-ops in (and near) the National Park.
The New River Gorge Bridge is the National Park’s namesake, boasting the title of the 3rd highest bridge in the United States and the longest steel bridge in the Western Hemisphere. Despite chilly West Virginia fall weather, there is plenty to photograph near the New River Gorge Bridge. The Canyon Rim Visitor Center is the logical first stop for any trip to this section of the National Park. In addition to a park film and exhibit, the visitor center has a cool 3D topographic model of the national park.
After exploring the visitor center, I began the journey to the bottom of the gorge. The area provides both expansive and up-close views, compositions that are both perfect for foliage photography. As I slowly meandered down the valley, a thick layer of clouds formed behind the bridge, making the tree colors pop. At the gorge’s bottom, I was able to photograph more up-close fall colors, along with wider bridge views with the mighty New River in the foreground. After about an hour in the gorge, I made my way back up and began prepping for sunset.
For sunset, I had my eyes set on the Long Point Overlook. With a parking lot on the outskirts of the National Park, there is a good opportunity for drone photography. Following what were some of my best ever drone photos, I began the roughly 1.5 mile hike to the overlook. Located on a rocky outcropping which overlooks the bridge, Long Point is a great place to set up a tripod for long exposure photography. The blue hour gave an eerie look to the gorge while an occasional car placed red streaks into the photo composition.
The Grandview is a classic West Virginia viewpoint– rolling mountains giving way to the winding New River in the background. All of this with near desolation, just the West Virginia outdoors. For this area of West Virginia, even 10 people making their way for sunrise photography seemed like big city crowds. In classic fashion, despite waking up at 6:30am, I was still in a rush to make the Grandview sunrise. Parking just as the sky began to brighten, I ran to the overlook with camera gear in hand hoping to catch some interesting cloud formations. Luckily the weather played in my favor! Cold fall temperatures within the mountain valleys led to near cloud-inversion conditions, where clouds fill mountain valleys giving way to awe inspiring compositions. Although the clouds covered the nearby New River, they highlighted the desolation of the valley and brought out sunrise colors. Pink and orange hues arose later in the sunrise, contrasting the blues deep within the valley.
While not directly within the borders of the National Park, Babcock State Park is directly adjacent to the park and any visit to the area would be incomplete without a stop at the state park. Babcock State Park comes alive in the fall season with thick tree coverage, various creeks, waterfalls and historic mills. In fact, the Grist Mill at the state park is one of the most iconic and recognizable photograph sites in the entire state! With this in mind, Babcock State Park was one of the first places I wanted to visit on the photography trip. After parking on the side roads near the Grist Mill, I walked around the area to find the perfect shot. Walking alongside the river bank created different angles and placed new water features in the photo composition. With a little bit of rock hopping, I found a spot in front of a small waterfall nicely placed in the foreground of the mill. Long exposure smoothed out the river waves, allowing focus to be centered on the red and orange fall hues and the old wooden mill in the photo center.
In addition to the places mentioned in the article, the geography of the National Park makes it excellent for drone opportunities. While drones are not permitted inside National Park property, the boundaries of New River Gorge National Park are narrow and panoramic views can be enjoyed from outside the park’s boundaries. Below are some additional drone photos from outside the National Park boundaries.