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    Hawks Nest State Park

    4.2 (43 reviews)
    Open Open 24 hours
    Updated 1 month ago

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    Turkey Creek Falls
    Grace D.

    Not only is the lodge amazing, this is one of the oldest parks in WV! Situated high above the gorge with a view of the Hawk's Nest dam, the river winding in the valley below. There are several trails above, toward, and in the gorge, with an overlook section with a nest castle like bathroom and gift shop. The marina area in the gorge is usually accessible by tram, set to reopen in 2026. You can access it yourself view a hike or bike down the Hawk's Nest Rail Trail, attempt the drive yourself, or book a jet boat tour and travel down via shuttle. Enjoy lunch in the restaurant overlooking the park, take in the CCC rock work architecture, and soak in mountain or forest views at this gem, minutes from the New River Gorge Bridge.

    Rob B.

    I've been here more times than I can count and it never gets old. Every time I go to Bridge Day I make sure to stop here on the way there or on the way back. The views are amazing from the top and from the bottom. Riding the tram is a lot of fun :) The lodge is nice and the food they serve is good. The staff I've encountered over the years are always kind and friendly. There are a lot of attractions nearby so make sure to give yourself time before or after to explore. I can't say enough about this region. It's one of my favorite areas to explore in the US. So many cool places to hike, bike, raft, eat, learn, etc. Check this place out, you won't be disappointed! *I recommend going during the early fall to see the beauty of the leaves changing color.

    Sunset from the restaurant inside the lodge .

    Abagail was lovely and helpful with ideas. Super personable and so kind. If you need any help with questions about the park, she will help you as much as she can.

    Hawks Nest State Park
    Bruce K.

    Passing through and drawn to the impressive and amazing view, I stayed long enough to enjoy the lookout point and a little walking. I arrived after the park had officially closed so the visitor center and gift shop were closed. The walk from the parking area to the lookout is impressive though getting to the lookout does require some steps and I did not spot a ramp. The view over the New River is Amazing and shouldn't be missed. [Review 19610 overall - 84 in West Virginia - 581 of 2023.]

    Melissa B.

    Today, we took a Sunday drive to Hawk's Nest State Park in Ansted, WV. This was Kayla & Deacon's first time there, but a trip down memory lane for Tony & I. It was fun reminiscing and sharing with them the way things used to be and the ways it looked! It's hard to believe it now so sad how changes with time makes so much of a difference. Deacon enjoyed his adventure. We found out the tram ride over the mountain has been broken 3 yrs and the state has not fixed it. Also found out might not get fixed for another couple years also...which is extremely sad news! Also, there is NO nature exhibit or museum display at Hawk's Nest Park. There is a power boat ride on the river that starts late May but is rather expensive about $30 per person so if your a family of 4 (average size) it's over $120 for about an hour before taxes.. Now a days, that's a little much in my personal opinion! But, if you got it..spend it ! Right!! ? Me, not so much! There is a restaurant and a small gift shop fairly priced..we purchased a few necessaries!! Definitely recommend to all in the area°

    Train
    John B.

    This park is nearby and downriver of the New River Gorge; the aesthetic is not that different with green slopes walling a comparatively tiny river and the occasional train coming by. The location here offers minimal river access. The main visitor center is at the top of a hill and there was some sort of tram there which was apparently meant to get visitors down to the river for a boat ride, but it was not in or close to being in an operational state. Their website stated that a van would bring one down the windy road to a boat which is still operating on weekends. Some small (but taxing) trails through the trees lead to overlooks, with one near the visitor center and another just downriver with a view of a large dam. The views are impressive, and the site may be less crowded than the national park. My GPS thought taking mountainous side roads from the national park to the state park was a good idea, but the roads were a little dicey. Conversely, if one is driving on Midland Trail (an immensely scenic route by the river that goes to Charleston), this park is a quick detour. There were a variety of picnic and resort facilities as well. For hiking, it didn't seem to offer much compared to the national park, but it certainly is a worthwhile park in its own right.

    Gift shop
    Amanda M.

    Awesome park about an hour from Charleston. The park is sort of divided in 2 sections. One section is the lodge, restaurant, gift shop and playground. You can hike from here down to the river. The lodge is very nice and quiet. Pool looked really nice. Newer playground for kids and plenty of parking. The lodge has a restaurant with a beautiful view. You also buy the tickets to ride the jet boat here. The other section of the park has a few hiking trails, picnic area, gift shop and short walk to an overlook of the gorge area. We went on a holiday weekend and there was very few people. It was an enjoyable place with nice hiking paths.

