This video is a real-life look at how we tackled New River Gorge National Park with four little kids on a somewhat spur-of-the-moment national parks road trip (Wisconsin to Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia). I’ll be honest: we’re not the world’s most outdoorsy family, so I was a little nervous about mountain hikes with babies/toddlers/young kids. But West Virginia completely surprised me—I walked away absolutely enchanted by the beauty, and we all agreed we wished we’d added one more day. I share exactly what we did, what worked with young kids, and what I wouldn’t do again. We started at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine because thunderstorms were rolling in, and it ended up being a highlight (bring a jacket—58 degrees in the mine—and save the children’s museum for the end because your kids won’t want to leave). Inside the park, we hit Canyon Rim Visitor Center and the easy Canyon Rim Boardwalk for an amazing first view of the bridge. Then I break down two key hikes: Endless Wall Trail (10/10 with kids, with a few spots to be extra careful at the overlook) and Grandview Rim Trail (too risky for our crew because of the steep drop-off). We wrapped up with Sandstone Visitor Center and the Fayette Station Road scenic drive—hairpin turns, but totally doable in my minivan for one last epic view.