If you go to New River Gorge

NEW RIVER GORGE NATIONAL RIVER: www.nps.gov/neri/home.htm or 304-465-0508. Bridge located on Highway 19 near Fayetteville. Free admission. Open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

ACCOMMODATIONS: The park has camping but no lodge. For hotels, motels, inns and cabins in nearby towns, check out Fayetteville, www.visitfayettevillewv.com/ or 304-574-1500, or the New River Convention & Visitors Bureau, www.newrivercvb.com or 800-927-0263.

BRIDGE DAY: On Oct. 21, up to 200,000 spectators will stand on the New River Gorge Bridge and watch some 450 jumpers parachute over six hours from the single-arch span; www.bridgeday.info/ or www.officialbridgeday.com.

WHITEWATER RAFTING: Rafting on the New, Gauley and three other West Virginia rivers: www.visitwv.com/whitewaterlinks.cfm or 304-465-5617.

TRAIN TOURS: The Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society runs fall foliage sightseeing trains through the gorge on the old C&O rail line, from Huntington to Hinton; www.newrivertrain.com/nrt.shtml or 866-639-7487.

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS:

—Tamarack, the state's arts and crafts showcase, offers regional cuisine, live music and six resident artisans who work in observation studios with textiles, glass, metal, wood, pottery and jewelry. Free admission and parking; www.tamarackwv.com or 888-262-7225.

—The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine offers tours by ex-miners of an old coal mine, April-November. Adults, $15; seniors, $13; children 4-12, $10; www.beckleymine.com or 304-256-1747.

RECOMMENDED READING: National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" host Noah Adams, a Kentucky native, explored the New River for the better part of 1997, chronicling its route, its history and its characters in the paperback "Far Appalachia" (Delta, $14).