Grandview Sandbar Trail

The Grandview Sandbar Trail descends from the canyon rim to the New River's edge, delivering hikers to a broad crescent of sandy beach that is one of the most popular swimming holes in southern West Virginia. The river here runs wide and relatively calm, sheltered from the powerful current by the sandbar's natural arc, making it suitable for wading families in summer. The New River at this point is considered one of the oldest rivers in North America, flowing for more than 300 million years over rocks that date to the Devonian period. The trail itself winds through river birch and sycamore, crossing a side channel on a wooden footbridge before opening onto the sand. Herons stand motionless in the shallows, and belted kingfishers work the opposite bank. In autumn, the surrounding mixed hardwood forest — tulip poplar, red maple, and scarlet oak — ignites in color that is visible from the sandbar looking upward at the 1,000-foot gorge walls. The trail is accessible year-round and remains a short, rewarding walk even in winter when the leafless trees reveal gorge geology that summer foliage conceals.