A Pilgrimage Through the Blue Ridge, the Alleghenies, and the Wild Edges of the Commonwealth
From the moss-draped hollows of Shenandoah National Park to the limestone cliffs of the Allegheny Highlands, the state’s waterfalls feel like living altars—places where the mountains exhale, where the forest gathers itself, where the traveler remembers they are made of movement and light.
This guide is for the seekers.
The wanderers.
The ones who travel not just to see, but to feel.
Below are ten of the most gorgeous waterfalls in Virginia—each with its own mood, its own rhythm, its own invitation. Some are gentle veils. Some are thunderous plunges.
Whether you are a Forest Mystic seeking silence or a Majestic Icon hunter looking for the grandest views, this list of Virginia’s 10 most stunning falls will guide you home.
Please note: We judge waterfalls by their full potential. All of these photos were taken during high-water periods.
Falling Spring Falls: The Panoramic Showstopper
Rising 80 feet against the Alleghany horizon, this is the “curtain-raiser” of Virginia waterfalls. This spring-fed masterpiece plunges over a sheer travertine cliff, a sight so moving that Thomas Jefferson himself famously described it as “remarkable.”
The moment you step out at the overlook, the world seems to widen. The air feels different here — charged, elevated, almost ceremonial. The cliff face glows in warm tones, the mist rises like a veil, and the valley below stretches out in rolling waves of forest and farmland.
This is a waterfall that doesn’t just impress you — it expands you.
It carries the unmistakable energy of revelation. Perspective. Higher vision.
Falling Spring is the kind of place where people instinctively pause, breathe deeper, and see their life from a vantage point they didn’t know they needed. It’s cinematic, iconic, and deeply symbolic — a perfect embodiment of travel as awakening, nature as teacher, landscape as mirror.
- The Vibe: High-impact grandeur with zero hiking required.
- Best For: The Road Trip Connoisseur looking for that perfect Appalachian horizon.
- Location: Alleghany County, north of Covington.
- The Complete Guide
Cascade Falls: The Majestic Icon
If there is a “holy grail” for hikers in Southwest Virginia, it is the Cascades.
Lower Cascades is one of those waterfalls that feels like it was pulled straight from a childhood memory — a place that’s both cinematic and comforting, wild and welcoming. The trail winds through rhododendron tunnels and soft forest light until the gorge opens, revealing a waterfall that pours into a deep, emerald pool framed by sandstone cliffs.
Everything about this place feels storybook.
The water drops in a clean, elegant sheet, gathering in a basin that glows turquoise on bright days and deep jade on cloudy ones. The amphitheater of rock around it creates a natural sanctuary — a bowl of sound, light, and cool air that feels like a hidden room inside the mountain.
Lower Cascades doesn’t overwhelm you. It restores you.
It’s the kind of waterfall where generations of Hokies linger, hikers wade into the pool, and travelers sit on warm stone just to breathe a little deeper. It’s accessible, inviting, and emotionally soft — a waterfall that feels like a gentle reset. Nature as medicine, movement as meaning, and the belief that some landscapes heal simply by being themselves.
- The Vibe: Powerful, classic, and undeniably grand.
- Best For: Those who want to see the “must-see” highlight of the Blue Ridge.
- Location: Jefferson National Forest, near Blacksburg.
- The Complete Guide
Upper Falls of Little Stony: The Storybook Adventurer
Upper Falls is the waterfall that defines Stony Creek — a tall, elegant plunge framed by towering rock walls and a wooden footbridge that feels like a portal into another world. The water drops in a clean, powerful sheet into a calm, reflective pool, creating a perfect balance of force and serenity.
This is a waterfall that speaks.
The amphitheater of stone around it amplifies the sound into a deep, resonant hum — not loud, but commanding. The pool below glows in shades of jade and silver, depending on the light, and the surrounding cliffs feel like the ribs of the mountain itself.
Upper Falls is a place of clarity. A place where the land feels wise. A place where the forest seems to pause and listen.
It embodies the belief that some landscapes don’t just show you beauty — they show you truth.
- The Vibe: Whimsical, curated by nature, and perfectly framed.
- Best For: Photographers and dreamers looking for a scenic escape.
- Location: Little Stony National Recreation Trail.
- The Complete Guide
Falls of Naked Creek #2: The Forest Mystic
Deep in the Central District of Shenandoah, this 40-foot plunging curtain is a secret altar for the soul. There are no trails here; reaching it requires a steep, meditative bushwhack through the wild.
Falls of Naked Creek #2 is one of Shenandoah’s most elusive waterfalls — a place you don’t stumble upon, but earn through careful navigation and deep respect for the land. There is no official trail here. Reaching it requires bushwhacking through dense forest, reading the terrain, and moving with the kind of presence that backcountry travel demands.
