Cathedral Falls flows down a series of ledges dropping 60 ft into a small natural amphitheater. Considered by many as West Virginia's most scenic waterfall it's also one of the most accessible as it sits alongside the winding US 60. For a good view of the falls you need only slow down as you drive by. Or like many people I saw, just pull in the small parking lot, have a quick look through the windshield, then drive away. But for the best view just cross the small footbridge over the creek and take the very short path up to the base.
Just by searching through Google images of Cathedral Falls you will see many of those perfect waterfall shots everyone tries to create. Cathedral Falls has that great shape and series of drops along with a nice flow that makes it very ideal for pictures. Seeing so many beautiful photos, had left me really wanting to visit the falls one day; hoping for a chance to make my own great shot. So after we decided to finally make it back up to Ohio to see family, swinging by Cathedral Falls immediately crossed my mind.
On our way to Ohio we had decided to stop and spend the night, breaking the 9 hour drive in half. Well, suppose to be 9 hours. Our kids have a wonderful way of turning any drive into something much longer and annoying. Luckily, halfway to Ohio happened to be pretty close to Cathedral Falls and we spent the night in the nearby town of Fayetteville, WV.
Visiting Fayetteville turned out to be a good time but way too short. After all, it's the coolest small town. At least that is what their road sign told me. We were able to squeeze in a trip to Canyon Rim Visitor Center to see the New River Gorge Bridge, Cathedral Falls, and a short stop at Hawk's Nest State Park all in one afternoon. Lastly, we stopped at Pies and Pints for dinner. The pizza was very good and their kid's menu ham sandwich was the most amazing kid's sandwich I had ever seen. Great bread, real ham, and a beautiful presentation. Jokes aside it was too fancy for my kids and when they brought it out I knew I would be eating it because my kids mostly want to eat crap (not literally). After dinner and a beer it was off to the motel and on to Ohio in the morning. There were a few things nearby I would have really liked to do with more time and no kids. The Endless Wall trail looked very interesting as you get to climb ladders down through caves and hiking through the gorge and some of the old mining towns would have been fun.
But back to my photo. Well, I tried to get a great shot. However, being the genius that I am, I left the quick release plate for my tripod at the motel. Not being able to attach my camera and tripod, I tried my best to steady the camera. Unfortunately most of my pics came out blurry. A few came out okay but I didn't really get that great shot I was hoping for. Either way it was still a great day, minus the car rides, and Cathedral Falls was a beautiful sight.
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| New River Gorge Bridge |
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| New River Gorge |
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| View from Hawk's Nest State Park |
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