West Virginia

Waterfalls

A guide book to the waterfalls of West Virginia

Take it with you companion to the West Virginia Waterfalls website.

This volume is dedicated to my mother.

Frances Anne Hartigan 9/9/30 – 12/6/16

As her last great adventure on this earth, she accompanied me on a wonderful rain soaked four day holiday to the magnificence of Wild and Wonderful West Virginia, and she loved it. That's the two of us at Cathedral Falls on page 31.

Copyright © 2017

by Richard J. Hartigan

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author and/or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First Printing: 2017

ISBN: 978-0-692-92461-7

Nature Trek Publications

5979 Wind Street

Cincinnati, Ohio 45227

www.wvwaterfalls.com

www.westvirginiawaterfalls.com

About the Author

I am a passionate photographer and waterfall enthusiast. Being the originator of the West Virginia Waterfalls website and the North Carolina Waterfalls Facebook Group, I travel often to the mountainous regions of the east to hike and photograph.

My inspiration emanates from such individuals as Rich Stevenson who is the webmaster at www.ncwaterfalls.com, Kevin Adams who authors “North Carolina Waterfalls”. Ed Rehbein and Randall Sanger who authored the book “West Virginia Waterfalls-The New River Gorge”, who, with me are also members and admins at the West Virginia Waterfalls group on Facebook. My list wouldn't be complete without a mention of the irrepressible Mr. Thomas “The Badger” Mabry of Ashville, N.C. who seems to live in the woods. All are great photographers as well as avid waterfall enthusiasts.

Having been taught photography by my friend, and later boss, PH3 Joseph P. Greco, while on board the U.S. Sixth Fleet Flagship, U.S.S. Little Rock (CLG-4), I have always loved photography. It's always been a great way for me to get out of the house and away from my “day job”. I have worked as a semi pro on occasion over the years, but have never been a full time professional, and don't want to be either.

My interest in being in the wilderness began to develop when I was invited to camp with friends in Red River Gorge in the Daniel Boone National Forest near Slade, Ky. Having hiked to many arches and a few falls, moving on to something more intriguing was a must for me.

My first visit to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the wilderness of Pisgah, Cherokee, and Nantahala National Forests in North Carolina had me hooked.

In 2005, I established the Ohio Valley Camera Club in Cincinnati, Ohio. From there, I began my blog and tour guide efforts at Nature Trek Photo Safaris, which has seen me going anywhere from birding in Florida to water falling and shooting all the way up the coast to Maine for lighthouses and lots of lobster.

As I age, my work in the trades is becoming more and more difficult to perform and I have taken to travel, hiking, and photography as a way of life.

I'm dedicating this volume to my mother, Frances Anne Hartigan 9/9/30 – 12/6/16, who, as her last adventure on this earth, accompanied me on a wonderful rain soaked four day holiday to the magnificence of West Virginia, and she loved it. That's the two of us at Cathedral Falls on page 30.

I'm interested in hearing from you. I'm especially interested in knowing about any falls not mentioned in this book, on the website, or on my online Google map. Just drop me a line sometime. I'm pretty accessible. My personal website is www.rickhartigan.com. Other websites that I originate are www. naturetrekphotosafaris.com and of course www.wvwaterfalls.com and www.westvirginiawaterfalls.com.

I'm also on Facebook and I'm an admin on West Virginia Waterfalls Facebook Group, and the originator of the North Carolina Waterfalls Facebook Group. I'm not hard to find, unless I'm off in the woods somewhere.

Preface

There are almost 200 waterfalls listed in this volume. They are broken down by the regions of West Virginia as set forth by the Department of Commerce. They are further broken down into areas within a region. I have made a number of maps to illustrate some of these areas, but quite frankly, a lot of them are kind of spread out and not really able to grouped, other that to be included in the geographic regions as mentioned before. Therefore, I hope you will take advantage of the website as well.

Since I fell in love with the West Virginia landscape, I have been waiting and wanting someone to publish a more comprehensive volume of the waterfalls of West Virginia. Instead of begging and researching for the information, I just wanted it at my fingertips. I got spoiled by having the Keving Adams books while touring in North Carolina, and eagerly awaited an updated version of his West Virginia effort.

