Virginia Waterfall Trail

As 2020 has forced us to find more local vacation spots, I took the opportunity to explore my current home state of Virginia. I have lived here intermittently for a few years, but since I’m always jetting off to another continent, AND I’m a travel Nurse Anesthetist, I rarely spend time here. One of the silver linings of 2020 was that I fell in love with Virginia. I was pleasantly surprised to discover some seriously good wine, beautiful mountains, and charming towns. I’ll be sharing more posts about Virginia in the near future but this one is about the Virginia Waterfall Trail or Virginia Waterfall Loop as some call it.

Virginia has many waterfalls, but there really is no official Virginia Waterfall Loop per se, but you can easily design a trip around seeing waterfalls and make your own loop since there are many close together in SW Virginia. I did it twice and will share all the details! The fun part about this trip is that it includes hiking and wineries (if you fancy those things). It makes for a fabulous long weekend from virtually anywhere within driving distance which includes Washington DC, WV, or northern NC including all of VA!

I had read another guide about these waterfalls that said you could drive between all of these in under 8 hours. While that may be true, this time frame is deceiving as it doesn’t really allow for hiking, meandering, stopping at wineries, and therefore I would NOT recommend trying to do this in one day. How much you can do will depend on how early you get started and how many daylight hours you have. I think splitting it over two to three days is reasonable. I have recommendations at the end regarding where to stay and how to arrange your itinerary.

Here is a map of all the places on this list:

Crabtree Falls

This is a good place to start because of its proximity to Charlottesville, which is a nice add-on or base for your trip. These falls have the distinction of being the tallest series of cascading waterfalls east of the Mississippi River and fall 1,200 feet over the course of 0.5 miles. Visitors can hike alongside the falls or admire a portion of the drop from the viewing platform, just steps away from the parking area. If you do decide to hike and see the entire falls, it will be approximately 2.5 miles and lots of steps! This will take between 1-2 hours. As you can see, I brought my pup along.

Ankida Winery

I’m going to go ahead and throw this in here because is a fantastic little pit stop. I hadn’t heard of it, but saw signs for it and my friend and I decided to go after our muddy rainy waterfall hike. It is a little gem of a place on the side of a hill with great wine and some yummy snacks. It is also dog-friendly (like every place we went). We were here on a rainy day during September 2020 so it was rather empty and they weren’t using regular wine glasses for tastings (which honestly really bothered me because so unsustainable and doesn’t really help with infection control). This place is notable for having the only Pinot Noir in Virginia (that I know of) and it is delicious! Super pricey bottle though at >$50! I returned again in April 2021 and they were not doing wine tastings at this time, so call ahead to see if things have changed. I’m sure things will be more normalized now.

Stanton Creek Falls

These falls are perhaps the easiest to visit because no hiking required. You can see them from the road! Finding the correct road is the problem. If you type the falls into Google Maps, it doesn’t take you to the right place. Google has the waterfall marked 2 miles away from the actual location. We found it by driving around for 15 minutes in the general area and listening out the window for the sounds of water. It’s NOT on Pedlar River Rd. From 60, go north on Route 605. Pass the Oronoco Campground and go one more mile until a fork in the road. At the fork, go right onto Route 633 (This is Fiddler’s Greenway, but of course there is no sign). About a mile up you’ll notice the creek along the road. You’ll see a small gravel parking lot that can hold a few cars. The waterfall itself is unmarked but you can see it (and hear it) from the road.

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These falls are really pretty and you can walk down into a small swimming hole area (too cold for me) or you can just sit and admire the falls and enjoy the sound of the rushing water. These falls apparently are incredibly dangerous so take care. I just stuck to the sides and didn’t venture too far down the hill. I had my puppy to think of!

Apple Orchard Falls

These falls involve a more significant hike. I would classify it as “medium difficulty” and this is mostly because you are hiking approximately 2 miles downhill and then 2 miles uphill at the end. There is no technical difficulty, only some very light scrambling here and there that is really only scrambling if you are a tiny human like me. My tiny dog was able to do it, although I did offer him a break in my special “dog backpack” because I’ve never seen him so tired! Note, the bottom picture is the first set of falls you come to. Many people think this is the main falls but you have to continue 1/2 a mile or so further for the main falls.

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Roaring Run Trail

You are now in the Washington Jefferson National Forest, FYI (as you were with Apple Orchard Trail). This is an easy hike that crosses the river a few times and has rustic stone bridges, sheer rock faces, and the lovely sound of running water. The trail length is 1.4 miles. Two trails lead to the falls creating a loop. Most people take the Streamside trail on the way up and return via the Woodland Trail. I found the Woodland trail dull and would have preferred to go back along the Streamside Trail since it was very pretty. It didn’t help that I got caught in a rain storm, moved quickly to get out, and missed the scenic overlook that I had read about.

