Crabtree Falls: Nelson County, VA

An arching bridge over the River Tye.

No lack of waterfall related infrastructure here.

As one of the east coast's highest waterfalls Crabtree Falls is a popular attraction.  It's a developed trail: stairways, handrails, and fencing make the trail accessible to almost everyone, but they also mar the natural beauty of the falls.

Shadow the Dog loves ascending mountains, and we found plenty of climbing here.   We started from the Route 56 parking area and made our way to the Meadows Lane parking area, where this trail meets up with the Appalachian Trail.  Our route took us up about 1400 feet in three miles.  You can see our route here, and there's an interactive map below.

Crabtree Falls is a series of cascading waterfalls that tumble down the rocks.  The whole extent of the falls is never visible all at once and it's surprising to see how many huge cascades make up the falls.


There are many overlooks alongside the falls.  As we climbed the 1000 feet to the top of the falls we found ourselves rejoining Crabtree Creek no fewer than seven times as it fell.  Basically each switch back is anchored in a viewing platform of some kind.

Nice tree, Shadow.

Because of the cold winter, the falls were covered in ice, with the rushing water cutting a path through the thick icy coating.  That also means there was lots of slippery ice on the trail and the overlooks.  Shadow and I each walked away with souvenir bruises due to the extreme slipperiness.

The terrain is beautiful: rocky and wooded.  It's a great route for trail running; relentless climbing and obstacles characterize the first two miles, giving way to rolling woodland hills for the next two miles and finishing up with two miles of steep descent.

By far my favorite part of the hike was past the top of the falls, where the woods opened up and we left the stairs and fences behind.   Some of my favorite plant life is on display up here.  River birch populate the forest and there's a nice crop of running cedar covering the ground.

The trail goes through this little cave.

Be prepared to pay $3.00 per vehicle to visit the falls.  This is becoming the norm for many of the area's popular trails.

And popular is a good word for this trail.  It was in the mid 30's today with occasional sleet and the trail was pretty crowded.  A large proportion of the hikers also brought their canine companions, so Shadow the Dog enjoyed exchanging sniffs with dogpassersby.