Crabtree Falls

Crabtree Falls has been on our bucket list for as long as we can remember. It was always just out of our reach, because of its somewhat remote location. This time, after a covid vacation visit with David's uncle Don & Aunt Jill in Amherst, VA, we realized that Crabtree Falls was on our way to our next destination and decided to check it out.

Crabtree Falls is in the Geoge Washington National Forest in Massies Mill, VA and apparently, it is one of the tallest waterfalls on this side of the Mississippi. From Northern Virginia it is about a 3 hour drive. There is a Crabtree Falls campground nearby, as well as various cabins. We chose to visit on a Thursday in the middle of the Covid pandemic. There were about 10 or so other families hiking in the area, but for the most part we were alone.

The hike is 1.8 miles and the well marked trail meanders though the George Washington National Forest. The trail is mostly next to sections of the waterfall. We visited after a couple of storms had passed through, but the water level was low, it was not a huge gushing waterfall. The hike is marked with the distance every 10th of a mile. The well shaded hike is straight up ,but there are a lot of switchbacks, stairs made of stone and wood. The path is narrow and not too steep. My mother had no problem , though she is fit for her age.

We started our hike by the campground, which is near the base of the falls. There is a fee of $5, where you are on the honor system to place the money in an envelope and drop it off in a little box. There are bathrooms near the trail head. Around mile marker .7 there is a little cave. Which was very useful for us, since it began to rain. We decided to not hike beyond the last viewing point of the waterfall near the top ( mile marker 1.6). You can choose to retrace your steps back , as we did, or do a much longer loop. Since we started at the base, we hiked straight up, there is an option to start from the top of the falls and hike down. The complete hike took us about 2 hours total at a very slow and comfortable pace.

This is a good trail if you are in the area. In my opinion, it's not worth a huge detour. If the waterfalls were stronger or fuller, then I would change my mind. Dogs are allowed on leash. Also, the falls area is very slippery and there have been many deaths from adventurous folks tumbling down to the bottom. This is definitely not the place to swim under the falls. There were lots of signs requesting the hikers to stay on the trails in order to protect the habitats, due to this, Axel was mostly on leash. There were lots of benches to rest and enjoy the views throughout the hike, we only noticed picnic benches next to the bridge on the way back to the main road, after you leave the parking area.

https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/crabtree-falls-trail.htm