Welcome to…Travel Thursday! Yes, Thursday instead of Tuesday, because if I wait for only Tuesdays to post about my travels, it may take me til somewhere in 2020 to write about my entire road trip! (There are still several posts from 2017 to pre-road-trip that I’ve yet to write about…)
Sooo I’ll be virtually bringing you to Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia! (Aka the first “hike” I did on my cross-country road trip!)
I wouldn’t really call this a “hike” so much as it is…a walk in the park to the viewing area for Blackwater Falls (a 57 foot waterfall!). I didn’t have too much time on my hands because I was also headed to Seneca Rocks (post coming out on Tuesday!) that afternoon, so I opted for the “best bang for my buck” trail.
Blackwater Falls Boardwalk Trail
I first wanted to visit this place because I saw some seriously gorgeous photos of the waterfalls on Instagram (and you know I love my waterfalls…). I’ve come to the conclusion that they’ve probably mostly been super edited because the water was way clearer in the photos than in person.
Butttt I should’ve known this because the river here is called Blackwater due to the reddish-brown appearance of the water–it makes the water look kinda dirty even though it isn’t, and it’s because of the tannins in nearby plants (e.g. red spruce, Eastern hemlock, sphagnum moss)!
Distance: 0.4 miles out + back
Duration: 1 hr + 10 minutes – 2 hrs
Elevation: 131 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Admission: Free
Parking: Free
Trailhead Address:Ā 1584 Blackwater Falls Rd, Davis, WV 26260
The Boardwalk Trail starts at the Trading Post parking area and leads you to a boardwalk (as the name suggests) that’ll bring you up close to Blackwater Falls. The mist will start to hit you as you get closer–it’s rather refreshing on a hot day!
There are >200 steps so if you don’t like stairs or need something that’s handicap-accessible, I wouldn’t recommend this. Otherwise, you’re good to go!
There were a ton of people sitting on benches outside the lodge eating ice cream and it was a tad hard to resist, so I grabbed a wild blackberry ice cream from the lodge after my walk!
- Ever been to a place that looked suuuuper different in real life than when compared to Instagram and Google images?
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That’s a bummer the photos online are edited – but it still sounds like a cool waterfall to check out. And that ice cream looks awesome!!
-Lauren
ShootingStarsMag recently posted…The Taste of Bunbury
It was still a fun break and the ice cream was super tasty, so all good! :]
Thanks for the tip! Look forward to visiting!
Yay! I hope you have fun! All the shade was definitely nice! :P
WOW what a gorgeous trail! Also super jealous of that tasty cone! The perfect way to end a walk :)
Thanks! That’s one of my favorite ways to end a walk/hike, haha. :P
that is beautiful scenery and the ice cream too lol
hehehe, thank you! :]
What a lovely summer hike. Lots of stairs, but looks worth it!
One of the hikes I’m doing tomorrow apparently has 2744 stairs, so hopefully I survive!! :O!
Looks like youāve been up to some great adventures !
It’s definitely been a fun month! :D More to come!!
Gorgeous! The views AND the ice cream. ;)
A lot of our springs and bodies of water here have that same coloring. They are so clean, but I do prefer when the water runs crystal clear. Easier to see the snakes and gators!
hehehe :D gotta treat yo’self!
I prefer it clear too–that’s definitely a good point about the snakes/gators!! :o
Beautiful spot! It is hard to wrap your head around the fact that the water is actually clean despite the coloring.
haha, agreed! Made me feel better about the mist coming from the waterfall as I was walking closer! :P
It’s funny how the water looks “dirty” to us — it helps to know what the color comes from. 200 steps is a lot! The ice cream looks amazing!
It definitely helped! (I’m glad I read the signs or I’d be cursing people for polluting the water, hahaha.) I’m headed for a climb in Colorado tomorrow that’s over 2700 steps so I hope I survive it (fingers crossed!).
What a great place to go and clear your mind. Lucky you ;) Love woods and nature like this. I see you had great time.
Thanks! I definitely did! :] Being outside makes my soul happy!
Looks like an awesome place to visit. I want to go! Thanks for sharing.
I hope you get to go sometime! :]!
Thanks for sharing! The ice cream looks super good. :)
Thanks for stopping by! The ice cream was definitely good! :]!!
This looks like such a beautiful place to visit! I will definitely check it out next time I’m in the area!!
Yay! I hope you enjoy it out there! :]
What a fun travel guide! Looks like a delightful place to visit!
It was definitely a fun stop! :]