What is West Virginia’s most famous waterfall? If you said “Blackwater Falls,” we’d have to agree with you. This 60-foot cascade is the star and namesake of West Virginia’s most visited state park. But there are other waterfalls in Blackwater Falls State Park that are also well worth a visit, and Elakala Falls, located just steps from Blackwater Falls Lodge, is one of them.

Just a short walk from the Blackwater Falls State Park Lodge is a charming wooden footbridge that crosses Shays Run, a small creek that cascades down into Blackwater Canyon.
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And if you were to take that short walk to that charming footbridge, and look down over its rails, do you know what you would discover?
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A 35-foot waterfall - the first waterfall in a series of four cascades that make up Elakala Falls.
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As the second most visited falls in Blackwater Falls State Park, this first Elakala Falls is by far the most famous of the four. That's partly because it's so easy to reach; the other three falls are downstream into Blackwater Canyon and barely accessible, even for experienced hikers.
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Like neighboring Blackwater Falls, Elakala Falls also sports colored water, dyed dark amber by tannins from the hemlock trees that stand guard over these waters.
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You can see why photographers, hikers, and nature enthusiasts love this spot: it's a beautiful scene, whether the water is roaring after a recent rain...
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...or is down to a mere trickle after a dry spell.
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Have you taken the short trek to bask in the beauty of this waterfall that is so frequently overshadowed by Blackwater Falls?

To learn more about this half-mile trail (or even less, if you just go to the bridge), visit the West Virginia State Park’s page on Blackwater Falls State Park. This is just one of the many reasons Blackwater Falls State Park makes the perfect, all-inclusive Mountain State getaway!

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Elakala Trail, Blackwater Falls, 1584 Blackwater Lodge Rd, Davis, WV 26260, USA