I started cataloging them myself in 2010 and eventually ended up with so much information that I decided to start the website. That adventure was inspired by Rich Stevenson of ncwaterfalls.com. Having done that, and continuing to accumulate more and more information, it was suggested that I put it to print.

This is the culmination of my traveling, photographing, researching, and detailing locations and directions. Along the way, I have met some really nice people and even made a few new friends and I thank them all for their help and encouragement in completing this book. I hope you find it of interest and of use when touring Wild and Wonderful West Virginia.

As much as I'd like to concentrate on the photographic aspects of using this book, that is not how I am approaching this volume. This is an information book as it relates to the existence and location of waterfalls in West Virginia. There are lots of photos, but the main intent is to relay the “what” and the “where”.

Unlike the Kevin Adams books, there is no information on canopy, beauty ratings, elevations, or anything else. In most cases I don't even mention the height of the falls. Some info might be included in a description, but there is no consistency of this type of information included. You won't find much photography information in this book. This book is more about finding and getting to locations. I will assume that if you are hunting waterfalls with a camera, that you know quite a bit about shooting them and don't need me to elaborate on that process. However, that being said, there is a short list of equipment and best practices for shooting toward the end of the book.

Information for this book has been compiled from my touring and the contents of the West Virginia Waterfalls website, as well as contributions and supplemental information provided by others, as mentioned. A list of contributors can be viewed by visiting the website, which supplies links to the contributors various websites or home pages, or by reviewing the list at the end of this book. A big thank you goes out to all of them.

All photography in this volume is the work of the author, unless otherwise noted.

Some maps, locations, and information have been supplied by various federal, state, and local parks via their websites and brochures.

Online Google maps have been created by me and are linked from the website. It is recommended that you take advantage of them when planning your waterfalling trips.

Visit www.wvwaterfalls.com for additional photos and links to other information and online maps. There is also a link to some “Cool Places” in West Virginia, such as a few covered bridges and a few other off the wall locations that are worth a stop when in their neighborhoods. The Google map of West Virginia Waterfalls is a very good visual reference for locating groups of waterfalls for day trips, etc.

As with any wilderness/forest activities, it is wise to be prepared with the proper clothing and supplies for visiting any area and weather conditions. No specific recommendations on clothing and footwear, but I highly recommend a good set of coveralls or similar, with a hood for winter, because, getting muddy and wet is a way of life for waterfallers. I would also recommend a good pair of hip waders. They can be found for as little as $40+ at some local department stores and at most outfitters for up to several hundred dollars. Personally, I don't like the full chest waders, which resemble a pair of Farmer John overalls. In the case of an accident where the chest waders might become filled with water, they can be dangerous and hard to get out of, however, this is your choice. I would venture to say that most times you will not be in chest deep or even hip deep water.

Let me say a few words about snakes? I hate snakes, but I'll never kill one because I know their value, however, West Virginia seems to have an inordinate amount of Copperheads. Most evident at Fern Creek and several other locations around New River Gorge. On a recent hike up Glade Creek to the falls, I met two of the little devils in a two mile stretch, just right in the trail, so keep your eyes open, keep your hands and feet out of places that you have not inspected first, like a crack between some rocks, and what's on the other side of that fallen tree you're getting ready to step over. Get a hiking stick to clear your way when heading down into a creek or over impediments where you can't see on the other side. Speaking of hiking sticks, I just have an old wooden thing I picked up down in North Carolina, but I see a lot of store bought metal expendables out there. It doesn't matter what you have, but if you're going hiking in rough terrain, you should have one. Consider it part of your gear. You are going to find forest floors that look perfectly walkable, where you can end up in up to your chest and stuck between rocks. Test your ground before stepping. Just be careful out there.

Nomenclature and Abbreviations:

FR/FSR inticates a Forest Service Road normally gravel and not worthy of the family sedan.

CR – Indicates a County Route.

