This was the first National Park my dog has been to! The best part about New River Gorge National Park is there is no entrance fee AND all of the trails are dog-friendly here! We first did the Sandstone Falls and Island Loop trail, which was a flat and easy one mile loop. There were plenty of places that Max could stop and swim in the river. I was warned by a little girl about a copperhead snake that was spotted at the entrance, so be careful if your dog, like mine, is curious about snakes. There is a boardwalk portion of the trail that was very crowded and touristy, but the trail through the woods was much quieter.
The second trail we did in this national park was Big Branch Trail, which led to a waterfall. This trail is a 1.8 mile loop. We started with the trail on the left, which takes you up the river to the falls. Then instead of doing the loop, we took the same path back down. Some sections were very muddy and pack bug spray because it was very buggy and I had to reapply. There were three very easy creek crossings. The parking lot is located across the street, where Max took a dip in the New River after this hike.
I wish we had more time at this national park because there are some really cool and interesting trails here. We’ll have to come back!
