ADVENTURES ON THE GORGE

Thanks to ADVENTURES ON THE GORGE for hosting my son and I at their resort during our Father's Day weekend road trip to the country's newest national park located in West Virginia. Situated nearby New River Gorge National Park, this adventure sports resort busses people into the park grounds for rock climbing and whitewater rafting, plus has lots of fun activities to enjoy on its own property as well including an aerial obstacle course, paintball battles, disc golf, hiking, swimming, and ziplining. What originally started out as a whitewater rafting outfitter and guide service now caters to a variety of outdoor adventure sports. 

Adventures on the Gorge 350-acre resort borders over 70,000 acres of national park land and 70 miles of some of the best whitewater rafting rivers in the world. This area of southern West Virginia is a wilderness playground with activities ranging from adrenaline pumping excitement to leisurely relaxation. Rappel down a cliff, mountain bike through a forest trail or just simply lounge by the resort's luxurious pool. There is something for all ages, abilities and personalities to enjoy during a visit to New River Gorge.

ACCOMODATIONS THAT SUIT EVERYONE

In addition to facilitating fun outdoor activities, Adventures on the Gorge also provides a variety of accommodation options for staying on site. Want to go on a camping trip? The resort has campgrounds for both tents and RVs. Every site has a firepit and is within walking distance of a clean, modern bathhouse. After a day full of adventure enjoy a rustic evening under the stars making s'mores by a campfire. 

If camping isn't for you, Adventures on the Gorge also has more civilized accommodations available. Overnight lodging also includes deluxe cabins and vacation homes that provide city luxuries in this rural area. Whether you want to pitch a tent, park an RV or sleep in resort-style accommodations, Adventures on the Gorge can meet your needs.

CABINS IN THE WOODS

We were treated to a stay in a Sportsman Cabin at Adventure on the Gorge. It was a two-story cabin with comfy-mattress beds that could sleep six or more people upstairs and a downstairs with a full bathroom, kitchenette and living area. A great spot to relax when not out and about having a good time in the New River Gorge.

After having a wild time spending your days mountain biking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting and numerous other outdoor adventures, it is nice to spend an evening with some of the comforts of home. My son chilled out at night in our air-conditioned Sportsman Cabin watching his favorite show Impractical Jokers on cable tv. I appreciated being able to take very long hot showers in the cabin's bathroom. It was nice to have cold drinks and be able to snack on leftover pizza we brought back to the cabin thanks to the cabin's full-size fridge and microwave. As you can tell, we really "roughed it" during our Adventures on the Gorge road trip. 

ADVENTURE SPORTS GETAWAY

If you want to engage in thrilling, energetic outdoor activities, Adventures on the Gorge should be on your list of places to go. This southern West Virginia adventure sports resorts has lots of fun activities to do on-site including an aerial TimberTrek obstacle challenge, TreeTops ziplining course, paintball battlefield and more. Join in a rock climbing or whitewater rafting excursion led by high caliber guides within the New River Gorge National Park that surrounds the resort. If you are really adventurous, have Adventures on the Gorge arrange a catwalk more than 800 feet up in the air for you to trek across the length of the New River Gorge Bridge. 

AERIAL ADVENTURES

The TimberTrek obstacle challenge spans over 4 acres of the Adventures on the Gorge resort property. There are different routes to choose from that range in difficulty from kid-friendly to so difficult as to challenge experienced rock climbers. Navigate a series of climbing nets, swinging bridges, suspended tunnels, and other challenging obstacles spanning across a forest ceiling. These physical challenges will be an arboreal adventure that will provide great memories to take home with you. 

Adventures on the Gorge TreeTops ziplining course has you flying through a West Virginia forest of birch, hemlock, maple and oak trees. You will soar across 10 different ziplines and traverse five swinging bridges as you explore woods' canopy before concluding your journey through the forest with a 35-foot rappel. Not only is this ziplining experience entertaining, but it is also educational as guides provide all sorts of interesting details about the natural habitat around you.

BRIDGE WALK

Include a hike across a modern engineering marvel in your aerial adventures with the New River Gorge Bridge Walk. Underneath the bridge's four lane freeway among its girders and beams is another route across the New River Gorge: a two-foot-wide, grated-steel catwalk that runs the entire length of the bridge. And you can walk it!  

For one of the most spectacular views you'll ever have, take a trek 876 feet up in the air across the almost mile long length of the New River Gorge Bridge. Feel the rumble of big rigs and passenger cars rolling across the road above you while cool winds whistle through this underside passageway. Hawks playfully circled around us as we invaded the serenity of their territory. Midway across we took a break to perch for a moment dangling our legs off the edge of the catwalk to kick them around in the air imagining the freedom of the birds gliding through the skies around us.

Want to brag about your trip when returning home? Tell everyone how you braved a catwalk crossing of the longest single arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere and second highest vehicle carrying bridge in the United States. Conquer this landmark that has been featured on a U.S. Postage Stamp and the federal mint printed on a quarter to highlight West Virginia. That is sure to give you some travel bragging rights! 

ROCK CLIMBING

The sandstone geography of the New River Gorge creates lots of cliffs and rock formations covered with cracks and crevices. This is an ideal surface for climbing and the area is a popular destination for this adventure sport. My adventure spirited son really enjoys going to the rock climbing gym near our house; but has never actually climbed the real deal. He was so excited that we were going to have some rock climbing adventures on our Appalachian Mountain getaway. 

