West Virginia Waterfalls

The Mountain State has a number of waterfalls located within the state. I've only visited a few, but hope to return and get some more.

Black Fork Falls:

Trailhead GPS: 37.62113,-81.45705 (Falls Trailhead Parking at Twin Falls Resort State Park)

Waterfall GPS: 37.61852,-81.44933

Black Fork Falls is a 20-foot waterfall on its namesake, a tributary of Cabin Creek, in Wyoming County. The waterfall is located in Twin Falls Resort State Park. The hike to the falls is an easy 1-mile loop that includes Marsh Fork Falls.

To visit the falls, head south from Beckley on WV-16 for about 5 miles and bear left on WV-121 west. In 4.3 miles, turn right on Slab Fork Road and drive 2.1 miles. Turn left on WV-97 and go 5.8 miles, turning right to stay on WV-97. Go 5.4 miles more and turn left on Cabin Creek Road to enter the park. Go 1 mile and bear right on the park road to Falls Trailhead. There is parking in 0.3 miles at the end of this road. The Falls Trail is paved to Marsh Fork Falls and then splits to form a loop. Go either way and Black Fork Falls is about half-way through the loop.

Brooks Falls:

Trailhead GPS: 37.71724,-80.89302 (Brooks Falls Picnic Area on New River Road)

Waterfall GPS: 37.71948,-80.89269

Brooks Falls is a 2 to 4 foot waterfall on New River in Raleigh and Summers County. The waterfall is located in New River Gorge National River. The falls is visible from a roadside overlook.

To visit the falls, head east from Beckley on I-64 for about 15 miles and take exit 139 towards Hinton. Turn left on WV-20 and drive 10.3 miles to Hinton. Turn right to stay on WV-20 and cross New River on a bridge. Across the bridge, turn right on New River Road and drive 3.9 miles to Brooks Falls Picnic Area on the right. There is a viewing platform at the north end of the parking area to see Brooks Falls. It's not very high, but river wide and the power of the waterfall is impressive.

Brush Creek Falls:

Trailhead GPS: 37.46475,-81.06405 (Brush Creek Falls Parking)

Waterfall GPS: 37.46651,-81.06066

Brush Creek Falls is a 33-foot waterfall on its namesake, a tributary of Bluestone River, in Mercer County. The waterfall is located on state-owned land just outside Brush Creek Preserve. The hike to the falls is about a half-mile round trip and easy.

From Beckley, head south on I-77 for about 22 miles to exit 20 for US-19 and Camp Creek. Turn right onto US-19 and make an immediate left on Camp Creek Road. In 0.6 miles, turn right on Eads Mill Road and go 3.1 miles. Turn left on Brush Creek Falls Road and go 0.4 miles to the parking area on the left immediately after the bridge over Brush Creek. A trail leads past the picnic shelter a quarter mile to the falls. Scramble paths lead from the trail down to the ba

Campbell Falls:

Trailhead GPS: 37.51430,-81.12960 (Campbell Falls Parking at Camp Creek State Park)

Waterfall GPS: 37.51754,-81.12931

Campbell Falls is a really cool 15-foot waterfall on Camp Creek in Mercer County. The waterfall is located in Camp Creek State Park and Forest. The hike to the falls is a half-mile round trip and easy.

To visit the falls, head south from Beckley on I-77 for about 22 miles to exit 20 for US-19 and Camp Creek. Turn right onto US-19 and make an immediate right on Camp Creek Road. Drive 2.3 miles into the park and turn right towards Blue Jay Campground. In about a half-mile, there is a parking area on the right after passing through the campground and before the gate.

Hills Creek Upper Falls:

Trailhead GPS: 38.17865,-80.33917 (Parking Lot on FSR 1632)

Waterfall GPS: 38.17717,-80.33664

Upper Falls on Hills Creek is a 25-foot waterfall on Hills Creek in Pocahontas County. The waterfall is located in the Falls of Hills Creek Scenic Area in the Gauley Ranger District of Monongahela National Forest.

