New River Gorge National Park & Preserve · WV
Castle Rock Trail
Short but strenuous loop beneath towering, fortress-like sandstone cliffs at Grandview, passing exposed coal seams and narrow, rocky ledges. Connects the Main Overlook area with the Grandview Rim Trail.
Live · updated
Today
Skip the trail running plan today.
Today's best: trail running
Conditions
Score by activity
Hiking
Skip the hiking plan today.
Trail running
Skip the trail running plan today.
Dog walking
Thunderstorms in today's forecast — dogs panic and trails become dangerous.
Score breakdown
- − 79°F air — Above trail running's comfort zone (28–78°F)
- − Thunderstorms — Get off exposed ridges before they arrive
- ✓ Trail: prime — No meaningful rain in the last 48 hours. Trail surface is dry and tacky — prime traction.
Trail facts
- Distance
- 0.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 162 ft
- Surface
- dirt
- Difficulty
- hard
Trailhead
Coordinates
37.8339, -81.0644 — WV.
Park
Part of New River Gorge National Park & Preserve (official site →).
Park advisories
The Church Loop Trail in the Thurmond area of the park is temporarily closed due to downed trees.
From June 15 through November 19 the upper part of the Kaymoor Miners Trail (from Kaymoor Top down to the mine site at the junction with the Kaymoor Trail) will be closed Monday through Thursday due to a trail rehab project. The trail is expected to be fully open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Peak nymphal tick activity — check yourself within 2 hours of leaving the trail.
Nearby Trails
Frequently Asked
How long is Castle Rock Trail?
Castle Rock Trail is a 0.6-mile route with 162 feet of elevation gain — hard — significant elevation gain, technical terrain, or both; come prepared. The trail facts panel on this page lists distance, surface, and access tags as they appear in OpenStreetMap.
What's the trail surface like at Castle Rock Trail?
Castle Rock Trail is natural dirt singletrack — soft underfoot, holds water, slow to dry after rain. Today's mud rating, derived from recent precipitation and the surface type, is shown in the conditions panel above.
Who manages Castle Rock Trail, and where do closure alerts come from?
Castle Rock Trail is in New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, which is managed by the National Park Service. Closure and advisory data on this page comes from the live NPS alerts API for this park unit. Always confirm against the park's own page before driving — emergency closures can post faster than scrapers refresh.