Blackwater Falls State Park

We spend a lot of time visiting national parks and truly enjoy them. However, we have also found that there are some amazing state parks across the country that are sometimes overlooked and often equally magnificent as the national parks. Blackwater Falls State Park in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia is a great example of this and should be a destination to consider for anyone traveling through this part of the country.

One of the nice things about state parks is that they are typically small and easy to navigate, especially when you stay in the park as we did at Blackwater Falls. The campground is very nice and although it only has electric sites, water and a dump station are available. This worked out fine for us with our short three-night stay.

The star of the show in this park is the namesake Blackwater Falls, and it lives up to the billing! A long boardwalk with plenty of stairs take you down right next to the falls with several viewing spots along the way. This is a wide and powerful waterfall known for its amber color tinted by the tannic acid of fallen hemlock and red spruce needles.

As good as the views of Blackwater Falls are from the boardwalk, there might just be an even better vantage point. On the other side of the river right off the main park road is Blackwater Falls Overlook accessible by a short paved walk (they call it Gentle Trail). You are further away, but at this higher vantage point the view is magnificent.

TIP: Although the views of the falls are good any time of day, for the best photography opportunity, mid-morning provides the best lighting. Later in the day the falls start to get shadows from the mountains.

There are two other low effort overlooks that should not be missed, the first of which is Pendleton Falls Overlook. This is a roadside pullout and although the waterfall is far in the distance, it is an incredible site. This waterfall tumbles down over 150 feet into the Blackwater Gorge, cascading in several stages. If you have binoculars or a scope, this would be a great place to use them.

The other low effort overlook is Pendleton Overlook (not to be mistaken with the aforementioned falls overlook). Rather than a waterfall, this overlook, high from above, provides a magnificent 180-degree view of the mountains and valley with the Blackwater River winding below. This overlook can also be accessed from a short hike, mentioned later.

The rest of the sights in the park will take a bit more effort, but none of the hikes we did were very strenuous. The longest hike we tackled, at about 4 miles, was Pace Point Trail which starts out at the Nature Center. The trail follows the Dobbin House Trail for a while and then ends at one of the best views in the park. You’ll know when you get there by the huge rocks at the overlook that you can climb on or just hangout for a while. This is also the trail that you can take a detour via the Pendleton Trace Trail which will take you to the same overlook mentioned earlier.

Elakala Falls Trail is a shorter trail at only about a mile. After crossing a bridge, you turn to the right and have to get a little creative along the edge to get a view of the falls, but it is possible and well worth the short journey.

At the far end of the park is the Lindy Point Overlook. This requires a short hike just over a half mile through a wooded area. The overlook is arguably the best in the park. You stand at a point with expansive views in nearly every direction. Hawks fly past you, as you have entered their home.

The last hike we did within the park boundaries was Balanced Rock Trail. This is a two-mile hike but we cheated and entered the trail from the backside. There is a small spur trail that leads you more directly to the rock from a small parking area adjacent to cabin 13. The rock, precariously balancing above, is pretty cool to see. Visiting here in the late afternoon also offers some interesting photo opportunities.

Just beyond the northern boundaries of the park and accessible from the small town of Thomas a short distance away, was one of our favorite adventures during our short visit. This very remote area requires traveling down a pothole ridden gravel road with a lot of standing water, but it’s worth every jolt along the way. This is an old coal mining area and there are some remnants of the old mining days including rows of brick ovens built into the hillsides. These ovens were used to bake down coal into a substance called coke, an essential fuel for blast furnaces.

The road parallels the North Fork of the Blackwater River which is reminiscent of some of the rivers in Glacier National Park (you heard me right). You’ll drive by the first of three waterfalls, being Albert Falls. This is a smaller waterfall but very picturesque.

You will eventually come to a small parking area just before a gate at the end of the road. On the other side of the gate is Douglas Falls. Although you can see it from the trail, you will want to do some scrambling down the rocks to get a closer look. It’s a little hairy getting down but once you’re there you can wander about a little and get some amazing views of this absolutely gorgeous waterfall. We’ve been to Oregon, and I would rate this waterfall against any that we’ve seen.

Once back up top, you are now on the Blackwater Canyon Trail, a 20 mile hike and bike trail that goes between the towns of Thomas and Hendricks. If you’re a cyclist you will love this trail. However, it’s only about 3/4 of a mile to the next stop, Kennedy Falls. This one’s a bit more interesting. The first difficulty is finding the trail down to the river (you are quite a bit higher here). Look for some timbers outlining the start of the trail (follow the photo link below where I have a picture of this). The trail down is steep and narrow and requires some good agility. Near the bottom a rope helps you navigate the last steep section. Is it worth it? Heck yeah it is! Not only is the waterfall gorgeous, but the caves on either side of it add to the mystic feel of being down there.

Stop on your way back on the section of the river between the gate and the parking area. This is a great place to walk out on the flat rocks, cool off in the water or stop for a snack. You will deserve the break.

Blackwater Falls State Park was a very enjoyable stop for us. Everything was so close and convenient, even the two small towns of Davis and Thomas which have plenty of places to eat and some shopping, albeit hours of operation can be a challenge. Check this place out, you won’t be disappointed. And be sure to check out the rest of our pictures.