SR or WV – Indicates a State Route

Disclaimer

Waterfalls can be dangerous. Neither Rick Hartigan or wvwaterfalls.com give permission to any person to rely on the information in this book or web site for their safety. Directions, tips and guidance on this are provided for general information only. No guarantee of safety or lawfulness is implied. Always check ownership and get permission before entering a property.

Metro Valley/Hatfield McCoy

Drawdy Falls 38.134000, -81.687600 38°08'02.4"N 81°41'15.4"W There's not much to see in this part of the state, however there are several iconic falls. You should definitely try to hit Drawdy Falls if you are in the area.

Drawdy Falls Roadside Park. Peytona, WV 25154

From Charleston take I-64 toward Beckley and get off at Exit 89. Go south on Lens Creek Road, SR 94, to Racine and bear right on SR3. Total of 12 miles. Park is roadside.

Park at the roadside park and cross the highway. At the guardrail you will see this view. Venture into the creek for closer shots.

White Oak Creek Falls 38°08'16.6"N 81°41'51.7"W 38.137950, -81.697690

This is a nice waterfall. There is room to pull off the road and park and a short steep trail down to the water lever. This might be private property, but seems accessible and often visited. If you have been to Drawdy Falls, this is just down the road, so, it's easy to get to from there.

From Charleston take I-64 toward Beckley and get off at Exit 89. Go south on Lens Creek Road, SR 94, to Racine and bear right on SR 3. Drive 2 miles and turn right on Costa Rd. Drive 1.2 miles and bear left onto Middle White Oak Rd.

From Beckley use the same directions as for Peachtree Falls and continue on SR 3 for 33.6 additional miles from the place where you turn off to cross the bridge to Peachtree Falls and turn right on Costa Rd. Drive 1.2 miles and bear left onto Middle White Oak Rd.

UpperFalls 38°20'30.4"N 81°50'24.9"W 38.341784, -81.840244 A river wide falls as the Coal River passes through Tornado, WV. It has an approximate 6' vertical drop. There is also a less impressive lower falls in the same area. Visit Meadowood Park to have a look.

Meadowood Park

292 Pettigrew Ln

St Albans, WV 25177

Howell’s Mill Falls 38°26'33.1"N 82°13'14.4"W 38.442540, -82.220660 In Cabell County. Howell’s Mill Falls is formed by a man made dam at an old abandoned mill located along the Mud River. To get to Howell’s Mill, turn onto Howell’s Mill Road in Ona, W.V. From US-60 drive for 2.1 miles. At this point you will come to a bridge across the Mud River. Just before crossing the bridge, on your left is a gravel road. There is a small parking area. You can hear the falls from here. Look for a trail along the river. This may seem like private property as there is a house right there at the parking area, but it's fine. Just respect the neightbors space.

Coonskin Creek Falls 38°23'10.4"N 81°34'23.9"W 38.386208, -81.573299 From Exit 1 on I-79 go north on Pennsylvania Ave (US 119) to the entrance to Coonskin Park. Turn right on Henry C. Shores Dr. and follow the road past the lake. There is a road that goes left and up a hill to the golf driving range. Don't go up there but go to the left following the main road. Follow it around past the Tennis Center. You will come to another left at the Alice Knight Trail. You can park here and hike the trails until you find falls, but if you go up hill on the road to the left, which leads to areas #7 thru #20, you will come to a dirt road on the right, that leads down the hill to the scouts day camp. You'll have to park at the top. Walk down the road, on past the campfire area until you come to the trail. Walk just a short way to the left and you'll see some stairs. The grotto is directly below it.

There is also a lesser fall on the Alice Knight trail. From that trailhead, follow down hill to a footbridge crossing the creek and up the other side. Stay on the trail for about 0.25 miles and you will find it, as the trail crosses right in front of it. Rainy days are recommended for both of these falls.

Hemlock Falls 38°15'44.4"N 81°40'12.3"W 38.262321, -81.670078 Hemlock Falls is a waterfall in the Kanawha State Forest. The trail is a 2.2 miles, moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Charleston, West Virginia that features a wet weather waterfall. The trail is rated as moderate. Follow the gated service road for 0.8 miles to the Hemlock Falls Trail on your right. Another 0.3 to the falls.