    Welcome sign on the north side of US-60.
    Gilbert G.

    During a scenic loop drive from Fayetteville to Gauley Bridge to Ansted, my two sons (15 yrs, 13 yrs) and I stopped by the overlook at Hawks Nest State Park in June 2021. Based on the amazing view here (which is easy to access), I would strongly recommend parking the car and taking a short walk for an outstanding view of the river below. We saw a freight train of about 80 coal cars passing along the tracks on the opposite side of the river. It was impressive to see such a long train from a bird's eye perspective. The overlook is on US Route 60 about a mile or so west from the main facility of the park (which has the tram and access to the river jet boats). It was early evening (6:30pm), so the main park was closed. But the overlook is open for pictures. Although this location is too far north (and on a curve in the river) to see the US-19 New River Gorge bridge in the distance, it has an impressive view of the New river as it bends to the west before joining the Gauley River to become the Kanawha River. We did not have time to try any of the hikes in this park. But I would say if you are pressed for time on your vacation, it's well worth the 5-10 minutes to park the car, walk briefly to the viewpoint, and admire the scenery below!

    Jacqueline T.

    We came to Fayetteville for a family get together. We made a quick stop here after a day of hiking in the area. We were already pretty tired and hungry by the time we made it here, so we just took a quick stroll and enjoyed the views. There's a very short loop and in the middle of it, there's some pretty good views of the dam, the mountains, and the railroad tracks. I'm not sure what else this park has to offer, but I think it's at least worth stopping by to enjoy the view.

    Johnny H.

    Lovely area to visit, though I chose a poor time to do so. Upon arrival at the tram visitor center there was a sign stating that the river had been lowered by 25' due to maintenance on the hydroelectric dam up river. Viewing the river front you could tell it was just a big mud bog. Since I hiked below last time I decided I would just plan on coming back next year. Also the Lodge is closed from Nov 2020-June 2021 for a face lift. Lots of great activities in the area, I do recommend you visit the Lodge area in nice weather...or at least stop at the overlook.

    Ryan M.

    Enjoyed the views. The trails are fun. Saw only one hawk, but could be because of the weather. The tram is worth it. Takes you to a nice area and a trail that some may not get to see. There's a gift shop and tiny museum room. Liked the dock walk and the train tracks, though may be closed at any given point. It's worth it. The lodge is amazing. Didn't stay there, but it seems so cozy.

    Kristina I.

    Pretty state park with a nice overlook. Didn't stay long due to rainy weather on the day of our visit.

    Turret Structure across the parking lot next to gift shop
    Bill W.

    Beautiful Stop in Autumn This was my second or third stop here over the past three or four years and it's beautiful. I've tried to come up during fall color to the area to take photographs and this is one of those stops that does not disappoint. From the information signs, it's got a long history going back to when this was still part of Virginia. While part of a greater project to create hydroelectric power, I would guess that this part was probably originally a Civilian Conservation Corp Project much like the Skyline Drive / Blue Ridge Parkway. My father was part of the CCC for a couple of years and it gave employment and skills to a number of folks in Appalachia and left us with some beautiful structures and attractions to this day. You pull into the lot and park. Not normally crowded since the roads are not the ones that commercial traffic use these days and are mostly confined to local traffic and those individuals who want to enjoy natural beauty. First thing that hits you is the Old English structures across the road from the parking lot and this is part of the Park HQ along with a nice gift shop and snack bar. In the parking lot is a information sign tracing history back to John Marshall and the year 1812 when this was part of Virginia. From here you have a choice of two trails but it actually a loop and hence really on one. It's an easy trail and even people like me who had a back problem at the time, had no problem navigating the trial. Both lead to the Hawk Nest which is a large natural monolith towering over the New River Gorge . At the nest, you have to walk down to the observatory on top of the monolith which presents a panoramic view. To your left which is upriver is the New River confined in a lake to produce electricity. To the left is a view of the dam. Both are beautiful all of the year but particularly so at the height of the autumn color. What I liked was the stone work leading down from the path to the observatory. Great attention to detail, a lot of intricate detailed stone work and some whimsical touches such as the drinking fountain. Not functional now probably because of current health standards but still a nice touch particularly with the stepping stone for little ones. From here, I walked back to the parking lot by going up the some steps and turning left. Along the gentle walk was another information plaque commemorating those who died in a tunnel disaster in the 1930's when they were trying to cut a tunnel through Gauley Mountain to covey water from the dam to the hydro station. Sad loss of live. Not something that jumps out at you but go ahead and take the time to explore. You'll be surprised.

