Kates Falls (New River)

Kates Falls is a 25-foot waterfall on Kates Branch, a tributary of Glade Creek in Raleigh County, West Virginia.  The waterfall is located in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

Hike Length: 9.2 miles
Estimated Time: 3 to 4 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (1+)
Crowds: Moderate
Warnings: The rocks around waterfalls are very slippery.
Trailhead GPS: 37.82739,-81.01042
Waterfall GPS: 37.77518,-81.03143

Directions:

From Beckley, head north on WV-41 for about 5 miles and turn right to stay on WV-41.  Drive 3.9 miles down and turn right just before the bridge over New River onto Glade Creek Road, which is gravel.  Follow this for 5.6 miles to Glade Creek Campground.  There is trail parking straight ahead or to the right.

Note that it is a shorter hike to the falls parking at the upper trailhead, but requires a high-clearance 4WD.

Map:

Hike Description:

Pick up Glade Creek Trail at the south end of the parking area and follow the creek upstream on river left.  The trail passes Glade Creek Falls in about 1 mile.  At about 3 miles, the trail crosses the creek on a footbridge and continues up river right side.

At 4.5 miles from the trailhead, cross Kates Branch and look for Kates Falls Trail on the left.  This trail leads 0.1 miles to the waterfall.

You can scramble around on the rocks to view from different angles.

It's a shorter hike coming down from the upper trailhead, about 1 mile on the right.

Here's a video of the falls.

Blog Entries:

27-May-2023: Glade Creek Hike

External Links:

National Park Service website: https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/glade-creek-trails.htm