Waterfalls and Autumn Colors - West Virginia - Part 1

Last October we made a day trip to the Canaan Valley area of West Virginia to see several waterfalls and the autumn colors. This topic will be covered in two posts. This post features Blackwater Falls and Lindy Point in Blackwater Falls State Park near Davis, WV.

Blackwater Falls State Park

Blackwater Falls is a 60′ waterfall at the head of the Blackwater Canyon. The river is named for the dark colored water caused by the leaching of tannins from the decaying leaves of vegetation (primarily fallen needles from stands of eastern hemlock and red spruce). The falls are viewed from a series of stairs and viewing platforms (214 steps down to the lowest platform) that allow visitors to enjoy views of the waterfall. There is also an accessible viewing platform across the canyon. In our opinion, the best view of the falls is from the middle viewing platform (which is where the featured photo was taken), not the lowest. In the Additional Images section below there are photos of Blackwater Falls taken from the middle platform, the lower platform, and the accessible platform, as well as a photo of the accessible platform from the steps near the lower platform.

Lindy Point

Going from Blackwater Falls to the Lindy Point trailhead, we paused twice at pull-offs to photograph the autumn colors. (Note that the parking area at the trailhead is small, with room for only 4-5 cars.) Lindy Point is an easy 0.4 mile hike from the parking area at the trailhead and the view in the fall can be breathtaking. At 3,000 feet above Blackwater Canyon, Lindy Point is the most popular overlook in the park. There is an observation platform at Lindy Point that provides a fantastic view to the north and there is an adjacent rock that provides nice views to the east.

Some photos from the pullouts and Lindy Point Overlook are included in the Additional Images section below. The featured image and the images in the Additional Images section below are all HDR images made from three identical images taken at different exposures. (For an explanation of these techniques, please see the Definitions page.)