There is a trail head off of Middle Fork Dr. on the east side of the forest property as well. Look at a map for this entrance. Here are the GPS for that trailhead.

38°15'31.7"N 81°41'40.7"W

38.258814, -81.694625

Campbell Creek Falls 38°19'15.0"N 81°26'03.2"W 38.320830, -81.434233 I saw an image of a waterfall on Campbell Creek Rd., so one day I decided to drive up there. Mostly just country residential along this creek. Not real busy but not many places to pull off either. When I found the fall I was sort of scratching my head about parking, but eventually, just pulled over across the street from the falls in front of someones house as far off the pavement as I could. This is not a place to linger, but a nice little waterfall.

Coming south out of Charleston, jump off of I-64 at Exit 96 (US 60 East/Midland Trail @ Belle. Follow US 60 East for a short way and then left on Campbell's Creek Rd. Drive up about 5-7 miles and the falls is roadside on your right just across the street from some single story houses with chainlink front yard fences. Sorry, I forgot to set my gps but the coords above will get you in the vicinity. It's so close to the road you can't miss it. 6079 Campbell Creek Falls

Take exit 96 on I-64 and head south on US 60 for less than .5 miles and turn left onto Campbell Creek Rd. Drive about 10 miles. The falls is roadside, but not much room to park.

Pinch Creek 38°24'59.3"N 81°28'46.2"W 38.416477, -81.479489

Pinch Creek is side of the road in a residential area. It's pretty much someones front yard, but that shouldn't stop you from doing a drive by. There is space to park.

From the intersection of Elk River Rd. (US 119) and N. Pinch Rd. (CR 47) in Elkview, WV, turn onto N. Pinch Rd. and follow for 1.9 nile and turn left onto New Hope Rd. and drive for 0.3 miles. Turn right on Upper Pinch Rd. and follow for 0.5 miles to a roadside falls at a bridge that crosses the creek. This is on private property but there's room to pull off. I don't think you will want to get in the creek here so you'll have to be satisfied with viewing from the roads edge or ask permission.

Long Branch Falls 37°36'12.9"N 81°46'41.9"W 37.603579, -81.778291 Long Branch creek at R.D. Bailey Lake.

From US 52 north of Hanover, W.V., turn east on R.D.Bailey Hwy (WV 97). Drive 2.1 miles and go left on Big Branch/Long Branch Rd (CR 9/1) to a pull off/viewing area. Looking over the railing to your left you will see Long Branch Falls pouring into the lake.

Not sure how to see this waterfall up close, other than from a boat or the other side of the lake with a long lens, which, at my time of visit was not open and not clear. Conversations with the folks at the visitor center also yielded no pertinent info. I was surprised to know that they were not aware of a waterfall. I saw this fall from a parking area on Big Branch/Long Branch Rd (CR 9/1).

Mid-Ohio

The Jug 39°28'45.1"N 80°52'47.6"W 39.479190, -80.879890 The Jug — formerly known as the Jug Handle — is a jug-shaped island formed by a horseshoe bend on Middle Island Creek near Middlebourne in Tyler County, West Virginia, USA. It is maintained by the state of West Virginia as The Jug Wildlife Management Area (2,848 acres, including the Jug and much land south of it). There is also a bar called "The Jug" which is situated right at the waterfall, which is not really a waterfall. They built a dam there years ago to divert water to a mill. When the creek gets full, it spills over, thus, a waterfall.

Main street in Middlebourne turns into WV18. From the bend in the road at the south end of town, follow it for approximately 1.7 miles till you come to The Jug. From the intersection of US 50 and WV 18, follow 18 north toward Middlebourne for 24.7 miles.

St. Mary's 39°23'06.6"N 81°12'39.9"W 39.385160, -81.211080 St. Mary's Waterfall (some call it Coopers Hollow) just south of the bridge over the Ohio River at St Mary's right along WV 2 south. Just 0.2 miles fter you turn right coming off the bridge, you'll find a pull off on your left. There is a trail of sorts going up into this small hollow, but there is so much debris in here, it might not be completely obvious. It can be tricky in spots, and you need to go almost all the way up into it to get a picture of the falls. This is a cool location, but honestly, you need to wait for some rain if you want any kind of a decent photo, and you will have to get right up on it or else you will be photographing logs and downed trees for the most part. This is apparently a storm wash as there is no real obvious creek or water supply, but I've seen some nice shots when it's on. So, if you're in the area and have mind, stop on in.

