Stumbled upon the location above entirely on accident. I was in the area with the intention to check out another waterfall further down stream.
Douglas Falls further down North Fork Blackwater River
I would like to note that I have no idea why the water is blue. I am thinking copper but it could really be anything. This said, I don’t recommend swimming. Also, all the rocks were really slippery. There were a couple of angles of the waterfalls I wanted to get, but didn’t trust my footing enough to get them. I had been wearing hiking boots. If you check this place out, only go as far as you feel you can. There was this one crossing near where I had been standing in the photo above that that had a shallow flow, but if I were to cross and slip for whatever reason there was a slim chance, I’d flow down stream towards the other waterfalls, a chance you shouldn’t take.
Douglas Falls
There are different lights in my shots because I stumbled upon this spot a little too late to explore this area to my heart’s content. There is a parking lot, but there was also this small spot a little further down the road past that parking lot.
Morning was beautiful, still, and foggy
Further down the road here, there are a couple more waterfalls. Please use caution when attempting these trails. The trails are steep, though fortunately there are ropes in toward the end at the really steep sections. That out of the way, the trails will be on the left less then a mile from the parking lot and marked with…I want to say blue tape. If the markers are no longer here, I do apologize for wasting your time, though the narrow trail should still exist down the the falls, hopefully still with the ropes.
Kennedy Falls
Got one more peak of the gem before I left the area.
Albert Falls
| Name | Albert Falls Douglas Falls Kennedy Falls |
| Location | Thomas, WV |
| Trailhead/Parking | 39.125579, -79.518529 |
| Trail Name | Blackwater Canyon Trail – Douglas & Kennedy Falls Rail Falls Road – Albert Falls |
| Hike Length | Albert Falls – 0.2 Miles on Rail Falls Road (Walk back, upstream on the road for 0.2 Miles) Douglas Falls – <0.1 Miles on Rail Falls Road, Blackwater Canyon Trail for a few feet, and then down an unnamed trail with ropes (can’t miss it). Kennedy Falls – 0.4 – 0.7 Miles on Blackwater Canyon Trail down stream to a unnamed trail on the left in which will be very steep, but worth. |
Side Notes:
- There is space for one car to park next to Albert Falls, which is what I did, but if it is more than just you, the parking lot marked above would be ideal.
