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Blackwater Falls State Park, Davis, WV

Photo: Tim Kiser ( w:User:Malepheasant ), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFamily FavoriteFree

Blackwater Falls State Park

1584 Blackwater Lodge Rd · Davis, WV

Why you should go…

The Blackwater River drops 57 feet here, and tannic acid from fallen hemlock and red spruce needles stains its water amber. A boardwalk leads down to viewing points near the base, and the Gentle Trail gives a view from the opposite side of the river. Trails also reach Elakala Falls and the Lindy Point overlook, and the park has a lodge, cabins, a campground and a sled run in winter.

  • #waterfall
  • #state park
  • #hiking
  • #scenic overlook
  • #sledding

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Blackwater Falls State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Dolly Sods Wilderness

    Free

    Hike a high, windswept plateau of heath barrens, sphagnum bogs and flagged red spruce in the Monongahela National Forest.

    10 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Seneca Rocks

    Free

    Watch climbers on the sheer quartzite walls of Seneca Rocks, rising nearly 900 feet above the creek, from the Discovery Center below.

    20 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Quirky Fun

    Green Bank Observatory

    Free

    Tour a working radio astronomy campus and see the Green Bank Telescope, a 100-meter dish, starting from the free Science Center.

    50 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Tours
    History Buff

    Cass Scenic Railroad State Park

    $50+

    Ride a geared Shay steam locomotive up Cheat Mountain from a preserved company lumber town to a logging camp or Bald Knob.

    54 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Snowshoe Mountain

    $50+

    Ski 60 slopes and trails from a village built near the summit, or ride mountain bike trails and play golf in the warmer months.

    55 mi awayMore like this