New River Gorge Bridge Day

[street]

What is Bridge Day?
Bridge Day was first celebrated in 1980, to commemorate the completion of the New River Gorge Bridge. Since that time, the annual festival has grown to include parachutists jumping from the Bridge to the river below, rappellers dangling from ropes under the bridge, over 200 vendors selling food and arts and crafts, and fantastic entertainment. All of this combined with the spectacular Fall foliage of the New River Gorge and the sheer size of the crowd of over 200,000 makes for an unforgettable experience.

Typically, about 300 BASE jumpers will leap off the New River Gorge Bridge during Bridge Day, the only day that jumping from the bridge is permitted. Below is just a few pictures of the "FOOLS" that jump off of this bridge. It's over 800 feet to the New River below.

This is the bridge that is on the West Virginia Quarter

This is some of the over 200,000 people that watch this.

A lot of them ended up in the river below.

 

[Mike Mulligan]

Wow! Really like the first bridge pic- base jumper pics good enough to give me the willies!

 

[flatgate]

Fantastic pics, Street!

I used to be a "rock climber" when I lived in the Black Hills. I never felt the urge to jump, though!



flatgate

 

[flhr62]

Not positive, but I think they all land in the river. My family and I went down the river in a raft 2 years ago. Lots of fun, the only person in our raft to get thrown out was me.

 

[street]

Not positive, but I think they all land in the river. My family and I went down the river in a raft 2 years ago. Lots of fun, the only person in our raft to get thrown out was me.

Most of them didn't land in the river as most of them were very good at landing at a particular spot on the bank. But there were a few that landed in the river, and they had a boat to pick them up.

 

[gunman42782]

Great pics! I really like the first one. Beautiful bridge.

 

[varmonter]

Great pics .my wife and i where there last summer.
The road that goes down to the river from the parking area is quite the drive.
recommend a nice sports car.