One of West Virginia's most spectacular river canyons, the New River Gorge lies just thirty miles west of Lewisburg along I-64. Stretching for over fifty miles, and now protected as a national park, the thousand-foot cleft was carved through the limestone mountains by the New River - despite its name, one of the oldest rivers in North America. Apart from one daily train, there's no easy access to most of the gorge - to see it, you have to get out on the water, with the help of any of over fifty professional rafting companies; visitor centers located near the most impressive spots give details of recreation opportunities. Just off US-19 northeast of Fayetteville , the Canyon Rim visitor center sits alongside the New River Gorge Bridge (daily: June-Aug 9am-8pm; Sept-Oct 9am-6pm; Nov-May 9am-5pm; tel 304/574-2115), the largest single-span steel arch in the country, which rises nine hundred feet above the river; the smaller Grandview visitor center is located at an elbow bend in the river, five miles north of I-64 near Beckley (same hours; tel 304/763-3715). Those traveling between Beckley and Charleston can find very cheap accommodation at the cozy Avision Inn (tel 304/442-8446, 1-800/CALL-WVA) on Hwy-61 in Handley, where singles only cost $25 and the whole three-bedroomed self-catering cottage costs $65.

Fortunately for car-less travelers, Amtrak trains from Washington DC pass right through the gorge on one of the most stunning railway journeys in the East. Though the ride itself is memorable enough, for a close-up look you can get off at the southern end of the gorge at the c.1900 railroad town of HINTON . The train's only stop, it's a fascinating, if somewhat dilapidated remnant of the glory days of the railroads. An almost perfectly preserved purpose-built company town - the National Park Service intends someday to restore it as a living museum - it is beautifully sited, with brick-lined streets angling up from the water, lined by dozens of grand civic buildings as well as row after row of slowly decaying workers' houses. A walking tour map of Hinton is available from the Chamber of Commerce, 206 Temple St (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; tel 304/466-5420).

Although the town has definitely seen better days, Hinton still makes a workable base for visitors to the gorge: there is another visitor center (same hours as the Canyon Rim visitor center; tel 304/466-0617), as well as a pair of decent budget motels , the Coast-to-Coast (tel 304/466-2040; $35-50) and the Sandman (tel 304/466-1700; $35-50), and a couple of riverfront taverns. Local river-rafting outfits include New River Tours (tel 304/466-2288 or 1-800/292-0880) and Cantrell Canoes (tel 304/466-0595 or 1-800/470-RAFT), both charging from $69 per person (with occasional specials) for trips through the gorge. All of these facilities are to be found on Hwy-20 just south of town.

New River Gorge

• New River Gorge

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