Hawks Nest, the site of Hawks Nest State Park, is a peak on
Gauley Mountain near Ansted overlooking the New River Gorge. The
cliffs rise above the New River, providing a breathtaking view
of the river and the wooded hillsides below. John Marshall,
chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, visited the area in
1812, and for a time the cliffs were known as Marshall’s
Pillars. When the James River & Kanawha Turnpike was constructed
in the 1820s, the rocky formation overlooking the gorge became a
popular stopping place for travelers. Hawks Nest gets its name
from the hawks that ride the thermals between the high cliffs.