Chase the Sunrise in West Virginia's New River Gorge
Spy animals and one beautiful dawn by carefully timing your hike along the Grandview Rim Trail.
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This dawn view from Main Overlook in New River Gorge is well worth an early wake-up. This prime suncatching spot ,the start of the Grandview Rim Trail, connects with the North Overlook and Turkey Spur overlook further along the 3.2-mile out-and-back trail. New River, cutting through the valley far below, is actually one of the oldest rivers on the continent. With 500 million years to do its work the river has carved the Appalachian Mountains’ longest and deepest river gorge. There’s more to this view than scenery, though; the canyon is a migration corridor for several bird species, including the endangered cerulean warbler and re-introduced peregrine falcons (still extremely rare in the eastern US). Arrive at the Main Overlook trailhead just before sunrise to look for deer, fox, bears, and the last of the night’s returning bats as light slips slowly into the canyon.