Start your trip at a highlight of the Monongahela National Forest, the Falls of Hills Creek, located just off West Virginia Route 39. Follow the 1.3-mile out-and-back trail down a narrow gorge to spectacular views of 3 different waterfalls, with each one being larger than the last. They cascade from heights of 20, 45 and 65 feet; the last is the second highest in West Virginia.

Enjoy the views from the Highland Scenic Highway on the drive of just over an hour to the next destination. Whitaker Falls offers a much different experience than the previous stop. It is a smaller series of cascades located on a much wider, calmer stream, and offers a great chance to relax and take in the beautiful greenery surrounding the falls.

An hour’s drive will bring you to Mill Creek Falls of Kumbrabow. Enter Kumbrabow State Forest and follow signs to Mill Creek Falls, then take the wooden steps down to a more secluded feeling waterfall that falls from 20 feet high into the pool below. This area is a popular swimming hole and Mill Creek is considered by many to be one of the best native brook trout streams in West Virginia.

About an hour and a half drive from the Kumbrabow State Forest and on Shaver’s Mountain is where you can find the High Falls of the Cheat. These falls are some of the most distinct in the mountain state due to their short height but width of over 100 feet and the horseshoe-shaped rocks they flow over. Viewing the power of these falls does require the most work of any on this trip, as you will have to hike 7 miles with a steady grade increase.

Another hour’s drive will bring you to another secluded waterfall that requires a hike to reach, Seneca Creek Falls. If you make the 5-mile trek that passes multiple streams, you will be rewarded with a majestic waterfall seemingly straight out of a dream at the base of the highest peak in West Virginia, Spruce Knob.

It is just under an hour’s drive to the last three waterfalls on this journey since they are all contained within Blackwater Falls State Park, just outside the charming small town of Davis, WV. The Falls of Pendleton may be the lesser known of the three but is absolutely worth a stop. You can view Pendleton Run cascading down over moss-covered cliffs from further away at a roadside overlook across Blackwater Canyon, or get a much closer glimpse if you take a slightly more rigorous and steep hike directly down to the falls.

Also found in Blackwater Falls State Park is Elakala Falls, which is actually a series of 4 waterfalls. Elakala Trail is a half-mile path that begins by the Blackwater Falls Lodge and provides several spectacular views of these beautiful waterfalls.

End this tour of West Virginia waterfalls at one of, if not, the state’s most iconic, Blackwater Falls is always a sight to behold, regardless of the season. The Blackwater River, which gets its name from its dark amber color caused by the tannic acid of fallen hemlock and red spruce needles, plunges 57 feet, creating a powerful but awe-inspiring scene.