BeeTreeRun 39°12'00.8"N 81°19'32.1"W 39.200226, -81.325578 My friend John Horne II told me about this waterfall. The picture is a screen cap from one of his videos. It's located on the North Bend Rail Trail at the western end of Tunnel 21. John calls this 21 Falls. I called it Bee Tree Run because that's what creek it's on. It's about 16' - 20'. I'm guessing it's a seasonal or wet weather fall because there is nothing nearby to create a headwaters situation.

From Exit 174 on I-77, turn left onto Staunton Turnpike (WV47) and drive 9.1 miles and bear left onto Walker Rd. (CR 7). Drive 4.5 miles to a "Y" and take the left branch onto Walker Creek/Eaton Rd. (CR 7/9). Follow that for one mile to where it crosses the North Bend Rail Trail. Hop on the trail going east till you hit the tunnel. It's about 2.2 miles.

New River/Greenbrier Region

The New River Gorge

Subsequent to the initial publication of this book, The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve Designation Act was incorporated into the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, changing the designation to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Thus America’s 63rd, and newest, national park was designated. It conserves over 70,000 acres of land along the New River between the towns of Hinton and Fayetteville.

If you are going to visit this area, it is advisable to obtain a copy of the “Trails of New River” Trail Guide, published by the National Park Service. You can download a copy from my website or you can get one from the park service. It's a free download.

I also recommend a visit to the Canyon Rim Visitor Center. There is much to learn here. A good observation point for the gorge, a nice gift shop with good literature, a movie about the history of the area, several overlooks, and, in general, a good place to get your bearings. The staff are very knowledgeable and eager to assist.

Don't miss checking out the history of the New River Gorge Bridge. You no doubt crossed it heading into the visitor center from the Fayetteville side. It has an interesting story and there is also a rather extensive display, video, and history of it's construction in the visitor center.

Access to the next four falls will be along Fayette Station Rd. Stop in at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, then take a right out of the parking lot of the visitor center and then the first hard right and follow Fayette Station Rd. down into the gorge, across the Fayette Station Bridge and up the other side. There is some parking at the trailhead to the Kaymoor Trail, but not much.

After parking you can walk back down the road to see Wolf Creek Falls, or begin the trail, or go straight up creek, instead of across the footbridge to see a nice but lesser fall above, then take the footbridge across the creek to see Kaymoor Falls.

Wolf Creek Falls 38°03'37.8"N 81°04'52.4"W 38.060485, -81.081208

After crossing the Fayette Station Bridge, follow the road a very short distance to a bridge crossing Wolf Creek. There are places to park on the far side of the bridge. Walk over to the bridge for this scene. There's more upstream.

After, continue up the road to the Kaymoor Trailhead parking

The following 6 entries have not been checked out. They are offerings from others online.

Piney Run Waterfall 39°19'17.8"N 77°42'44.7"W 39.321600, -77.712410 Potoma Wayside Park

210400 Jefferson Pike, Purcellville, VA 20132

Located in the Potoma Wayside section of the , Piney Run Falls is a relatively unknown, but pleasant waterfall. The waterfall features a 20 foot or so drop as Piney Run approaches the Potomac River small parking area off U.S. Route 340, follow a worn path towards Piney Run. Piney Run Falls is on the left and is about 150 feet from the parking area. From the waterfall walk another 150 feet or so downstream and you will reach the Potomac River.

Niagara Falls 39°30'56.3"N 78°28'02.0"W 39.515649, -78.467233 In PawPaw, drive out Waterpump Rd. to the end and go down to the tracks and walk east to Nose Hollow and then a bit farther west to the next creek that joins there. Niagara is up there a little ways.

