Ever since we bought this book a few years ago, we have been planning to head up to West Virginia to seek out some waterfalls. Back in early May, we had the perfect combination of cool weather and nothing planned, so we hit the road with Riesling, some snacks, our tripod and Canon XT.

Some of the sites were a little disappointing photography-wise… for example it was way too bright (and windy) to get a decent shot of Falling Spring Falls at noon, but it did take us right by the Homestead where we had a relaxing lunch.

Falling Spring Falls

the Homestead in Hot Springs, VA

It was very obvious when we crossed over into West Virginia, the towns became more scarce. Disappointingly, the Hills Creek Falls area suffered some damage over the winter, so we could only get a decent shot of the middle falls. Fortunately, the weather was comfortable and we still enjoyed a walk in the woods.

This waterfall was a bit out of the way, but totally worth it. The roadside access means it was swarming with people, but Eric’s wide angle lens allowed him to get much closer and therefore, no visible people!

Cathedral Falls

On our way south on Route 16 from Gauley Bridge to our resting point for the night in Beckley, WV we passed a series of beautiful falls on the side of the road. Eric hiked up the road to get some shots of these unnamed falls along Laurel River.

waterfall on Laurel River

We ended the evening with a quick beer at a very sketchy bar in Beckley, WV. Thankfully we had our pizza leftovers from the Homestead lunch to sustain us!

Visit our waterfall photography page for directions and more photos from all the waterfall hikes we did on this trip!