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    2 years ago

    Excellent views, and the trails are nice for getting around. Excellent views, and the trails are nice for getting around.

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    4 years ago

    Beautiful hikes. Beautiful views. Main overlook is accessible by anyone with the paved walkway

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    Awesome place to sleep over n the view of the mountains is beautiful a must see.

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    Review Highlights - Hawks Nest State Park

    Riding the tram is a lot of fun :) The lodge is nice and the food they serve is good.

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    Little Beaver State Park

    Little Beaver State Park

    4.5(13 reviews)
    25.2 mi

    Absolute worst camping experience of my entire life. The people running this place had the nerve to…read morecall me literally the morning of my reservation and tell me my reservation was not being honored, the last thing I want to hear when out of state and hundreds of miles away from home while on a trip I spent countless hours preparing for. Total bullshit. Ruined my whole day and tainted my visit to West Virginia and New River Gorge. Don't bother camping here unless you want to be moved to a shitty site with more noise and less privacy that you didn't pay for and don't want. I spent a considerable amount of time researching third-party websites for views and reviews of specific sites before booking. They granted me the indignity of having to camp literally right next to the one I paid for and reserved in advance while someone else camped in the site I booked and was looking forward to. They claim they overbooked, but it was a different site than mine and on a previous day - making it entirely irrelevant to my reserved site the day of - they just couldn't be bothered to ask the person in my reserved site to move now that others were opened. Instead of asking the double-booked person to move to the one I was given, they made it my problem. Extremely unprofessional and just plain wrong. It's ridiculous that they even have a system which supposedly allows for double-booking in the first place. I never would have booked the site they replaced mine with. I checked out the site but never checked in (the RV people were right on the other side of the trees behind my site, something I had intentionally tried to avoid), ended up camping for free at Grandview Sandbar Campground instead. If I wanted that site I would have reserved it, but I didn't and would not have. Completely defeats the purpose of making a reservation if they aren't going to honor it. Little Beaver State Park Campground is run by incompetent and inconsiderate people. Flawed booking system and inept individuals ruining a public institution. Total joke, shame on them. "We hope you don't mind". Damn right I mind, you took my money for a reservation you didn't keep! I hated my non-stay with a passion and will never be back.

    Love this place. My getaway favorite walking path around the soothing moving lake. There's fishing…read moreand a few really nice picnic areas. Very clean and calm and a place to even relax with a good book (bring a chair) and enjoy the full bright sunshine and outstanding natural scenery.

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    Little Beaver State Park
    Little Beaver State Park
    Little Beaver State Park - Restroom / shower entrance on top of hill

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    Restroom / shower entrance on top of hill

    Babcock State Park - Cardinal flower

    Babcock State Park

    4.6(38 reviews)
    13.5 mi

    We were in West Virginia for my husband's work and made it a little leaf peeping Excursion. Babcock…read moreis on the top of the list of places I like to go the mill and the lake plus the colors around the area are just gorgeous lots of Reds oranges and yellows. No fee to enter they have restrooms that are easy to access and flushy bathrooms. There is a Almost Heaven swing by the mill. But what the pictures don't show is the sound of the Rushing Water it's just all so beautiful. Recommend bringing snacks in a beverage have a little picnic. Fall is the prettiest time but I'm sure it's beautiful anytime of year I'm sure with some snow would be gorgeous but I'd be a little scared to tackle all the West Virginia curvy roads with some ice and snow. This year we had such a dry drought year that no one thought the fall was going to be worth seeing so we didn't make any Leaf peeping vacations. If he hadn't had this work trip we would have missed out on on this for the year. Considering the dryness the colors were doing pretty good around here we had went to other areas where the leaves were already down around black around Blackwater and Seneca Rock. But the bugs were quite annoying mainly lots of gnats that if you stopped moving they were really annoying. We've been here a few other times in other years and this is the only time that was an issue. At the lake they have porta potties and the moved them to block the lake view Which is unfortunate. Please move them. !!

    Did a quick stopover on the way to Hawk's Nest SP, and wow, this place is beautiful! One of the…read moremost frequently visited state parks in WV and it's easy to see why! The grist mill is absolutely iconic, sitting atop a picturesque waterfall. The park has a mountain lake for water activities, plenty of trails, and even cabins for longer stays! There's an Almost Heaven swing right by the mill and visitor's center, and the CCC stonework is stunning. The New River Gorge bridge is about 20-30 minutes away depending on how well you drive on mountain roads, and there's plenty to do in the area for a fun weekend or even longer! I will definitely be back myself!

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    Babcock State Park
    Babcock State Park
    Babcock State Park

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    Hawks Nest State Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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