And maybe that’s why the waterfall feels the way it does.
When you finally reach the creek and follow its voice downstream, the forest begins to soften. Light filters through the canopy in thin, golden threads. Moss thickens. The air cools. And then, almost shyly, the waterfall reveals itself — a silken sheet of water gliding over stone into a quiet, glowing pool.
This is not a waterfall that performs. It unfolds — slowly, gently, in its own time.
Naked Creek #2 rewards those who move with intention, humility, and respect for the wild.
- The Vibe: Absolute silence, heavy mist, and primitive magic.
- Best For: The hiker seeking a “thin place” where the map ends and the spirit begins.
- Location: Shenandoah National Park (Off-trail).
- The Complete Guide
Falls of Big Creek #3: The Trailblazer
This is the ultimate test of the Appalachian explorer. A massive, roaring tiered powerhouse that requires a strenuous bushwhack through dense mountain laurel.
Falls of Deep Creek #3 is one of Shenandoah’s most untamed waterfalls — a place you don’t simply visit, but enter into. There is no trail here. Reaching it requires true bushwhacking: reading the land, following the sound of water, moving with intention through dense forest, and respecting every step of the terrain.
And then, suddenly, the quiet breaks.
The waterfall announces itself long before you see it — a deep, resonant roar echoing through the hollow. When you finally push through the last curtain of green, the falls explode into view: a powerful, muscular sheet of water hammering down a dark rock face, sending mist into the air like breath from the mountain itself.
This is not a gentle cascade. This is a force.
The air vibrates. The ground hums. The water commands the space.
Everything about Deep Creek #3 feels elemental — a reminder that nature is not always soft, and transformation is not always quiet. It’s the perfect embodiment of the belief that some landscapes don’t soothe you… they change you.
- The Vibe: Unfiltered hydraulic force in a wild, unmarked canyon.
- Best For: The rugged adventurer who views a lack of trail as an invitation.
- Location: Shenandoah National Park (Off-trail).
- The Complete Guide
Doyles River Falls #1: The Wilderness Wanderer
The first act of a spectacular water show in the South District of Shenandoah. This tiered waterfall tumbles into a basin of ancient boulders, far from the busier central trails.
Upper Doyles River Falls is a waterfall that doesn’t arrive all at once — it unfolds. Tier by tier, stone by stone, the water descends through a lush, shaded corridor of deep green, glowing with that unmistakable Shenandoah blue‑white shimmer. The forest here feels thick and breathing, the kind of place where the air cools instantly, and the light softens into something almost otherworldly.
This is a waterfall that teaches you to pay attention.
The upper tiers slip over moss‑lined rock in smooth, silky sheets. Lower tiers tumble more energetically, catching the light in bright flashes. Together, they create a cascade that feels alive in multiple directions — vertical, horizontal, inward, outward.
It’s not loud. It’s not forceful. It’s awakening.
Upper Doyles River Falls carries that rare blend of gentleness and vitality — the sense that something inside you is being stirred, not shaken. It’s the kind of waterfall that invites you to slow down, explore each tier, and let the forest reveal its layers at the same pace the water reveals its own.
This is the belief that some landscapes awaken you not with a single moment, but with a sequence of them.
- The Vibe: Intimate, rhythmic, and deeply Appalachian.
- Best For: Hikers who want to “earn their beauty” with a heart-pumping climb.
- Location: Shenandoah National Park, Milepost 81.1.
- The Complete Guide
Tank Hollow Falls: The Hidden Gem
A 60-foot secret hidden near the globally rare Cleveland Barrens, Tank Hollow balances dramatic height with incredible accessibility via a short, gravel path.
Tank Hollow Falls is one of those waterfalls that doesn’t try to impress you — it invites you inward. Tucked in the forest close to town, this slender ribbon of water slips down a tall, shadowed rock face into a hushed ravine where sound softens and time stretches.
It’s not a waterfall you hear from far away. It’s one you discover.
The approach feels like entering a natural chapel — the air cools, the light dims, and the forest seems to lean in close. When the waterfall appears, it feels less like a destination and more like a presence. The water falls in a thin, elegant line, catching the light in silver flashes before disappearing into a quiet pool below.
Tank Hollow Falls is subtle, contemplative, and deeply atmospheric. It’s a place where the mind settles, and the inner voice grows louder.
This is the belief that some landscapes don’t activate you — they attune you.
- The Vibe: Undiscovered beauty tucked away in a biodiversity hotspot.
- Best For: Finding “locals-only” peace without the strenuous trek.
- Location: Cleveland, Russell County.
- The Complete Guide
Roaring Run Falls: The Industrial Time-Traveler
Where history meets the stream. The hike takes you past a 19th-century iron furnace before arriving at a 30-foot cascade fanning over layered sandstone.