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Blue Suck Falls

These falls are in Douthat State Park which is a destination onto itself with over 43 miles of trails! I actually didn’t do this because it involves a 9.4 mile hike which supposedly takes 4-5 hours but isn’t horribly difficult. I added this to the list because it’s so close to everything else and it may strike your fancy for you hiker-y types. Here is a great guide to Blue Suck Falls if you decide to do it or want to learn more.

Falling Springs Falls

These are the most dramatic and impressive falls however no hiking involved. Simply park and walk to the overlook to admire it. I did these on my 2nd day, on my way out of the area, since I had run out of time on the first day.

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Where to Stay for Virginia Waterfall Trail

Charlottesville

I love Charlottesville. It is a charming college town with a great food and brewery scene, not to mention surrounded by wineries in all directions. The University of Virginia is a gorgeous historic university worth a visit if you’re in town. From Charlottesville to the furthest waterfall, Falling Springs Falls is roughly 116 miles or 2 hours drive. If you don’t mind this drive, you could make Charlottesville your base for the Virginia Waterall Trail if you don’t want to take your chances in the smaller towns. I did stay in a random roadside motel near Waynesboro once and it was rather “murdery”. I didn’t want to use the shower but the staff was very nice and free coffee in lobby! In Charlottesville, I typically stay at the Marriott (Fairfield Inn) because I have points and I bring my pet.

Lynchburg

Lynchburg, Va is another small quaint town that is around 2 hours from Falling Spring Falls and in the vicinity of all the others on this list. For a small town, it has some really great cafes and places to eat. Definitely go to the Cinnamon Bun Place. Oh. My. Gawd! It’s called Cinn City Gourmet Buns and Beignets. Unreal. I stayed at the Fairfield Inn because I’m sometimes a Marriott whore and they are typically pet friendly.

Because I like to be thorough I can’t leave out food! Check out My Dog Duke’s diner for brunch (they let me have my dog on the porch) and RA Bistro for dinner. That’s all I know after one weekend. Great coffee at The White Hart Cafe and Mission House Coffee.

The Inn at Gritsmill Square

This is my top choice of where to stay for the Virginia Waterfall Trail. This place is a treasure and I would recommend allowing some time here to fully enjoy the hot springs in the area and some spa time. DEFINITELY make a reservation to eat at the Watermill Restaurant. The Inn is about 1.5 hours from Crabtree Falls and 45 minutes from Blue Suck Falls and only 25 minutes up the road from Falling Springs Falls.

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My Exact Itinerary

I’m writing this part to give you a realistic idea of how much of the Virginia Waterfall Trail one can do in a 3 day weekend. All of the things I have written about here were done in a longer period of time. By all means, come up with your own combo of things to do. Keep an eye out for my post about wineries in the region because you may want to incorporate some of those!

I drove to Charlottesville after work on a Thursday evening, spent one night, then went to 2 wineries (Pippin Hill and King’s Family) and a brewery (Bluemont) the next day. Be aware that if you do a Charlottesville winery trip in conjunction with waterfalls, the wineries you should focus on are those East or Southeast of the city to put you in the right direction of these hikes and waterfalls. I spent the next night in a sort of roadside “murdery” motel, then had a full day of hiking and waterfalls (and Ankida Winery) and then spent the night a very the charming Inn at Gristmill Square that has an excellent restaurant. The next morning, I visited Falling Springs Falls, close to the Inn, then drove back to Norfolk, Va. This was from a Thursday evening to a Sunday evening.

On another long weekend where I based myself in Lynchburg, beginning Friday evening. Starting Saturday am, I visited 3 wineries (Pippin Hill, Ankida Ridge, and Lovingston) during the day then returned to Lynchburg for dinner. Sunday am had breakfast in Lynchburg then headed to Apple Orchard Falls. I spent about 4-5 hours there then returned back to Lynchburg for dinner. Drove back to Norfolk on Monday am.

Tips for an Individually Tailored Trip

I suggest you save all of these locations for the Virginia Waterfall Trail into your Google Map. Once you get a sense of the layout, formulate an itinerary that makes sense to you. There are enough waterfalls, wineries, and hiking areas in a small region, that I recommend focusing on the ones that suit your fitness level or time constraints. I originally wanted to do all of these waterfalls and hikes PLUS the wineries but it didn’t quite work. My friend and I were moving at an…um…”leisurely” pace, so we decided our original plan had been too ambitious. We cut out some of the waterfalls that involved more hiking. Partially from laziness and partially from rainy weather.

Let me know if you have any questions or tips of your own to add! Has anyone been on the Virginia Waterfall Trail?

Happy Waterfall-ing!