Cacapon State Park 39°30'24.4"N 78°18'18.6"W 39.506780, -78.305170 A very tall spill way over a split rock wall of the dam is an impressive sight. Access from I 68E Exit 82A to US 522S Valley Rd. Drive approximately 15.3 miles to park entrance on Cacapon Lodge Dr.

Rivers Edge Ln 39°26'49.3"N 79°06'21.5"W 39.447019, -79.105983
Rivers Edge Ln. Google shows the stream, but doesn't show me a name of the water source. It's a small waterfall running on the side of the road.

North River Mills 39°20'14.6"N 78°30'25.8"W 39.337400, -78.507160 A spectacular waterfall, swim-hole and creek near town of North River Mills, WV off Cold Stream Rd. (old Rt. 50). Indian Falls -- 8 foot deep swim hole and 12 foot high waterfall -- one of 5.

Tomlinson Run S. P. 40°32'20.9"N 80°34'21.3"W 40.539147, -80.572592 Known as West Virginia’s “top” state park, Tomlinson Run State Park lies along the Ohio River, near the tip of the Northern Panhandle. The park's 1,398 acres are divided into two sections: a wilderness area with heavily forested hills, overhanging cliffs of sandstone and shale, and many wildflowers and fauna, and a developed area with traditional park offerings. The park features a wide array of recreational activities including hiking, fishing, boating and swimming. Tomlinson Run also offers unique camping experiences with its yurt and camper cabin rentals.

Northern Panhandle

The Jug 39°28'45.1"N 80°52'47.6"W 39.479190, -80.879890 The Jug — formerly known as the Jug Handle — is a jug-shaped island formed by a horseshoe bend on Middle Island Creek near Middlebourne in Tyler County, West Virginia, USA. It is maintained by the state of West Virginia as The Jug Wildlife Management Area (2,848 acres, including the Jug and much land south of it). There is also a bar called "The Jug" which is situated right at the waterfall, which is not really a waterfall. They built a dam there years ago to divert water to a mill. When the creek gets full, it spills over, thus, a waterfall.

Main street in Middlebourne turns into SR 18. From the bend in the road at the south end of town, follow it for approximately 1.7 miles till you come to The Jug. From the intersection of US 50 and SR 18, follow 18 north toward Middlebourne for 24.7 miles.

Oglebay Park Falls 40°05'34.3"N 80°39'35.0"W 40.092863, -80.659709 Oglebay Park

465 Lodge Dr.

Wheeling,WV26003
Oglebay Park Falls on Waddles Run Road

From the Schrader Center, take the Falls Vista Trail (0.5 mi). Trail dead ends at an overlook.

From Interstate 70, take Exit 2A and go east on US 40 for ½ mile and turn left of Bethany Pike (WV 88). Drive one mile and turn right on Warden Run Rd. and follow it for 1.5 miles to a parking area next to the creek. You can see the falls from the road. Easy access.

There has been another waterfall reported, which I believe is on Waddles Run. It was reported by Daniel T. Hall on the W.V. Waterfalls FB Group. This is his information. Another fall has been reported down below the OPCA picnic shelter with the bathrooms, “on the road that connects the observatory/environmental center with the pool and tennis courts, hike the full trail between the 2 places. Looks like it would be about 3 miles total if you start at the environmental center and take the hardwood ridge trail to the falls vista trail, hike down to the falls (lots of cascades on the way), cross on to the Driehorst/Falls Vista connector past the falls overlook (with a quick walk down the road and back once you cross Waddles Run to see the falls from below as well), and the Driehorst trail (at least one falls confirmed - the one I posted above, likely others along the way) with a quick out and back detour from Driehorst on the Thoreau Trail (looks like there should be some falls and cascades on there as well), and then returning to the environmental center via the paved trail from the pool" I know this is somewhat confusing, but pick up a park trail map or look at their online trail system maps and it will make more sense.

Palace of Gold 39°57'43.3"N 80°36'15.7"W 39.962016, -80.604360 If you're driving to Oglebay, you may want to check out the Palace of Gold. No waterfalls there, but definitely not your run of the mill stop. Nice gardens, the palace, and a lodge too. Founded in the late 1960s by the followers of Hare Krishna Enter the following destination into your GPS: "Bethlehem, WV, United States" or use the provided coordinates.

