New River Gorge National Park and Preserve Alerts and Current Conditions

Cover of Brian Russ's guide to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

Last checked: October 25, 2026. This page tracks what's closed, what's changed, and what's coming up at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, West Virginia, from the park's alerts, news releases, and hours pages. I check it daily and rewrite it when the park posts something new. Trail work, prescribed burns, and fall weather on the river can change your day, so check the park's own alerts the morning you go.

Current alerts

  • Kaymoor Miners Trail: upper section closed Monday through Thursday until November 19. From Kaymoor Top down to the mine site at the Kaymoor Trail junction, the trail is closed weekdays Monday through Thursday for a rehabilitation project. It's expected to be fully open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. (NPS)
  • Rend Trail is closed through December 2027. The project adds a new parking area, restroom, and small picnic area at the Minden trailhead, repairs five historic railroad trestles, and rebuilds the trail surface. An accessible ramp over the "big rock" will replace a stairway, making it the park's only fully accessible earthen-surface trail. (NPS)
  • Burnwood group campground and trailhead restrooms closed until mid-November. Water-line replacement closed the Burnwood group campground starting October 5. The restrooms at the Burnwood Trailhead are closed for the same period. (NPS)
  • Prescribed burns this fall. The park announced on October 1 that it plans prescribed burns in two designated areas this fall to support ecosystem health and reduce wildfire risk. Smoke is possible. (NPS)

Open and closed right now

  • The park is open 24 hours a day, all year. It doesn't list an entrance fee. (NPS)
  • Canyon Rim Visitor Center: open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Sandstone Visitor Center: open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., on a schedule the park lists under a highway ramp closure through October 31. The parking lot closes at 5 p.m.
  • Grandview Visitor Center: open today, Sunday, October 25, noon to 5 p.m., its last day of the season.
  • Thurmond Depot Visitor Center: open today, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on its fall weekend schedule. The park says it's closed November through May.
  • Camping: the park's primitive campgrounds, including Army Camp, Brooklyn, Glade Creek, Grandview Sandbar, Stone Cliff, Thayer, War Ridge/Backus Mountain, and Meadow Creek, are listed as open year-round, first come, first served. Burnwood's group site is closed (see above).

Coming up in the next few weeks

  • Monday, October 26: Grandview Visitor Center closes for the winter.
  • Saturday, October 31: Thurmond Depot's winter closure begins, and Sandstone's ramp-closure schedule is listed to end; its regular hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Mid-November: the Burnwood group campground and trailhead restrooms are expected to reopen.
  • Thursday, November 19: the last scheduled day of the Kaymoor Miners Trail weekday closures.
  • Thursday, November 26: Canyon Rim and Sandstone visitor centers are closed for Thanksgiving, and again on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
  • Later reopenings: Grandview Visitor Center is listed as closed until May 27, 2027, and Thurmond Depot until May 26, 2027.

What this means for your trip

The Kaymoor Miners Trail closure only bites Monday through Thursday. It's the steep stair route down to the old Kaymoor mine site, so if it's on your list, plan it for a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

The Rend Trail is out for a long time, so anyone who wanted the easy, flat rail-trail walk near Thurmond needs a substitute. After today, Thurmond's depot visitor center closes too. The Grandview area loses its visitor center tomorrow, but the overlooks and trails there aren't on any closure list.

Late fall in the gorge means shorter days and cooler weather, so check the forecast before you hit a trail or head down to the river, as the park advises. Canyon Rim, by the New River Gorge Bridge, and Sandstone are the two visitor centers that stay open all winter, apart from the three holidays.

Before you go

  • Check the park's alerts and conditions, including road and trail closures and the local forecast, the morning of your visit.
  • Group camping at Burnwood or Meadow Creek is reserved by phone at (304) 465-6517.
  • Visitor center hours are on the hours page.

If a closure knocks out part of your plan, my guide to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve has nine one- to three-day itineraries at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for weather or closures. You can also check alerts and conditions for every national park.

This page is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Always check the park's current alerts before you go.