We Went to Tour a Bridge and Found Waterfalls

West Virginia Travelog #18
Fayette, WV - Tue, 19 Sep 2023. 12pm

This morning we went to tour a bridge (previous blog) and, wouldn't you know it, we found waterfalls. 😂

Wolf Creek pours down a ravine on the south side of the New River Gorge near the big bridge. As we drove up the winding road from the river back to the top of the gorge we passed a few spots on the creek where there are small waterfalls. At each we parked and hopped out to explore and take a few photos. At one I noticed that up a trail about 50 meters there was a bigger falls, falling right across the trail.



The map tells me this is called Wolf Creek Falls. Uh, it's not actually Wolf Creek, it's a tributary to Wolf Creek, but okay.



It's amazing how they just fall across the trail here. Well, okay, they don't fall across the trail, there's a culvert built underneath the trail for the water to flow. But other than that man-made big, the rest here is natural.

This trail, BTW, is the Kaymoor Mine Trail. It leads to the remnants of an old coal mining operation 2 miles upriver in the gorge.

Hiking Twin Falls State Park

West Virginia Travelog #19
Saulsville, WV - Tue, 19 Sep 2023. 4pm

Tuesday afternoon it was time for our West Virginia swan song. By "swan song", of course, I mean our last act, not an actual song. If it were a literal song, though, it would be "Take Me Home, Country Roads". In West Virginia all songs are "Take Me Home, Country Roads". 😅

Our last activity in the state was hiking a pair of waterfalls at Twin Falls State Park. As much as you'd think this hike would be the standout feature at this park— the proposition that you can visit two waterfalls here is literally in the park's name— the trail is a like a forgotten stepchild. The park, in a remote part of the state about 45 minutes southwest of Beckley, seems more focused around having a golf course and a lodge marketed to senior citizens and church groups. Well, we managed to get past all the touristy stuff with only slight allergic reactions, and laced up our boots for the hike.



We encountered Marsh Fork Falls after a few minutes of hiking. We could hear the churning water of the falls from the creek nearby even though it wasn't visible from the trail. A bit of bushwhacking took us to the overview in the photo above. A bit more bushwhacking, combined with careful rock-hopping, took us down to the edge of the pool at the base of the falls. We enjoyed the scene for a while before climbing back up the rocks and through the trees to continue the trail.

The second of the twin falls— which are really not twins, as you'll see in a moment— is Black Fork Falls. This one was much deeper into the woods from the trailhead.



Black Fork Falls pours over a rocky lip and falls 20-25 feet to the level below. The rock under the lip has eroded out, forming a deep hollow. It's more than deep enough to walk behind— which we did. Again we spent a while enjoying the scene here before scrambling back up to the main trail.

Soon it will be time to get back in the car and drive hundreds of miles, but for now.... In beauty we walk.