Take West Virginia Exit 2 on I-470 ("Bethlehem")

Drive 13 miles south on Route 88 and Route 250 till you reach Limestone, here take a left for McCrearys Ridge Road

Drive 4 miles to arrive at the Palace of Gold

Take a slight left after passing the Palace and drive another 1/4 mile for the Krishna Temple. Information and photo courtesy of http://palaceofgold.com/

Resources

I made this book to be somewhat interactive with the website. If you visit the website, all these falls are listed there. As well, there will be new falls listed on the site before a new edition is released, and it may be a couple years before that takes place, so, use the website for updating your information until a new edition is published. http://www.wvwaterfalls.com

A highly recommended book for visiting falls in the New River Gorge area is “West Virginia Waterfalls-The New River Gorge” by Ed Rehbein & Randall Sanger

If you are on Facebook, check out West Virginia Waterfalls group. Very active and informative. The authors of the above book participate in this group, as do I.

Maps, maps, maps. I can't over emphasize the importance of familiarizing yourself with where you are going before you get there. It can save you a lot of time and gasoline knowing where you are going. Mountain states have a lot of unpaved and unmarked roads and knowing where you are is sometimes difficult at best.

I recommend the DeLorme Gazetteers. They seem to be pretty extensive and accurate. If you are heading to a state park, access their website for directions and information as well. Some, like Kumbrabo State Forest are way back off the beaten path. It can be easy to get lost if you don't have a handle on things.

Check for information on state and federal lands online before leaving home. You will be surprised what is available if you do some research. There will be road and trail closures and condition information available there.

Additionally, Google maps is a great source and most often includes, not only obscure county roads, but also hiking trails and creek names to help you orient yourself and find your way through the woods. It's a great resource and where I build all my online maps.

Speaking of online maps, my maps are all linked from my website. There is a map with all the waterfalls that I know about and some I suspect or haven't yet visited. Additionally, there are a few area maps that may be most helpful. Also, don't forget about the West Virginia Trail Inventory website. https://mapwv.gov/trails/

Photography Tips for Shooting Waterfalls

Timing

Being in the right place at the right time is essential. Most waterfalls will be in gorges or grottoes or similar landscapes. Being early or late in the day allows for the sun to be low in the sky and not shining directly on the water. Sometimes you have absolutely no control over this as there may be no canopy whatsoever and the sun will be in your face just above the top of a waterfall.

Personally, I love rainy days and overcast days for shooting falls. It might make for some sloppy going and dirty clothes, but that's to be expected. So, keep an eye on the weather and make sure there is some water flowing. Walking two miles to a waterfall with no water on it is disheartening.

Equipment

Having the right equipment is essential, however, that doesn't mean it has to be the biggest and best. A cheap point and shoot that will shoo in RAW will yield spectacular images if their histograms are good and they are in focus.

Recently, I've taken to hauling my older equipment into the woods. My professional equipment is very heavy and I'm getting old and don't like heavy loads on my back when I'm hiking. My older prosumer model is light and basically has no resale value, so, it's also not such a risk if I damage anything.

One other item that comes in handy is a hand held GPS. I use a Garmin Oregon 650, which is more than adequate for my use. It will help you make use of the GPS coordinates which have been supplied in this book and on the website.

Tripod: Good steady tripod. Always have a tripod.

Lenses: Generally, I carry an 18-70mm lens and a 10-24mm wide angle lens. I can't figure too many reasons to be carrying much more, unless your subject is across a wide gorge or similar. So, long lenses are not usually necessary, but you may have a specific desire for one.

Filters: Having an array of filters is necessary. Definitely have a circular polarizer, if nothing else, to take the glare off the water. I also carry a 2 stop, 4 stop and 8 stop stackable neutral density filter set. I'm using an old Cokin system which allows stacking. Some newer variable ND filters are much more compact and easy to transport but much more expensive. My Cokin system also includes some GND (Graduated Neutral Density) filters as well. I don't use them as much, but when you have a sky just above the top of a waterfall, they can be a life saver.