Roaring Run Falls is one of those rare Blue Ridge cascades that feels alive in every direction — water rushing over smooth stone, sunlight flickering through hemlock branches, and the trail weaving beside the creek like a companion. This isn’t a single waterfall so much as a journey of water, a corridor of slides, chutes, and small drops that build toward the final cascade.
The whole place hums with movement.
The water doesn’t fall in a dramatic plunge — it dances. It tumbles over angled rock in a wide, frothy rush that feels playful and bright, like the mountain is laughing. The sound is energetic but not overwhelming, a rhythmic roar that fills the gorge with a sense of vitality.
Roaring Run is the kind of waterfall that wakes up your inner child. It invites you to wander, splash, linger, and explore. It’s a place where the forest feels friendly, and the water feels alive.
This is the belief that some landscapes don’t just heal you — they lift you.
- The Vibe: A “two-for-one” experience of Appalachian history and mountain water.
- Best For: Families and history buffs who love a storied landscape.
- Location: Eagle Rock, Botetourt County.
- The Complete Guide
Lower Shamokin Falls: The Wilderness Seeker
Located at the base of the Shamokin Gorge, these tiered cascades serve as the grand finale to a deep-forest trek. The trail winds through ancient hemlocks and sugar maples, ending at a moss-slicked sanctuary.
Lower Shamokin Falls is a waterfall that feels like it’s been quietly tending the forest for centuries. Instead of a dramatic plunge, the water spreads itself across a wide, moss‑draped rock face, flowing in soft, silky ribbons that glow against the deep green of the surrounding foliage.
This is a waterfall that nurtures.
The scene is intimate — a tucked‑away pocket of the mountain where everything feels close, alive, and breathing. Fallen branches rest across the rocks like offerings. Moss blankets every surface in thick, velvety green. The water moves with a gentle persistence, smoothing stone, feeding roots, and weaving its way through the forest with quiet devotion.
There’s no spectacle here. No grand reveal. Just the steady, ancient work of water shaping the world.
Lower Shamokin embodies the belief that some landscapes restore you simply by existing.
- The Vibe: Raw, unpolished, and completely secluded.
- Best For: Those looking to leave the resort crowds behind for the quiet of the gorge.
- Location: Wintergreen Resort area.
- The Complete Guide
Falls Run Waterfall: The Patient Pilgrim
The quietest reward in the George Washington National Forest.
For the traveler who finds beauty in the journey as much as the destination, Falls Run offers a masterclass in rhythmic serenity. Tucked away in the remote ridges of the George Washington National Forest, this waterfall is the quiet reward at the end of a long, contemplative trek. Unlike the thunderous, high-volume plunges found elsewhere in the state, Falls Run is characterized by its gentle, dancing flow.
Falls Run Waterfall is tall, but its spirit is soft. Instead of roaring or charging, the water glides down the rock face in a smooth, luminous sheet, creating a waterfall that feels more like a breath than a burst.
- The Vibe: Remote solitude and the soft whisper of water over stone.
- Best For: The meditative hiker who finds joy in the transition of a long walk.
- Location: Remote ridges of the George Washington National Forest.
- The Complete Guide
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Why Waterfalls Stop Us
There is something about a waterfall that interrupts motion.
People who have been hiking for hours suddenly stop talking.
People who rushed the trail without noticing trees slow their pace.
Even the most goal-driven traveler instinctively pauses when water drops from height.
This reaction is older than tourism. Waterfalls are not just scenic features; they are natural punctuation marks in the landscape. They signal a moment where gravity, geology, and time converge in a visible act. Something has been moving for thousands of years, and for a brief moment, you are standing inside that motion.
Virginia is uniquely suited to this experience. The state’s folded mountains, limestone valleys, and ancient river systems create waterfalls that feel earned rather than engineered. Many require walking. Some demand patience. A few reveal themselves only after you’ve committed to the trail.
This guide is not a race, a ranking, or a social-media checklist.
It is a field guide to slowing down—to visiting waterfalls as places, not backdrops. Each entry focuses not only on how to get there, but on how to arrive well: when to go, how long to stay, and what kind of attention the place rewards.
Some of these waterfalls are famous. Others remain quietly powerful. All of them offer the same invitation:
Stop moving.
Let the land finish its sentence.
Words of Caution
Virginia is a large State with long distances between waterfalls, often requiring driving over curvy backroads in mountainous terrain. It is challenging to photograph every waterfall in full flow, especially after or during heavy rain. Do not rush, and please drive safely!
When venturing off-trail to visit some of the waterfalls on our list, please prepare yourself using our “Bushwhacking Guide“. It’s rough out there!