To visit the falls. take US-219 north from Hillsboro and turn left on WV-55/WV-39 to enter Monongahela National Forest. After passing the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center and the junction with WV-150, the road becomes Highland Scenic Highway. In 11.8 miles from the turn, take a left at Forest Service Road 1632, which is signed for Falls of Hills Creek Scenic Area, and follow the forest road for about a quarter-mile to the parking area at the end.

From the parking area, hike the paved and handicapped-accessible trail to the overlook for Upper Falls. The hike to the falls is just over a quarter-mile. This waterfall is the least impressive of the three and the view from the overlook isn't great. We visited during the winter and the waterfall was frozen.

Hills Creek Middle Falls:

Trailhead GPS: 38.17865,-80.33917 (Parking Lot on FSR 1632)

Waterfall GPS: 38.17451,-80.33534

Middle Falls on Hills Creek is a 45-foot waterfall on its namesake creek in Pocahontas County. The waterfall is located in the Falls of Hills Creek Scenic Area in the Gauley Ranger District of Monongahela National Forest.

To visit the falls, follow the directions for Upper Falls above. From here, continue on the trail, which is no longer handicapped accessible. The natural surface trail is somewhat steep and there are a number of wooden stairs to descend heading down to the next waterfall. The overlook for Middle Falls is just after the footbridge over Hills Creek. The view for this waterfall is a lot better. It was also frozen when we visited.

Hills Creek Lower Falls:

Trailhead GPS: 38.17865,-80.33917 (Parking Lot on FSR 1632)

Waterfall GPS: 38.17327,-80.33455

Lower Falls on Hills Creek is a 63-foot waterfall on Hill Creek in Pocahontas County. It's claimed to be the second highest waterfall in the state of West Virginia. The waterfall is located in the Falls of Hills Creek Scenic Area in the Gauley Ranger District of Monongahela National Forest.

To visit the falls, follow the directions for Middle Falls above. From here, take the steep metal stairs down and then follow the boardwalks to the overlook for the falls. The overlook provides great views and photo opportunities for this beautiful waterfall. When we visited, the upper and middle waterfalls were frozen, but this one was still flowing with liquid water. However, a huge cone of ice had formed at the base that I thought looked like a big blue pineapple.

Indian Branch Falls:

Trailhead GPS: 37.52484,-80.98874

Waterfall GPS: 37.52186,-81.00581

Indian Branch Falls is a 45-foot waterfall on its namesake, a tributary of Bluestone River, in Mercer County. The waterfall is located in Pipestem Resort State Park. The hike to the falls is about 2.5 miles round trip and moderate.

To visit the falls, head south from Beckley on I-77 for about 27 miles to exit 14 for WV-20 and Athens. Turn left on Athens Road and go 2.8 miles and bear left on WV-20. In 9.3 miles, turn left into Pipestem Resort State Park. Go 1.6 miles and turn left to the parking area for the Nature Center.

From the parking area, pick up County Line Trail behind the Nature Center. The trail starts heading down steeply then becomes more gradual. In just over a mile the trail reaches Indian Branch and there is an overlook to view the falls. The view is poor in summer.

Marsh Fork Falls:

Trailhead GPS: 37.62113,-81.45705 (Falls Trailhead Parking at Twin Falls Resort State Park)

Waterfall GPS: 37.61990,-81.45617

Marsh Fork Falls is a 20-foot waterfall on its namesake, a tributary of Cabin Creek, in Wyoming County. The waterfall is located in Twin Falls Resort State Park. The hike to the falls is an easy 1-mile loop that includes Marsh Fork Falls.

To visit the falls, head south from Beckley on WV-16 for about 5 miles and bear left on WV-121 west. In 4.3 miles, turn right on Slab Fork Road and drive 2.1 miles. Turn left on WV-97 and go 5.8 miles, turning right to stay on WV-97. Go 5.4 miles more and turn left on Cabin Creek Road to enter the park. Go 1 mile and bear right on the park road to Falls Trailhead. There is parking in 0.3 miles at the end of this road. The Falls Trail is paved to Marsh Fork Falls and then splits to form a loop.

