Are you curious about waterfalls in West Virginia? It's only natural, seeing as the Mountain State is home to some 275 wondrous waterfalls! If chasing waterfalls throughout the Mountain State is one of your favorite things to do, then Valley Falls is one you simply can't ignore. The forever waterfall cascades downhill for a half mile before leveling off again at the bottom. The sights and sounds of Valley Falls on the Tygart River bring hundreds to this out-of-the-way natural wonder each day by way of the Valley Falls State Park just outside of Fairmont.
The falls drop ever so slightly in a series of cascades and rapids that make this one of the most spectacular waterfalls to see (and hear!) in person. Upstream, prior to the start of Valley Falls, the Tygart River is usually as smooth as glass.
Until, the thunderous drop of the first rapid!
From there, wow... it's a continuous downhill cascade where the river surprisingly changes from wide to skinny — and then back to wide.
Several viewpoints provide a front row seat for the waterfall action.
The state park is filled with trails to discover even more views of Valley Falls' continuous waterfall activity.
And that's not all to see: this whole park rests on what used to be the community of Valley Falls (now a ghost town). Only a portion of a grist mill remains of a small town that had a ferry, a post office, shops, a school and more. Two major floods wiped the community off the map, except for a few ruins of the grist mill.
Want to visit it in person? Finding Valley Falls State Park can be a bit of a challenge; it's located on a winding little road that turns off Country Club Road (WV 310) in Fairmont. The address is 720 Valley Falls Road, Fairmont, WV, 26554. Learn more on the official website of West Virginia State Parks.
After a visit to Valley Falls State Park, head into the city of Fairmont for delicious ice cream served in enormous portions at Dairy Cream Corner!
And if visiting Valley Falls State Park piqued your interest, skip the "waterfalls near me in West Virginia" Google search; instead, check out our epic West Virginia waterfall road trip!
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