Fallingwater Cascades (Peaks of Otter)

Fallingwater Cascades is a series of cascades and slides on Fallingwater Creek in Botetourt County, Virginia.  The waterfall is located in the Glendwood-Pedlar Ranger District of Jefferson National Forest, but is accessed from Peaks of Otter along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Hike Length: 1.4 miles
Estimated Time: 1 to 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Glendwood-Pedlar Ranger District of Jefferson National Forest
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: Moderate
Warnings: The rocks around waterfall are very slippery.
Trailhead GPS: 37.47310,-79.58054
Waterfall GPS: 37.47642,-79.58152

Directions:

From Roanoke, head east on US-460 for about 8 miles and go right to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Turn right to go northbound on the parkway and drive 22.8 miles to Fallingwater Cascades Parking Area on the left at milepost 83.1.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the parking area, go left on the Fallingwater-Flat Top National Recreation Trail, which descends to Fallingwater Creek at about 0.2 miles.  This is right at the top of the waterfall.

The trail descends along the waterfall on river right.  About half-way down, a path leads out to the top of the biggest drop.

You can view the upper cascading portion of the waterfall from here.

Continue on the trail to come out at the base of the main drop.

The trail continues downstream a short ways, then crosses the creek and gradually ascends back up to finish the loop.

Blog Entries:

03-Oct-2020: Peaks of Otter Hikes

12-Oct-2014: Peaks of Otter Waterfalls

External Links:

National Park Service website: https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/peaks-otter-trails.htm