This hike is about 1.6 miles one-way and leads to an outstanding view of the New River Gorge bridge. It's pretty easy for the first mile, but gets to be a bit more challenging for the last 0.25 miles as you descend steeply. It's heavily wooded for most of the trail, but the very end of long point is exposed. If you're scared of heights, be sure to avoid the edges of the trail at the end!
A couple of "false paths" appeared near the end, so be sure to turn around if you see a collection of tree branches intended to guide you toward the right path. Since this is a popular hike, you may want to do this in the morning before 9:00am. In June 2021, I started the hike around 8:00am and saw only one car parked in the lot (and one person at the end of the trail). When I finished the hike around 10:00am, there were about 10 cars parked with license plates from Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, and Tennessee.
It's a dog-friendly trail and somewhat kid-friendly. However, for very young children, they may be bored to tears during the first mile (not much to see on the wooded trail). I would recommend this morning hike for first-time visitors to the area because of the outstanding view of the bridge! It's an out-and-back hike, so the total distance is a little more than 3 miles. read more