OVERVIEW

This three-bedroom vacation home and two-bedroom cottage overlook the banks of the New River near Sandstone Falls and adjoin the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Formerly an outfitter’s getaway, the property has operated as a vacation rental and private vacation retreat. It’s uniquely suited to take advantage of the rich bass fishery two miles downstream of Sandstone Falls.

ATTRIBUTES AND HIGHLIGHTS

• Great room with fireplace and windowed wall
• Wrap-around, river-view deck
• 500 feet of riverbank
• Adjoining national parkland
• Covered hot tubs at house and cabin
• Near national park trails
• Near Sandstone Falls Visitor Area
• Superb smallmouth bass fishing
• 10 miles from Hinton National Historic District
• 7 miles from I-64 at Plumley Mountain

ABOUT THE NEW RIVER GORGE NATIONAL PARK & PRESERVE

This retreat is located in the southern district of the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve in the midst of one of the fastest-growing tourism regions in West Virginia. Congress established the 70,000-acre park in 2020. The designation has resulted in a revolutionary interest in the region as a destination for travel and residency. Articles in Time, Vogue, and USA Today have accelerated interest in the area globally over the last two years, as has television coverage by major networks. Time has since named the park among the “World’s 100 Greatest Places.”

Long a renowned destination for hiking, biking, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting, the park attracts more than two million visitors annually. Officials had predicted an increase of more than 20 percent in visitation in its first year; however, the increase appeared to be nearer 70 percent as of October 2022.

Park officials are proceeding with the development of the southern section of the park near Sandstone Falls as outlined in the park’s 2011 Development Plan. Notably, backcountry trails are being built into the mountains to the north and south of the retreat. Copies of the 2011 Foundation Plan for the New River Gorge National Park are available through this listing agent.

LOCATION

Google Coordinates: 37.782592°(N), -80.905039°(W)
Address: 5010 New River Road, Hinton, WV 25951
Elevation Range:  1240 ft. to 1295 ft. +/- above sea level

HOME AND COTTAGE

The property includes a three-bedroom home with a wrap-around, river-view deck and a great room with a two-story fireplace and windowed wall. A one-bedroom cottage with a fireplace, sleeping loft, screened porch with a four-person hot tub, and river-view balcony includes a two-car garage. Both structures together provide more than 1,761 square feet of interior living space. A six-person hot tub is located near the river adjacent to the home.

Home Room Dimensions

First Floor: 980 square feet
Living Room: 15′ 5″ x 10′ 9″
Family Room: 16′ 5″ x 16′ 8″
Dining Area: 8′ 4″ x 16′ 10″
Kitchen: 12′ 6″ x 11′ 9″
Bedroom: 11′ 9″ x 11′ 8″
Bath: 11′ 9″ x 6′

Second Floor: 539 square feet
Bedroom: 12′ 6″ x 22′
Bedroom: 11′ 9″ x 11′ 1″
Bath: 11′ 9″ x 6′ 7″

Total Home Living Space = 1,519 square feet

Cottage Room Dimensions
Living Room: 11′ 3″ x 11′
Kitchen: 11′ 9″ x 11′
Bedroom: 11′ 4″ x 10′ 11″
Loft: 11′ 4″ x 10′ 11″
Bathroom : 7′ 4″ x 10′ 11″
Two-Car Garage: 22′ x 22′

Total Cottage Living Space = 242 square feet

Outbuildings: 18′ x 14′ open-air shed

MINERAL RESOURCES

West Virginia law provides separate ownership titles for surface and mineral rights. This property is being conveyed as surface only.

BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

The property is being sold by the boundary and not by the acre.

ACCESS/FRONTAGE

The property fronts New River Road, a two-lane scenic parkway that becomes a gravel single-lane road as it approaches the property near the Sandstone Falls Visitor Area.

UTILITIES

Water: Well
Sewer: Septic
Electricity: American Electric Power
Internet: Satellite service may be available
Fire Service: Meadow Bridge
Cell: Various carriers; may require booster

ZONING

Raleigh County is subject to some zoning regulations. All prospective buyers should consult the county commission, the National Park Service, and the county health department for details regarding zoning, building codes, and the maintenance of septic systems.

