Wild, Wonderful, Waterfalls
Blackwater Falls.
As the only state fully engulfed in Appalachia, West Virginia has always stood out for its wild and wonderful expanses that include 1.5 million acres of parks and public lands. While the New River Gorge—the country’s 63rd and newest national park—draws much of that acclaim, a new trail has seen its share of the spotlight lately, too.
Launched in May 2022, the West Virginia Waterfall Trail is the first statewide trail of its kind. According to West Virginia Tourism’s Director of Public Relations and Strategic Partnerships, Lauren Bodnar, the “choose your own adventure” type attraction came about from the state’s rural nature that left them better positioned to reopen sooner following the pandemic, along with a study conducted by Destination Analysts finding that 70 percent of travelers said scenic beauty was a top priority for them.
“We’d also seen other destinations nearby having great success with different types of trails, whether that be craft beer trails, bourbon, art or something else,” recalls Bodnar. “It helped us to realize we needed to use what we have, and with over 200 waterfalls statewide centering something around them was a no brainer.”
Originally featuring 29 waterfalls, the trail has since ballooned to 43 locations (and counting). Additional nominations can be submitted through an official website, with three key criteria prioritized in consideration—the waterfall must be on public land, it must have adequate parking nearby, and it must be reasonably accessible via bike, hike, etc.
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Turkey Creek Falls.
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Cathedral Falls.
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Sandstone Falls.
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Mash Fork Falls.
Even though the list now sits at nearly four dozen destinations, Bodnar says a few of them stand out from the crowd.
Those are Black Water Falls in Parsons, one of the easiest-to-get-to and most photographed sites in the state, featuring a 57-foot descent ending in waters with distinct amber hues that account for its name; the 1,500+ foot wide Sandstone Falls, and Glade Creek Grist Mill Falls, another spectacular selfie spot with water running down from the grist mill perched above.
Bodnar also has a couple of her own favorites. “Valley Falls is really close to where I’m from originally so I visit it often,” she said. “But I also really enjoy Sandstone Falls because it sits at the start of the New River Gorge and is our widest spanning waterfall on the trail.”
Speaking of the gorge, nearly a quarter of the waterfalls currently on the trail lie within or just outside the park. This—and the newness of the national park—has led to a 9 percent increase in visitation from 2022-2023, followed by another projected 6 percent bump in 2023-2024, according to Eve West, the park’s chief of Interpretation and Visitor Services.
Next to the aforementioned Sandstone Falls, she says the most sought out falls in the area so far have been Dunloup—a 20-foot plummet in Thurmond with easy access that also features a separate three-mile hike with several stunning overlooks—and Big Branch Falls, an eight-foot drop out of a forested canopy at the halfway point of a two-mile loop trail.
But it hasn’t just been the waterfalls within the New River Gorge that’ve received a warm reception—the entire trail has thrived. In the nearly three years since opening, visitors from all 50 states and 41 countries have explored its myriad of falls. Over 100,000 check-ins have also been made to the trail using a mobile passport that tracks progress and rewards explorers along the way. Those range from a waterfall trail sticker for three check-ins to a water bottle for 10 check-ins, a t-shirt for 20 check-ins and a limited edition letterpress print by Base Camp Printing highlighting Elakala Falls for checking into all 43 cascades.
Per West Virginia Tourism, 148 people so far, who they refer to as “waterfall wanderers,” have completed the entire trail, which is further divided into four regional road trips—the Southeast, the North, the Potomac Highlands and the New River/Greenbrier Valley. Bodnar says that the response has been overwhelmingly positive and a true rising-tide-lifts-all-boats scenario that’s helped to boost outdoor tourism throughout the state.
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Glade Creek Grist Mill Falls.
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Finns Falls.
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Coonskin Grotto.
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Butcher Branch Falls.
“It’s fueled us to continue expanding the trail because there’s a real desire for people visiting the state to see these natural wonders,” Bodnar said. “It’s been really encouraging to see the amount of check-ins at some of the more rural locations that otherwise may not have seen many visitors if they weren’t a part of the trail.”
One of those determined waterfall wanderers is Veronica Lewis, who has currently visited 40 of the trail’s 43 locations. She has yet to check-in at White Oak Falls, Devil’s Sawmill and Clear Fork Rail Trail Waterfall—all of which were added to the trail by Gov. Jim Justice in May 2024. And although Lewis considered herself an avid explorer prior to the trail, she says it introduced her to areas of the state that she hadn’t previously considered.
“Each waterfall is so much more to me than a scenic stop. They’re a reflection of the beauty and resilience that define Appalachian culture as a whole,” Lewis said. “These falls have carved their place in the landscape just like West Virginians have for generations,” she said.
“I’ve also enjoyed getting out in the woods and finding old mines, coal towns and other remnants of the past, while chasing down some of these falls. Each stop led me to a locally owned restaurant or small business,” she said.
Go visit
To start planning your own waterfall adventure, sign up for a passport at wvtourism.com/west-virginia-waterfall-trail.