Blue Jay near Beaver in Raleigh County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
The Grand View
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 20, 2025
1. The Grand View Marker
The main overlook at Grandview is quite spectacular. On a clear day you can see directly into the heart of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, including seven miles of the new River and its watershed. You are standing at the highest point in the park, 1,400 feet above the river.
Looking to the right in the river you can see remnants of the Glad Creek bridge that stood between the now abandoned towns of Hamlet and Glade. Looking to your left, the "town" on the river is the Quinnimont switching yard for the CSX rail line. The town itself is further back.
From this overlook you have a grand view of the Allegheny Plateau, part of the Appalachian Highlands. Over time, swift rivers and streams cut deep valleys into the plateau, leaving steep hills as remnants of the former surface.
Grandview's main overlook wasn't always so grand. From the 1880s to the 1930s the logging town of Hamlet stripped away all of the forest. The trees in front of you are second and third generation growth.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these
this page online
Location. 37° 49.851′ N, 81° 3.682′ W. Marker is near Beaver, West Virginia, in Raleigh County. It is in Blue Jay. It can be reached from Grandview Walkways east of Tunnel Trail, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located at the Grandview Overlook in the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4700 Grandview Walkways, Beaver WV 25813, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Virginia’s New River Gorge. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Grand Canyon of the East (about 500 feet away, measured
Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 20, 2025
2. The Grand View Marker
Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 20, 2025
3. View from the Grandview Overlook, looking left.
Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 20, 2025
4. View from the Grandview Overlook.
Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 20, 2025
5. View from the Grandview Overlook, looking right.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 2, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 36 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 2, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
