The park's defining feature is the Middle Fork River, which bisects the hilly terrain on its way north toward the Tygart Valley River. The Middle Fork has cut deep pools into the bedrock here, leaving large flat rocks along the banks that local teenagers and college students have used as natural sun decks for generations. The swimming hole just below the site of the former gristmill is the most popular spot - cold mountain water in summer, sandstone underfoot, and the kind of acoustics that bounce shouts off the surrounding hills. The town of Audra, once a small mill community along this river, faded after the gristmill closed. The state took the land and turned what remained into recreation.

The park's most distinctive feature is Alum Cave - not a true cave but an overhanging sandstone ledge that creates a long, sheltered passage along the river. The state built a boardwalk under the overhang, letting visitors walk dry along the rock face and look up at the geology. The ledge's name comes from the alum minerals that historically seeped from the rock. The boardwalk is the kind of small but effective state-park infrastructure that does just enough to make a remarkable feature accessible without overengineering it. Walking the boardwalk on a hot afternoon, with the rock cooling the air and the river running just below, is one of the more pleasant short experiences in West Virginia state-park system.

Audra serves as the put-in for a 6.6-mile kayak run that follows the Middle Fork for about 2.8 miles before joining the Tygart Valley River for another 3.8 miles down to the confluence with the Buckhannon River. The run is moderate, scenic, and the kind of half-day trip that makes the park a base for paddlers as much as for swimmers. The campground holds 65 sites. A picnic area sits along the river. Hiking trails wind through the secondary forest that has regrown since the original timber was cut more than a century ago. The terrain is hilly enough to be interesting without being punishing - the kind of place built for weekend trips rather than expedition planning.

West Virginia University assessed the park's accessibility through its Center for Excellence in Disabilities. The campground, picnic area, and park offices were found to be accessible. The main swimming hole below the old gristmill site, however, is not - the rocks are wet and slippery, the approaches unpaved, and the geometry of the riverbank does not lend itself to ramps. The honest assessment is useful because it tells visitors what they can plan around. The park does not pretend the river is something it is not. For those who can manage the rocks, the swimming hole has been doing the same thing for decades. For everyone else, the campground and picnic area, the boardwalk through Alum Cave, and the hiking trails offer their own quieter versions of the park.