Almost Heaven Swings

Glade Creek Grist Mill at Babcock State Park, West Virginia, framed by peak fall foliage above a rocky creek

Home / Blog / Best of

The Best Waterfalls in West Virginia

Spring is the season nobody plans for and the one when every waterfall in the state is at its best.

8 min read Best in April

The headliners

Blackwater Falls is the one on the postcards: the Blackwater River drops over layered ledges into a canyon stained amber by hemlock and spruce tannins, and a boardwalk and stairway system gets you to it from the state park. Published heights vary between sources, including on the park's own materials, which is a good reminder to treat waterfall statistics loosely.

Sandstone Falls, on the New River, is the opposite kind of feature — not tall but roughly 1,500 feet wide, spread across a rock shelf that splits the river into channels. There is a fully accessible boardwalk at river level and a separate rim overlook up on River Road for the wide-angle version. It is the most accessible major waterfall in the state.

The Falls of Hills Creek, in the Monongahela National Forest near the Highland Scenic Highway, is three waterfalls on one short trail, with a boardwalk to the first and progressively rougher going to the third. It is the single best waterfall walk in West Virginia for effort spent.

Around Blackwater Falls

The state park has more than one fall and most visitors see only the main one. Elakala Falls is a short walk from the lodge and drops into a mossy hemlock slot that photographs better than it views. Pendleton Falls and the canyon overlooks at Lindy Point and Pendleton Point round out a full day.

Douglas Falls, just outside the park near Thomas, is a wide curtain on the North Fork of the Blackwater with a strange industrial backdrop of coke ovens and acid-mine staining. It is unlike anywhere else and reached by a rough road.

Worth the detour

Glade Creek Grist Mill at Babcock State Park is not a waterfall, but it is the most photographed structure in West Virginia and sits above a run of cascades that most people photograph as one. Go at first light in October and you will not be alone, but you will understand why.

High Falls of Cheat is reached either on foot from the Allegheny Trail or by riding the Cass Scenic Railroad excursion, which is a genuinely unusual way to arrive at a waterfall. Seneca Falls, on Seneca Creek below Spruce Knob, is the reward at the end of one of the best valley walks in the Monongahela.

Twin Falls Resort State Park has two named falls, and the Falls Trail to Marsh Fork Falls is paved — a rare thing in West Virginia waterfall access, though the park makes no formal accessibility claim.

Timing, and a caution

Waterfalls are a snowmelt and rainfall phenomenon. March through May is peak flow, and it coincides with bare trees and open views. Late summer is the worst time — several of these are reduced to a trickle by August. Winter can be spectacular when the spray freezes, but the access roads to the highland falls are frequently unmaintained.

One honest note on sources: waterfall heights in West Virginia are inconsistently published and frequently wrong in third-party copy. Two of the region's better-known falls have no height figure published by any authoritative source at all. Enjoy them; do not quote numbers.

At a glance

Blackwater Falls

Boardwalk and stairs from the state park to the state's signature waterfall, in a tannin-stained canyon.

Sandstone Falls

Roughly 1,500 feet wide on the New River, with a fully accessible boardwalk at river level.

Falls of Hills Creek

Three waterfalls on one short trail off the Highland Scenic Highway. The best waterfall walk in the state.

Elakala Falls

A short walk from Blackwater Lodge into a mossy hemlock slot.

Douglas Falls

A wide curtain on the North Fork with coke ovens and mine staining behind it. Rough road access.

Glade Creek Grist Mill

Not a waterfall, but the cascades and the mill together are the most photographed scene in West Virginia.

Seneca Falls

The payoff at the end of the Seneca Creek valley, below Spruce Knob.

Questions

What is the biggest waterfall in West Virginia?

Blackwater Falls is the best known, though published heights disagree. Sandstone Falls is the widest at roughly 1,500 feet across. Waterfall heights here are inconsistently documented, so treat any specific figure with caution.

When is the best time to see West Virginia waterfalls?

March through May, on snowmelt and spring rain, with the leaves still off. August is the worst month. Winter freezes can be spectacular but highland access roads are often unmaintained.

Which waterfall is the easiest to reach?

Sandstone Falls, which has a fully accessible boardwalk at river level. Blackwater Falls involves stairs. The first fall at the Falls of Hills Creek is boardwalk.

Is there a waterfall you can drive to?

Sandstone Falls has a drive-up rim overlook on River Road, and Blackwater Falls has canyon overlooks at Pendleton Point requiring no walking. For the falls themselves you will be on stairs or boardwalk.