PROPERTY TYPE/USE SUMMARY

The property is mostly level with some woodland along the river and on the hillside above. It has long been used as a private residence and vacation rental, as have adjacent properties. In recent years the property was a basecamp for Appalachian Backcountry Expeditions, a guide service that used the scenic shoreline to launch float-fishing trips. The park service has acquired much adjacent property and is being protected as woodland habitat.

DEED and TAX INFORMATION

Deed Information: Deed Roll 94 Pg. 103 and Deed Roll 109 Pg. 1613
Raleigh County, West Virginia
Acreage: 1.67 acres +/-

Real Estate Tax ID/Acreage/Taxes:
Raleigh County (41), West Virginia
Richmond District (7)
Tax Map 7 Parcels 2 & 3; Class 3

2022 Real Estate Taxes: $1941.46

SURROUNDING AREA

The retreat is in an increasingly popular vacation destination area surrounding the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve. The region is renowned for its scenic mountain landscapes, which descend to the gorge of the New River from mountain peaks that approach 4,000 feet above sea level. Three remarkable rivers converge nearby—the New and its tributary Bluestone and Greenbrier rivers. Much of the canyon of the Bluestone is protected as the Bluestone National Scenic River. Large parts of the region are protected as state and national park. Bluestone and Pipestem resort state parks both attract thousands of vacationers annually. Hinton, the seat of Summers County, is a drive of about 20 minutes from the retreat and is the cultural center of the upper New River Gorge region.

HEALTHCARE

Four full-service hospitals with emergency rooms and surgery centers operate within a drive of 35 to 40 minutes of the retreat, including Summers County Hospital (54 beds), near Hinton, Greenbrier Valley Hospital (122 beds), near Lewisburg, and Raleigh General and Beckley Appalachian hospitals (300 and 160 beds), at Beckley. The region’s principal Veterans Administration Medical Center (80 beds) is also at Beckley. State medical centers at Charleston and Morgantown are a two-hour and a three-hour drive, respectively.

TRANSPORTATION

The New River valley near Sandstone Falls is located near the center of the eastern U.S. and within a day’s drive of more than half the U.S. population. Motor Traffic: Expressway I-64 passes within a few hundred feet of the retreat, though the nearest interstate exits are a drive of about half an hour. Air Traffic: The Beckley-Raleigh County Memorial Airport is a drive of about 30-minutes from the retreat. An hour’s drive farther, Yeager Airport, at Charleston, is the largest and busiest flight-service center in the region, while the Greenbrier Valley Airport, at Lewisburg, provides flight options to Atlanta and Washington. Rail Traffic: The Amtrak passenger station at Hinton is a drive of about 20 minutes from the property and provides direct access to Washington, Chicago, and New York City. Approximate hourly drive times to regional U.S. cities include Charleston, W.Va., 1.5; Morgantown, W.Va., 3; Columbus, Ohio, 4; Pittsburgh, Pa., 4.5; Cincinnati, Ohio, 5; Charlottesville, Va., 4; Richmond, Va., 4.5; Winston-Salem, N.C., 3.5; Charlotte, N.C.: 4; and Washington, D.C., 5.

CLIMATE

The steep-walled valley of the New River near Sandstone sustains a microclimate more typical of warmer, more southerly latitudes due partly to the sheltering nature of the valley and river waters that have gathered radiant heat from sunlight over a long upstream course. Though the river here may appear a large mountain stream, it has already traveled more than 300 miles from the summits of the Blue Ridge in North Carolina. The valley is a preferred garden location as the warm microclimate accommodates a longer growing season. It remains relatively free of the heavier snows that blanket the surrounding highlands more than 1,000 feet above.

PUBLIC & PRIVATE SCHOOLS

The area is well-served by public and private schools, and students may opt to attend public schools in either Summers or adjacent Raleigh counties. Most students in Summers County are bussed to Hinton, which boasts adjacent campuses for grade, high, and vocational schools, all approximately 12 miles from the property. Homeschool programs are supported through the state Board of Education.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Beckley is the higher-education center of southern West Virginia and home of the southern campus of West Virginia University. The WVU Institute of Technology and New River Community & Technical College maintain campuses at Beckley, and Concord University and Bluefield State College offer courses through the Irma Byrd Educational Center near Beckley. The main campus of Concord University is a 45-minute drive from the property. The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine is located at Lewisburg, a drive of about an hour from the property.