The New River originates in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina near the city of Boone. On its journey north to West Virginia, it passes through New River Trail State Park in Virginia. We stopped in to visit this part of the New River while camping at Stony Fork Campground in Wytheville, Virginia.
New River Trail State Park, VA
After arriving at Stony Fork Campground, we set up camp and then traveled about 30 minutes to the New River Trail State Park. It was a beautiful day to visit the Foster Falls area of the park for a hike along the river. As we drove into the park to find parking, we noticed the historic Inn at Foster Falls.
It was built in 1887 and has 10 individual, unique rooms. The wrap-around porch looked very inviting. It would be fun to stay here and enjoy the views.
We parked across the street from the Inn and spotted the N & W railroad car. It was a caboose – the last car on the train where some of the crew would be stationed to assess any problems from the rear vantage point. With changes in technology, cabooses were discontinued in the 1980s. If you were part of the caboose crew, you could live in this car for long stints of service. It had living quarters and office space – kind of like an RV!
Next, we headed towards the river through all the historic buildings on the property. The buildings are the remnants of the village community that existed in the late 19th century.
As we approached the river, something interesting caught our attention – a puddling of tiger swallowtails near the river’s edge. They were getting the salt and minerals from the sand and dirt. We paused and watched for a minute – they were very focused and didn’t seem to notice us.
We continued our hike along the riverbank. We did some birdwatching along the way. We enjoyed the shade of some interesting multitrunked trees.
Soon, we closed in on Foster Falls. It was beautiful. There are so many ledges that span the entire width of the river. We stayed a while to enjoy the sounds of the rushing water.
Just past the falls, we explored the campground. The walk-in sites on the river were perfectly situated with views of the falls and the ledges.
We decided to put this spot on our return-to list. Very peaceful. We hiked back to the parking area and stopped at the well-appointed gift shop on our way out. Such a great day at New River Trail State Park.
Stony Fork Campground, Wytheville, VA
We devoted the next day of our trip to the campground trails at Stony Fork, where we were staying. The nature trail connects to the campground loop. The trail is an easy 1-mile loop. Along the loop, we found the site of the Hedrick Homeplace. The house was built in the 19th century. It burned down in 1900. Only parts of the stone foundation remain today. Several descendants still live in the Wytheville area.
The forest was thick with trees and singing birds. Soon we approached a trail sign to the connecting Seven Sisters Trail.
We thought about continuing, but we had not prepared for a 5-mile out-and-back. I hated to miss the views from Seven Sisters…another reason to return.
Big Walker Lookout
On the last day, we went to the Big Walker Lookout. It was a short 10-minute drive from the campground. Gazing at the Blue Ridge Mountains was a great way to end the trip to Wytheville.
Stony Fork Campsite 46
Final Notes: During our stay in Wytheville, we enjoyed campsite #46 at Stony Fork. It was spacious and private, with ample room to spread out for a cookout. We’d stay here again!
For more trip inspiration on the New River, see our post about the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve:
