Along Laurel Creek
Venturing along the winding WV Route 16 out of Fayetteville, West Virginia, one will discover the hidden gems of Laurel Creek. Nestled amidst the lush greenery, a series of roadside waterfalls can be accessed through a rugged journey of bushwacking and scrambling down rip-rap. Amongst these natural wonders are the majestic Upper Laurel Creek Falls, boasting a 20-foot cascade, and the serene Lower Laurel Creek Falls, featuring a 10-foot cascade.
Kanawha Falls
Explorers first reached Kanawha Falls along the Kanawha River in West Virginia in 1671, and they have been a stopping point for travelers ever since.
Thorny Mountain’s Lookout Tower
The Thorny Mountain Fire Tower within the Seneca State Forest in West Virginia is one of the few lookout towers that you can reserve and stay at!
Exploring the Highland Scenic Highway
The Highland Scenic Highway is one of the most underrated scenic byways in West Virginia.
Exploring Red Ash
Red Ash is one of many ghost towns at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia and is accessible from an easy hike on an old railroad.
Winter at America’s Newest National Park: New River Gorge
After a warm and mostly snowless December, January has produced one snowstorm after another. Taking advantage of the last storm over the past few days, I camped out near Fayetteville, West Virginia, and captured New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Thurmond, the Glade Creek Grist Mill at Babcock State Park, and various other scenes.
Summer Showers Showcase Unexpected Waterfalls
Typically, hot and dry summer months result in diminishing streamflows throughout Appalachia, making decent waterfall photography only possible after heavy rains. But this has been one exceptional year as parts of Appalachia have received nearly six inches more rain over normal for the prior three months, and bounties have abounded in central West Virginia.
Sunsets at Sandstone Falls
It's never a wrong time to visit Sandstone Falls at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia.
Arlington Falls and Fidler’s Mill
Earlier in the spring, while visiting nearby cascades along Flatwoods Run, I came upon the historic Fidler's Mill in the unincorporated community of Arlington, West Virginia. Scrambling down onto large boulders, the gray clapboard, and board-and-batten-sided mill bracketed a wide 10-foot-high cascade along the Little Kanawha River.
Exploring Pipestem Falls
I had long passed by Pipestem Falls alongside WV Route 20 near Hinton, West Virginia, but never bothered to stop as the waterfalls were barely visible from the overlook. That has changed in recent years with the clearing of brush and trees along Pipestem Creek, opening up views of the reclusive cascades, although the best views of Lower Pipestem Falls require a scramble down rocks from makeshift paths at the overlook.