New River Gorge - Odds and Ends

There are a few things I want to remember from our vacation that didn't fit in one of the hiking posts, so here they are.

Picnics: We tried going to a different picnic area each day, but doubled up on a couple just because of where we were. The picnic areas at this park aren't quite as numerous or well developed as in other parks. Two days we ate at the Fayetteville Town Park, which isn't even located in the national park. We used picnic tables at the Canyon Rim Visitors Center a couple of times, and at the Sandstone visitors center another day. We found a table at the Dun Glen Day Use Area one day and at the Burnwood Day Use Area another. And the final day we were told about a spot near the Cunard River Access.

Combining Chinese packets - duck sauce and soy sauce - with McDonald's packets - ketchup and mustard - makes a decent barbecue sauce for pulled brisket wraps.

The Face Loop Trail: The first section in the hiking book we bought covered trails in the Fayetteville area, 14 of them. #3 was called the Face Loop Trail with a distance of 1/4 mile. It wasn't in any of the park literature, so I had to do some research. Technically, I guess it's outside park boundaries, and it was definitely not well marked. However, we followed the instructions in the guidebook and successfully discovered the stone face, and also a beautiful waterfall. And we were able to mark all 14 trails as completed!

Flora: We discovered some cool mushrooms and beautiful flowers on the Long Point Trail.

Campground Options: Erect your tent on your car!