New River Gorge National Park

Dave really wanted to go white water rafting as part of his 6th grade summer vacation, so we landed on the New River Gorge National Park area, specifically Fayetteville, West Virginia.  I had no idea just how beautiful and scenic this area is! Highly recommend checking it out if you're looking for an adventurous getaway. 

Our first stop was driving up miles and miles of winding roads to get to Hawks Nest State Park. We had a little time before our Airbnb opened up, so we walked around this area for a bit. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Checked into our house for the next several days. Of course the kids were interested in the hot tub right away.

The rest of our party arrived shortly after us-my mom, uncle, aunt and Grandpa Dave! 

Bright and early the next morning we were up to go white water rafting. It was kind of a dreary morning, but it worked out great for us. The guy getting us ready convinced us to go in "duckies" instead of the big raft. I was extremely not on board with this plan, but we ended up loving it. It was Dave and I in one and Ike and Josh in the other.

We stopped for lunch, then got back on the river (we went on the Upper New River portion). At one point we were catching up with another group so the kids got to jump in and swim a little. The water was so warm!

Since it was the 4th of July weekend, there was lots of stuff going on at Fayetteville. Grandpa loves live music so we went to the town park (it was walkable from our house) several times while we were visiting. 

We woke up to a beautiful morning, so we drove over the famous bridge to the visitor center and some great views!

Aunt Kathy really wanted to see Diamond Point, so we took part of the Endless Wall Trail up to it. It was a bit more strenuous then we thought but we made it!

 

Kids jumping around in the creek. 

After the hike we took the winding road down to the original bridge and got to see the new bridge from down below. 

I guess we just weren't tired enough because the four of us went on yet another hiking adventure that afternoon! This one was a bit of a bust. I think it will be cool once it's all up and running, but I had read online that Needleseye recreation area was great for kids. There was very little trail marking so we got off the path quite a bit, and it was extremely muddy while we were there!

Mom and Aunt Kathy prepared a water war for when we got back that the kids absolutely loved. Video of the kids playing on the raft and the water fight. 

Then it was time for fireworks, which we watched from the backyard. 

Our last full day was spent driving to the Grandview section of the national park. It was so beautiful there, and no one in sight!

On our way back we stopped in the town of Thurmond, which was abandoned (5 people live there now) after the coal/train business left the area. 

Quick stop at Dunlop Creek Falls. There were waterfalls all over the place. 

That evening, Grandpa, Uncle Denny and Aunt Kathy all took off. We stayed one more night before heading to Washington D.C. the next day!