Mash Fork Falls:

Trailhead GPS: 37.50063,-81.14214 (Mash Fork Falls Parking at Camp Creek State Park)

Waterfall GPS: 37.50096,-81.14252

Mash Fork Falls is a 8-foot ledge waterfall on its namesake, a tributary of Camp Creek in Mercer County. The waterfall is located in Camp Creek State Park and Forest. The waterfall is viewable from a road.

To visit the falls, head south from Beckley on I-77 for about 22 miles to exit 20 for US-19 and Camp Creek. Turn right onto US-19 and make an immediate right on Camp Creek Road. Drive 2.3 miles into the park and turn left towards Mash Fork Campground. At the campground, bear right on narrow gravel road and go about 0.3 miles to the end. The waterfall can be seen from the parking area. There are lots of rocks in the creek below the falls to get close to the waterfall.

Pipestem Falls:

Trailhead GPS: 37.54844, -80.95964 (Pipestem Falls Park along WV-20)

Waterfall GPS: 37.54779, -80.95963

Pipestem Falls is a 30-foot roadside waterfall on Pipestem Creek in Summers County. There is a small roadside park along WV-20; it is close to but not in Pipestem Resort State Park. The waterfall is visible from the parking area, but it's a steep climb down to the base.

To visit the falls, head north from Athens on WV-20 for about 10 miles and Pipestem Falls Park will be on the right. It is about 2.5 miles after the main entrance for Pipestem Resort State Park. There is a small parking area on the side of the road.

From the parking area, there is an obscured view of the falls. A short trail leads to the top and some scenic cascades above the main drop. There's a nice view of looking over the top of the waterfall, but its not possible to see any of the main drop from here. Getting to the base of the main lower drop is much more difficult. From the north end of the parking area, an obvious path heads down to the creek. It is very steep with loose rock and lots of garbage. Once at the creek, rock up to the base of the falls.

Sandstone Falls:

Sandstone Falls is a 15 to 20-foot high, 1500-foot wide waterfall on New River in Raleigh and Summers County. The waterfall is located in New River Gorge National River. The hike to the falls is under a mile round trip and easy.

To visit the falls, head east from Beckley on I-64 for about 15 miles and take exit 139 towards Hinton. Turn left on WV-20 and drive 10.3 miles to Hinton. Turn right to stay on WV-20 and cross New River on a bridge. Across the bridge, turn right on New River Road and drive 8.3 miles to the Sandstone Falls parking area on the right.

From the parking area, pick up the Sandstone Falls Boardwalk, which crosses onto two islands in river. On the first, are views of the Lower Falls, the smaller northern section of the falls. The boardwalk ends at an overlook on the second island with a view of the main falls. Being 1500 feet wide, there's a lot of waterfall to see. Obvious paths lead from the boardwalk to other spots on the second island for closer views of the waterfall. There's also a nice beach just off the boardwalk with a downstream view of the falls.

White Oak Creek Falls:

Trailhead GPS: 37.46475,-81.06405 (Brush Creek Falls Parking)

Waterfall GPS: 37.47845,-81.04928

White Oak Creek Falls is a waterfall in three sections on White Oak Creek, a tributary of Bluestone River, in Mercer County. The waterfall is located on state-owned land just outside Brush Creek Preserve. The hike to the falls is about 3.5 miles round trip and moderate in difficulty.

From Beckley, head south on I-77 for about 22 miles to exit 20 for US-19 and Camp Creek. Turn right onto US-19 and make an immediate left on Camp Creek Road. In 0.6 miles, turn right on Eads Mill Road and go 3.1 miles. Turn left on Brush Creek Falls Road and go 0.4 miles to the parking area on the left immediately after the bridge over Brush Creek.

From the parking area, pick up the Falls Trail that follows the creek downstream. In about a quarter mile, the trail passes by the top of Brush Creek Falls. Stay on Falls Trail to continue towards White Oak Creek Falls. In a little over a mile, the trail reaches the confluence high above and turns right to follow Bluestone River downstream. The trail ends at the confluence of White Oak Creek and Bluestone River. White Oak Creek Falls is immediately upstream.