PIPESTEM, W.Va. — Long before the first plate of crawdad fritters reaches the table, dinner at Mountain Creek begins with a remarkable descent. The restaurant officially opens Saturday, Aug. 8, at Mountain Creek Lodge, a 30-room mid-century lodge nestled along the Bluestone River deep within the Bluestone Gorge. While many visitors know nearby New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, comparatively few have ventured into the neighboring Bluestone Gorge, a rugged river valley where towering hardwood forests descend to the Bluestone River. “This is the newest restaurant concept in West Virginia State Parks’ restaurant inventory,” Price said. Mountain Creek now gives visitors another reason to linger—this time at a table overlooking one of Appalachia’s most secluded rivers.