Driving in West Virginia can be interesting, in that what shouldn’t be as far away is. Because nothing is a straight line, and you have to cross a lot of mountain ridges to get into even the edge of the interior of the state, if you live in the Eastern Panhandle of the state. I kept seeing ads from the West Virginia State Parks Facebook page about visiting Blackwater Falls State Park, and well… why not before summer gets here? It is a popular state park because it is one of the farthest east parks, making it closer to DC and the Panhandle.
Located in the Allegheny Mountains of Tucker County, the park sits at an elevation of around 3,000 feet. The park dates back to 1937.
We drove Route 9 to Martinsburg, WV, then onto I-81 to just past Winchester, VA, for the Strasburg exit. Get on 48 (Wardensville Pike) and head for the Appalachian Mountains. The drive on 48 through Virginia is pretty typical of the narrow, 2-lane roads with no shoulders and really steep grades to get up and over the first ridge. Cross into West Virginia at the gap there, where the Tuscarora Trailhead is (the ridge you cross is Great North Mountain). The road drops down, down, and down to reach Wardensville, a small but thriving town. Then something magical happens… right after you leave town, the highway splits into a 2-lane highway on both sides till you reach Davis, WV. It is the porkiest of pork politics that Senator Byrd fought so hard for, and Kirk was shocked. He couldn’t believe that this was 48. He used to drive out to Seneca Rocks and to Dolly Sods on what was 48 back in the 90’s. When it was a typical mountain road, it was narrow and went up and down nonstop. It took 3 to 4 hours to drive. Now? It is a dream. The highway is so smooth. There was only one small section where you had to slow down because of bridge work. You can see for miles, and your eyes follow the highway as it winds across and through the ridge tops. The geology is great for kids to look at, the carved mountains they went through.
I was….I would drive this highway. Often. You just have to get the first 20+ miles driven on the old road. As a note, it was 71.7 miles from home to just get to Wardensville, WV. To get to Davis, WV, it was 133 miles. Coming back, we turned onto 259 (Carpers Pike) at Wardensville, which runs through Yellow Springs and briefly enters Virginia. I liked it far better than the first part of 48, and it dumps you out onto the far end of Winchester, where you take 50 (Northwestern Pike), essentially bypassing the mess that 81 is there in the city. We got onto I-81 north of Winchester and were back in West Virginia quickly. All told, we drove about 280 miles round trip (the few extra miles were from Davis into the park). That made me think this drive was still less than the one back in Washington to the mountains, which would take 3 hours each way to reach a volcano.
We drove into the park and headed for the Blackwater Falls parking lot, which still had space since it was early. There is an overflow lot as well.
The roads in the park are well-maintained. There are two main roads, the northside and the southside. The falls are on the northside road. At the main lot are a huge gift shop (it is well curated), bathrooms, and a snack bar. There are many picnic areas there, and along the northside road.
The trailhead is at the back of the parking loop, with stairs leading down. Near the parking lot entrance is a gate for a “road,” and you can take that as well – a wheelchair could do it with assistance. On the other side of the parking lot, there is another gated access road. Both join at the first overlook.
A little history.
There is wide area here, with a bench and picnic tables, and a ramp to go down a couple more stairs on the side.
This overlook overlooks the Blackwater Canyon.
Turning around is an Almost Heaven swing – and behind it is a view of the falls. This area is accessible with help.
The stairs start here, taking you down, down, and down to the falls overlook.
There are multiple overlooks on the way down, that helps spread out the people. It feels far less crowded than it is.
The Rhododendrons here haven’t bloomed yet for the season.
One of the cool parts of history here is that you are on the other side of the Eastern Continental Divide (you cross it on 48 just past the coal electricity plant – Allegheny Front/Bismarck area, Grant County). The water here flows into the Gulf of Mexico, where it then flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
I didn’t know Hydrangea grew wild; it is Smooth Hydrangea. It was just starting to bloom.
The waterfall is pretty from all angles, but the higher you are, the more you can see above the falls. As you drop down, you lose that view.
The stairs have been built twice, and pretty soon they’ll be old enough for a third time. It was easy walking, even on the way back up.
At the lowest viewpoint, look back and up, and you can see the bridge over the outside road, where the Gentle Trail is, which offers an overlook from high up of the falls.
After this we drove around the northside road checking out the picnic areas, the cabins and trailheads, then worked our way to Pendleton Lake.
Park and walk down to the beach. The creek is damned at the end.
Swallowtail butterflies were everywhere here. They harvest the nutrients they need from the damp sand.
There is a trail of sorts that follows the lake and over the dam, walk as far as you like. It’s nice and breezy at the lake.
Looking back, Alistaire asked me, “What is that old bridge?”
I had to zoom in to see it. It is just outside the park boundary. You can pick a trail to it, through marshlands from the beach area, but from research, it can be muddy and wet. There is a visible old road on sat view of the area.
After walking the lake shore, Alistaire and I visited the Harold S. Walters Nature Center.
It’s great for all ages, not just young children.
During 2020 they built a great forest scene with taxidermied animals:
A little black bear.
Two coyotes playing – and so much more.
It also has a collection of live nonvenomous snakes to watch.
And love turtles that, every couple of days, get to walk around in the ladies’ restroom – I got to see them out and about. The center had a really nice set of workers, who were very helpful.
We drove the southside road as well, and checked out more to do on the next visit.
Blackwater Falls State Park has a lot to see and do. It has large cabins to rent, a full lodge, and many waterfalls and hiking trails (it’s also a winter recreation area). It actually made me think of this state park as a national park because of the amenities it offers. And as always, WV State Parks are free to enter.
Bonus Points: T-Mobile works most of the drive and in the park. I was a bit shocked with that.
~Sarah