Camping, Lodging, & Travel

Interested in flights to New River Gorge?

If you're looking at flights, Charleston, West Virginia has the closest major airport. This airport will be a 75 minute drive to Thurmond, WV and just over a 30 minute drive to Montgomery, WV.

Visitor's Bureau Travel Guides

There’s nothing quite like holding a fresh travel guide in your hands—ready to spark ideas and help you plan your Highball adventure in The New. Request one of these free guides for the easiest way to explore your options for lodging, dining, activities for your crew, and more.

Recommended Areas to Stay

What you need to know about race day and the most convenient places to stay.

50 Mile & 50 Mile Relay participants will be racing a point-to-point course, starting in Montgomery, WV and ending in Thurmond, WV. You have the option to take the train ride back up to Montgomery. If you do this, choosing to stay near Montgomery is a great option, as is The Historic Glenn Ferris Inn (just a 15 minute drive to Montgomery).

50K participants start in Hawks Nest State Park and finish in Thurmond, WV (the same finish line as the 50 Mile). You have the option to take the train from the finish in Thurmond back to Montgomery. Fayetteville and Oak Hill, West Virginia are great locations to stay as there are multiple hotels in the area and a great selection of vacation rentals. Oak Hill is less than a 25 minute drive to Thurmond and less than a 35 minute drive to Montgomery.

Early Packet Pickup will take place at Water Stone Outdoors at 101 W Wiseman Ave, Fayetteville, WV 25840. Fayetteville is approximately a 39 minute drive to Montgomery (50 Mile Start, end of the train ride) and approximately a 20 minute drive to Hawks Nest State Park (50K Start). It's approximately a 32 minute drive to Thurmond (finish line). There are plenty of great vacation rentals in Fayetteville.

City of Montgomery Camping

New in 2026: The city of Montgomery, our partner in producing this race for several years, is offering primitive, camper, and vehicle camping right by the 50 Mile start line and train station where we depart the post-race Amtrak train. A reminder that there's a race morning shuttle for 50K runners who want to park in Montgomery and take the train at the end of the race from Thurmond back to Montgomery.

There are primitive sites with porta potties only (no electricity or running water). Tents and Sprinter-style van camping.
There's also a separate location (not far) for campers/RVs. No hookups. The ascent to the primitive camp sites is too steep to accommodate longer axles.
Generators allowed.
Quiet hours 11:00 pm - 7:00 am and 9:00 pm on Saturday night before the race.
$15.00/night to help with covering the cost of porta potties.
Available Friday, May 15 through Monday, May 18. If you need additional nights, ask when you call!

To book camping in Montgomery, call Jesse at Montgomery City Hall at (304) 442-5181 from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, EST Monday through Friday. Let her know you want to book a camping spot for Highball to Thurmond Ultra and Relay!

Other Camping: There are plenty of camping options in the New River Gorge National Park area! Check out the following websites to view options:

Vacation Rentals: Many participants and race staff choose vacation rentals in the area! Checkout these websites to find available rentals: