Cascade Falls, Virginia. 2020

Cascade Falls, Virginia. 2020

A stunning waterfall in southwest Virginia, Little Stony Creek pours over a vertical cliff and crashes down more than 65 feet into a large pool. The waterfall takes center stage in an auditorium of towering stone and verdant mountain growth. Cascade Falls sees around 150,000 visitors a year, making it one of the most popular outdoor recreation outings in southwest Virginia.

Arrive early to experience the awesome power without a crowd, and plan for a four-mile round-trip loop hike tracing Little Stony Creek. Take time to appreciate the elegant stone work along the trail crafted in the 1960s and repaired and rebuilt following snow-melt floods in the late 1990s. As you near the large falls, the landscape becomes more immersive, the stone boulders pinpoint your focus and the roaring white water ushers you in. The trail is a smooth eddy, a counterbalance to the outward flow.

Captured on Ilford FP4 125 4×5 sheet film with a Schneider Super Angulon MC 90mm lens. Developed semi-stand in Rodinal, 1:100 for 60 minutes. Scanned with an Epson Perfection v850 Pro and edited in Adobe Photoshop. This scene was composed in the Cascade Falls Day Use Area within the George Washington & Jefferson National Forest in Giles County, Virginia on August 22, 2020.

For more info: Cascade Falls Day Use Area