Cathedral Falls is a beautifully tiered, 60-foot waterfall nestled along the side of a mountain near the town of Gauley Bridge, West Virginia. Cane Branch Creek tumbles along sandstone and shale rock, forming Cathedral Falls, emptying into the New River about 40 yards from the falls.
Photos Courtesy of Joshua Moore
This beautiful waterfall resides along a bend, giving it the feeling of being in a cathedral. You can access this waterfall via the Midland Trail Road outside Hawks Nest State Park. The parking area has room for about eight cars, with a steady flow of visitors. I recommend visiting either in the early morning or later in the evening.
Once parked, it’s just a short walk over a bridge to the trail that hugs the rock wall that makes up what I call the cathedral portion of the falls. The trail itself is only about 20 yards in length, which is also why many people come to visit. In my opinion, the best view of the falls is actually from the bridge, as you can see other tiers of flowing water downstream from the falls.
From the parking area, it is relatively easy to get to the bridge, and this is another waterfall that we can include in the handicap-accessible falls list. I would not recommend going past the bridge as it does get slippery and has a steep edge, not to mention that it is not paved.
Many other beautiful locations and attractions surround Cathedral Falls, so I would recommend making this a weekend trip. This way, you can enjoy some of the very best sites throughout the Blue Ridge region: Gauley Bridge, Hawks Nest State Park and New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, which is also the home of my favorite waterfall, Sandstone Falls. Sandstone Falls was featured in a previous Waterfall Wednesday and can be viewed here: https://blueridgecountry.com/blogging/waterfall-wednesday-sandstone-falls.
Cathedral Falls sits atop one of my top five waterfalls to visit in the Blue Ridge region. Not only do you get to see one of the many beautiful waterfalls we have to offer, but you also have a chance to visit many other unique Blue Ridge destinations.
I like to think that Cathedral Falls was named not just for its surroundings but for its awe-inspiring beauty. It makes you stop, slow down and appreciate your surroundings, like when you enter a cathedral built in the early 1700s. All of the details can feel overwhelming, yet peaceful.
ABOUT THIS SERIES:
“Blue Ridge Waterfall Wednesdays” highlights a different waterfall each month from the Blue Ridge region. For the past two decades, Josh Moore has been exploring and capturing the beauty of this fantastic region he calls home. Josh is a professional photographer who has been published internationally, nationally and everything else in-between, and is widely known for his landscape/nature photography. See more of Josh’s work on his website, YouTube channel or on Instagram and Facebook.
