I haven’t posted any waterfalls in a while, even though I have visited a number since my last post. I’m done with work for the semester and have the next few months off to write about and visit waterfalls. This post is about a waterfall that I visited over a month ago, Valley Falls in West Virginia.

Some parts of West Virginia have more waterfalls because of certain geological features, but northern West Virginia doesn’t have nearly as many. A few do exist, though, and one of them is Valley Falls. This waterfall is found on the Tygart Valley River, which is a rather wide river that flows through West Virginia. The waterfall has its own state park, and when I visited, it was very peaceful, with only a few other people at the park. It was mid-April on a weekend, and it was pretty warm, but apparently people weren’t ready to get outdoors just yet!

There are a few drops that compose the waterfall, and each of them isn’t particularly tall. The one in the picture below might be a drop of about 5′ or so. What makes Valley Falls a bit more impressive is its width. The river is pretty wide, and when the falls are flowing, it would not be an easy task to cross the river.

I don’t know whether I would go out of my way to visit Valley Falls. There aren’t many other falls within a 30 or 40 mile radius, at least not considering driving distance. I did drive to Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania after this, but it was at least an hour drive there, if not more. If you’re near Morgantown, then I would consider taking a detour to visit.

Directions:
There are numerous ways to get to the falls, but the easiest path is as follows:

1. From I-79 in West Virginia, take exit 137.
2. Turn onto WV-310 heading southeast. Continue along this road for 7 miles.
3. There will be a sign for Valley Falls State Park. Turn onto this road (which might be marked as 31/14) and drive 2 miles. The road you’re on will follow the perimeter of a lake, and then turn into Valley Falls Road.
4. From the parking area, it’s a very short walk to the falls. There is no entrance fee.

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: 25′
Distance of Hike: negligible

Valley Falls in mid-April 2015

Where in the World is Valley Falls?