Bluestone National Scenic River
The Bluestone River and the rugged and ancient gorge it has carved is a richly diverse and scenic area of the southern Appalachians. Bluestone National Scenic River is preserved as a living landscape that provides an unspoiled experience for visitors and a haven for a variety of plants and animals. The park protects a 10.5-mile section of the Bluestone River in southern West Virginia.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Bluestone National Scenic River | Daily · All Day |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Sandstone Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Sandstone Visitor Center is located in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve near Sandstone, WV, and is the primary National Park Service information site for Bluestone National Scenic River.
No campgrounds, no webcams, no things to do or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for the South
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthNorth American River Otter 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 108 birds, 43 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsCooper's hawk · barred owl · black vulture · broad-winged hawk · eastern screech-owl · great horned owl · osprey · red-shouldered hawk · red-tailed hawk · sharp-shinned hawk · turkey vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican black duck · American coot · Canada goose · bufflehead · common merganser · double-cested cormorant · great blue heron · green heron · green-winged teal · hooded merganser · lesser scaup · pied-billed grebe · pintail · ruddy duck · wood duck
Shorebirds & seabirdskilldeer · ring-billed gull
Gamebirds & dovesmourning dove · ruffed grouse · wild turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · northern flicker · pileated woodpecker · red-bellied woodpecker
Hummingbirds & swiftschimney swift · ruby-throated hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian flycatcher · American crow · American goldfinch · American redstart · American robin · Baltimore oriole · Bay-breasted Warbler · Black-throated Blue Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue-winged Warbler · Carolina chickadee · Carolina wren · Cerulean Warbler · Chestnut-sided Warbler · Hooded Warbler · Indigo bunting · Kentucky Warbler · Louisiana Waterthrush · Myrtle Warbler · Northern Parula · Swainson's Thrush · Warbling Vireo · Yellow-throated Warbler · belted kingfisher · black-and-white warbler · black-billed cuckoo · black-capped chickadee · blue jay · blue-gray gnatcatcher · blue-headed vireo · brown creeper · brown thrasher · brown-headed cowbird · cedar waxwing · chipping sparrow · common nighthawk · common raven · common yellowthroat · dark-eyed junco · eastern phoebe · eastern towhee · eastern wood pewee · field sparrow · gadwall · gray catbird · great-creasted flycatcher · house wren · least flycatcher · mallard · mourning warbler · northern cardinal · northern rough-winged swallow · ovenbird · red-eyed vireo · red-winged blackbird · redhead · rose-breasted grosbeak · scarlet tanager · song sparrow · tree swallow · tufted titmouse · white-breasted nuthatch · white-eyed vireo · white-throated sparrow · willow flycatcher · wood thrush · worm-eating warbler · yellow-billed cuckoo · yellow-throated vireo
Small mammalsAllegheny woodrat · American beaver · American pygmy shrew · Cinereus shrew · North American deermouse · North American least shrew · common muskrat · eastern chipmunk · eastern cottontail · eastern fox squirrel · eastern gray squirrel · hairy-tailed mole · house mouse · long-tailed shrew · meadow jumping mouse · meadow vole · northern short-tailed shrew · red squirrel · smoky shrew · southern bog lemming · southern flying squirrel · southern red-backed vole · white-footed deermouse · woodland jumping mouse
PredatorsAmerican black bear · bobcat · gray fox · long-tailed weasel · raccoon · red fox · striped skunk
Hoofed mammalswhite-tailed deer
BatsIndiana myotis · North American Hoary Bat · big brown myotis · eastern red bat · eastern small-footed myotis · little brown myotis · northen myotis · silver-haired bat · tricolored bat
Also on the checklistVirginia opossum · woodchuck
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Canoeing and kayaking in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 14 activitiesHide
Questions people ask
Does Bluestone charge an entrance fee?
No. Bluestone is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
Is Bluestone open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Bluestone?
12,446 recreation visits in 2025, number 344 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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