New River Gorge Bridge – Where Is It And How Do You Get There?
The New River Gorge Bridge is located at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The park is located in southern West Virginia. Construction on the bridge was started in 1974 and was completed in 1977. The bridge is located near Fayetteville, West Virginia. There are a few hotels nearby as well as some shopping areas. The bridge is located along US-19 and it open all to cars around the clock. If you want to get photos of the bridge, the Fayette Station Road is a steep narrow windy road that goes down under the bridge and gets you down to the river level where you can take in views like this.
What Makes The New River Gorge Bridge A Great Photo Spot In West Virginia?
The New River Gorge Bridge is an an engineering marvel and when built it was the longest steel span bridge in the western hemisphere. It was the third highest bridge in the United States. What used to be a 40 minute drive down the Fayette Station Road and across a very small bridge near river level was transformed to a short, quick drive that only took a minute or two.
The area under the New Rive Gorge Bridge is heavily wooded, mostly undisturbed and of course the New River flows under the bridge. All of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is stunning and the autumn sights and fall foliage that often peak around the third week of October are spectacular! If you get the chance to visit this somewhat out of the way National Park by all means jump on it and be sure to check out the area around and below the bridge!
When Should You Go To The New River Gorge Bridge For Photos?
Anytime you can get there is the short answer. Sometime around the third week of October is often the peak time for fall foliage. If that isn’t an option, the lush green forest during the summer makes for incredible views, nice weather and some great shots as well. It’s been a while since I’ve been to New River Gorge (before it was designated a national park) but it was never very crowded when I went. Now that it has been upgraded to National Park status, summer and peak fall foliage times may be increasingly crowded.
What Photo Gear Is Best For Photographing The New River Gorge Bridge?
The New River Gorge Bridge is a giant landscape that fits well within a photo with a 4×6 aspect ratio. In light of that, most any camera will do. Anything from an iPhone to a DSLR and the latest mirrorless camera will do the job. A standard 24-105mm zoom lens will give you plenty of flexibility when you shoot. Other areas around New River Gorge may be well suited for panoramic shots. If you plan to spend multiple days at New River Gorge then you way wan to get a camera that will shoot panoramic shots or get the gear to shoot stitched panoramic images and the software to stitch them all together.
What Is The Story Behind This Panoramic Wall Art Photo Print Of Autumn At The New River Gorge Bridge?
On an east coast road road trip many years ago, I wandered through New River Gorge while exploring much of the east coast including both national park units and state parks as well. That was during the summer. Once that trip was finished, I looked up photos of New River Gorge in the fall and decided that I had to go back down to see and experience it that time of year. I spent some nights sleeping in the car in the Wal-Mart parking lot, some other random places and a night or two in the Choice Hotels around there. Beckley used to have a few Choice Hotels but I think the pandemic closed some of the cheaper ones that I’d typically stay in. Wyndham Hotels has a fair number of hotels in the New River Gorge area as well! This was shot with a Canon 5D MK II and 24-105 lens. I don’t think this was quite peak fall foliage but it was pretty close!
In What Formats Is This New River Gorge Fall Foliage Shot Available?
This wall art photo print is available on anything from metal to canvas, acrylic, wood and a variety of papers. It is a very popular image and often sells on matte canvas. That is an excellent choice as it an of the matte papers with or without a frame. If you want a big framed print you are probably better off to order just the print, save a substantial amount on shipping and use that savings to get the print framed locally.
It looks great on canvas tote bags that can be used for groceries. It can make a cool shower curtain, a phone case and works well on jigsaw puzzles and other home decor type products.
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