Pipestem Falls

Pipestem Falls is a 30-foot roadside waterfall on Pipestem Creek in Summers County.  There is a small roadside park along WV-20; it is close to but not in Pipestem Resort State Park.

Hike Length: < 0.1 miles
Estimated Time: < 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy (Difficult to base)
Location: Pipestem Falls Park
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: Moderate
Warnings: The rocks around waterfalls are slippery.  The climb down to the base is very steep.
Trailhead GPS: 37.54844, -80.95964
Waterfall GPS: 37.54779, -80.95963

Directions:

From Athens, head north on WV-20 for about 10 miles and Pipestem Falls Park will be on the right.  It is about 2.5 miles after the main entrance for Pipestem Resort State Park.  There is a small parking area on the side of the road.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the parking area, there is an obscured view of the falls.  A short trail leads to the top and some scenic cascades above the main drop.

There's a nice view of looking over the top of the waterfall, but its not possible to see any of the main drop from here.

Getting to the base of the main lower drop is much more difficult.  From the north end of the parking area, an obvious path heads down to the creek.  It is very steep with loose rock and lots of garbage.  Once at the creek, rock up to the base of the falls.

Blog Entries:

30-Jul-2020: Overlooks and Falls in New River Gorge