Crabtree Falls
Waterfall In The George Washington National Forest; The Tallest Cascading Waterfall East Of The Mississippi River · Montebello, Virginia
The tallest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi, and the most dangerous beautiful place in Virginia. Crabtree Creek drops about twelve hundred feet in a series of five major cascades and a number of smaller ones down the side of the Blue Ridge, and a well-built trail with switchbacks and railed overlooks climbs beside the whole thing - roughly a mile and a half to the upper falls, with a further half mile to a meadow at the top. It is one of the best waterfall walks in the mid-Atlantic and it is heavily used, and the reason for the warning signs at the trailhead is that the granite beside the water is coated in a film of algae that is effectively frictionless when wet. More than two dozen people have died here, nearly all of them by leaving the trail to get closer to the water or to photograph from the rock. Stay behind the rails and it is a straightforward and lovely walk. The falls sit just off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Montebello, and the Appalachian Trail runs along the ridge above them.
Route 56, Montebello, George Washington National Forest, Montebello, Virginia, 24464, United States
Trail open at all hours, year round; a small day-use parking fee applies at the Route 56 trailhead and a federal parks pass generally covers it. Restrooms at the trailhead only. The single car park fills by mid-morning on fine autumn weekends. Sections of trail have closed after storm damage - check the George Washington National Forest alerts before travelling. Flow is highly seasonal: go after rain.