The boy was all smiles climbing up the rock formations in the national park that our Adventures on the Gorge climbing guides led us through. He was very proud that he reached the top of the formations being scaled by our group. When it came to rappelling down a multi-story cliff, he was the first in line to go down jumping in front of some experienced mountain climbers with us enthusiastic about being the first to get the chance. I was proud as a dad of how he embraced this rock climbing opportunity, had enthusiasm for the experience and showed some adventurist spirit.

To be honest, I have a fear of heights. My stomach gets queasy and my head starts feeling vertigo just getting close to steep surfaces and drop-offs. So, I had planned on sitting out this activity and focusing more on my son enjoying himself. This trip was all about going on an adventure though and with that in mind I joined in on grappling up the rock formations. I'm glad I did!

I was really impressed by the quality of the guides employed by Adventures on the Gorge. For our rock climbing guide Saul, this just wasn't a job but a way of life. He has a true passion for rock climbing which made him fun to hang with and also provided peace of mind that he was looking out for you when it came to safety. The guides at Adventures on the Gorge aren't just kids needing a summer job but are proficient and professional in what they do which provided me a lot of confidence in them. 

Saul made sure we were having an exciting time climbing but weren't taking any dangerous risks. He double checked all the safety precautions and gear while making sure everyone stayed in line with being careful. Yet he was very personable and friendly. I appreciated he prodded me to get more involved in the action yet was very respectful of my hesitancy when it comes to being around heights. If you want a good guy and great guide to go climbing with at New River Gorge, better call Saul!

WHITEWATER RAFTING

I've always wanted to go whitewater rafting and never been. This was my motivation for wanting to come on this New River Gorge road trip. It was a bucket list experience for me. While my son's favorite experience was the rock climbing, whitewater rafting was the highlight of the trip for me.

Just as the sandstone terrain of the area make great climbing surfaces, the erosion of these rocks also creates rapids within the local rivers that provide some of the best whitewater rafting in the country. The Upper New River provides an easy going float down the river that is good for children and adults not looking for an adventure. The Lower New River and Lower Gauley have some challenging moderate level rapids suitable for teens and adults who may be looking for excitement but don't have any particular expertise or skills when it comes to whitewater rafting. While the Upper Gauley has rapids that have a lot of risk to them and are recommended for thrill seekers with whitewater rafting experience and a high tolerance for danger. There really is something for everyone when it comes to rafting these major rivers in southern West Virginia.

Our rafting trip was on the Lower New River which based upon the challenge of its rapids is recommended for adults and kids over 12 years old. This stretch of river is for first time and casual rafters who want to experience nature's roller coaster ride but don't have the skills to master really treacherous whitewater conditions. A thrilling experience without a high amount of risk made Lower New River a good fit for our adventures at the New River Gorge.

We had an outstanding guide leading our whitewater rafting expedition in Ray Ray who has been running the rapids on New River and Gauley for more than a decade. A combination of grizzly West Virginia outdoorsman and Walt Disney World Jungle Cruise captain, Ray Ray let us all know that there was an element of danger to whitewater rafting but if we worked together as a team and everyone followed safety precautions it was sure to be a terrific time with no tragic moments. He was true to his words as he barked out orders on how to steer the boat while drowning us with a multitude of dad jokes. 

Whitewater rafting on the New River was quite an adventure. Sliding by rock formations, bouncing through waves and getting soaking wet in the whitewater was exhilarating. Our experience demonstrated why the New River Gorge is a go to destination for whitewater rafting. How would I describe our rafting trip in one word ... AWESOME!

FAMILY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES

If extreme sports aren't your thing, there are lots of other activities that will make for a fun stay for all ages during a stay at Adventures on the Gorge. There is a luxurious pool with a great view of the New River Gorge Bridge. Hiking trails abound for those looking to take a stroll to enjoy the area's scenic views. A playground with a wilderness fort and pirate ship will entertain children for hours. You can even go horseback riding.

The resort has two eateries for meals to keep you fueled up for your adventures. Chetty's Pub has a focus on flavorful chicken wings in a variety of spices and sauces for lunch and dinner. Smokey's on the Gorge has a breakfast buffet and entrees for dinner that range from BBQ platters to filet mignon.  Also, Fayetteville is just a ten-minute drive away where you can go to restaurants or visit stores for provisions. The city even has a Gamestop where my son got a new Nintendo Switch video game to play on the car ride back home to Detroit.

Retired couples, college friends, families with young children, and wedding parties are examples of the variety of people that were staying at Adventures on the Gorge resort while we were there. Adventure sports getaways, bachelor parties, camping trips, family reunions, relaxing summer vacations there were all sorts of goings on at the resort. It was alive with activity providing an electric vibe to the place.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We had a great experience during our Appalachian Mountain father-son road trip to Adventures on the Gorge. The adventure sports we engaged in weren't just fun but provided some nice bonding moments between the two of us as we overcame challenges and enjoyed exciting activities together. Plus, we came home with the best souvenir possible when traveling ... memories that we will appreciate for a lifetime. Adventures on the Gorge absolutely earned a Geek Daddy nod of approval!