I also keep a sack of rice in the truck, just in case my camera decides to take a dip. Never happened to me, but I've seen it. I've only used my sack of rice once for a buddy's unfortunate move.

Gear

You will definitely need an array of equipment to keep your cameras dry. Rain gear, plastic bags, trash bags, golf umbrella, towels, camera hoods or covers, or rain sleeves. I have all this stuff, but I generally head out with the umbrella, tripod, camera strapped around my neck and covered with a plastic bag and tucked under my jacket. There is some good gear out there for keeping dry but you can DIY with simple household items.

Boots! I carry more shoes and boots than Carter's got pills. I can never make up my mind until I get there, but a lot of times I just wear my hip waders all day. They can get kind of sweaty sometimes, but they seem to work pretty well. Of course, in the summer, I just get wet. They actually make creek walking shoes. A pair will fit in your hip pocket and they don't feel too bad to walk in at all. The main thing is that they drain. I wouldn't recommend them for a long hike on rocky terrain, but they creek walk pretty well.

Composition

Be prepared to get wet. Get down in the streams and into the water. Try and shoot from different angles as they are available. A straight on shot is nice and may be good for reference purposes and maybe even artistic purposes, but getting side shots and then walking downstream to include some foreground is a good way to generate viewer interest. This will probably make a much nicer image for framing as well. Also, try getting down as low to the creek bed as possible. Capture some foreground at water lever. I've seen some really nice shots where the waterfalls were almost background even though still the main subject.

Look for swirls. A lot of creeks and waterfalls have them and they make great foreground. If you see a swirl, throw a handful of leaves in and get your long exposure. Swirls are amazing additions to a nice waterfall shot.

Try and provide a sense of scale. Often waterfall photos will be deceiving to look at as they will seem much smaller as an image than in the real world. If possible, include a person or some other object that is familiar to the eye and will render some sense of proportion. Not always possible but good practice.

Technique

Lots of opinions here. What shutter speed is best? What aperture is best? And so on.

First off. Always shoot in RAW. If you don't know how, it's just as easy as shooting JPG's, but it's a much better and bigger file to work with. Much more and uncompressed information. It's no harder to learn, so do yourself a favor and shoot RAW.

I try to shoot everything at my lowest ISO. With that in mind, aperture becomes secondary because of the effect that you want. If you like the really, really, silky effect, then you will have a slow shutter speed, thus dictating an appropriate aperture. A faster shutter speed will yield a more stringy looking effect. I think this looks a bit more natural myself, however, I generally do it both ways.

The speed of the water, and whether and which filters you are using, will also have an effect on your shutter speed depending, on your desired output.

I also bracket everything. Sometimes you will have to bracket just to capture the dynamic range of light (or lack thereof) in the subject. That mean's an HDR or layering technique in post processing. I don't bracket strictly for HDR purposes in post, I do it to have a range of images to choose from, but always allowing for a multiple exposure file.

I always want to make sure that I have an image with no blown highlights, even if that means I have to work with a lot of dark shadows. I've found that most images do not suffer from under exposed shadows too badly and if you have bracketed, you will have a choice of which image to use in post. I just find it hard to tolerate blown out whites in waterfalls.

Using fill light is also a benefit. I have used my flash on many occasions to fill in. Just don't point it at the water itself. A flashlight will sometimes come in handy as well to light paint shadows.

Watch your histograms for blowouts.

Foliage is an issue a lot of times with the wind blowing during a long exposure. When I am cognizant of this issue, I always take another photo at a fast shutter speed to freeze the leaves and then blend them in post. But sometimes, I don't care. It can actually be a kind of cool and artistic effect, depending on location and surroundings.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I'd like to express my gratitude to my wife, Catherine, for all her support and understanding about my running out of the house for weeks on end to go out and play. She's always been my biggest fan, and is, in no small way, responsible for this book. Thanks, babe.

The following people have contributed images to this book. Their contributions are gratefully acknowledged. Thank you.

Brian Peterman – Nuzum Run

Jim Kearns – Lower falls on Shays Run

Bobbi Swan – Fern Creek

Andrew Wojtanik – Sugarcamp Run