Hinton is a city in Summers County, West Virginia, population 2,266 (2020). It borders the southern edge of New River Gorge National Park, and acts as an anchor to its southern end, being the closest town to Sandstone Falls and the park's Sandstone Visitors Center, located near exit 139 off I-64.
Understand
.jpg.webp)
Hinton occupies a striking location at the bottom of the New River Gorge, where the Greenbrier River empties into the New River. The historic, well-kept downtown sits on a bluff overlooking the river. Directly south of the town sits Bluestone Dam, creating Bluestone Lake.
Portions of the National Park accessed through Hinton include: Sandstone Falls, Big Branch Trail, Fall Branch Trail.
Get in
The town's Amtrak station is served three times a week by the Cardinal service.
Get around
See
Hinton's downtown has several restaurants, shops, historical points of interest and B&B/hotels.
There are several museums in Hinton, including the Veterans Memorial Museum, the Hinton Railroad Museum, and King's Civil War Museum. The City of Hinton is restoring the CSX passenger depot and the Freight Depot to be used as possible tourist draws in the future.
Do
Bluestone State Park, Bluestone National Scenic River, and Pipestem Falls Park and Pipestem Resort State Park are all nearby to the south.
City of Hinton Parks and recreation department has a water park complete with a water slide and swimming pool. They also have a 10,000 sq ft public fitness center.
Buy
The town has one full-service Kroger grocery store.
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Connect
Go next
- Beckley: 40 minutes west, big box shopping and chain restaurants; more access to New River Gorge National Park
- Fayetteville: 1 hour north at the northern end of New River Gorge National Park
- Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs: Less than 1 hour east.
- Summersville : less than 1.5 hours north, the largest lake in West Virginia.
- Princeton: 40 minutes south.
- Bluefield: about 1 hour south.
- Richwood: about 1.5 hours north, a historic former lumber town adjoining the Cranberry Wilderness of Monongahela National Forest
- Charleston, West Virginia's capital and largest city is 1 hr 40 minutes west on I-64.
- Huntington, the second largest city in West Virginia is 2.5 hours west on I-64.