# Blackwater Falls State Park
**Blackwater Falls State Park** is a public recreation area in the Allegheny Mountains of Tucker County, West Virginia, near the town of Davis, named for the amber waters of Blackwater Falls, a 57-foot cascade on the Blackwater River whose color comes from tannic acid released by fallen hemlock and red spruce needles.[1](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/park-history/) Established as a state park in 1937, it is one of [West Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-virginia)'s most visited parks and contains some of the state's most photographed scenery, including the falls, Elakala Falls, Lindy Point, and Pendleton Point Overlook.[1](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/park-history/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Davis, Tucker County, West Virginia, in the Allegheny Mountains; open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.[1](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/park-history/) |
| Namesake falls | Blackwater Falls, a 57-foot cascade tinted amber by tannic acid from hemlock and red spruce needles[1](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/park-history/) |
| Establishment | State park established 1937, after the West Virginia Power and Transmission Company placed 446 acres at the head of Blackwater Canyon under state protection in the 1930s[1](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/park-history/) |
| Trails | More than 20 miles of hiking trails and ten miles of cross-country skiing trails[2](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/activities/) |
| Lodging | 51-room lodge on the canyon's south rim, 39 cabins (10 pet-friendly), and 65 campsites[3](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/lodging/) |
| Winter attraction | A sled run with a 14,000-foot Wonder Carpet conveyor, described as the longest sledding magic carpet on the East Coast[1](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/park-history/) • [2](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/activities/) |
| Visitation | 445,324 visitors in fiscal year 2023[4](https://www.kyovaipc.org/Wayne_Branch_Rail_Trail_Feasibility_Study_12_Dec_2024.pdf) |
## The falls and the gorge
The Blackwater River enters the park at an elevation of 3,040 feet.[5](https://wvencyclopedia.org/entries/492) At the falls its amber-colored water plunges five stories and then twists through an eight-mile gorge.[3](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/lodging/) The park's official description gives the drop as 57 feet;[1](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/park-history/) a 2022 resolution of the West Virginia Legislature declaring Blackwater Falls the official state waterfall states the river drops around 62 feet over the falls after passing Davis.[6](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hcr80+intr.htm&billtype=cr&houseorig=h&i=80&sesstype=RS&yr=2022)
Visitors reach the falls by a boardwalk trail with 214 steps down to near the bottom, by the Gentle Trail, a flat quarter-mile round trip to the top of the falls on the opposite side, or from viewing platforms and overlooks such as Lindy Point and Pendleton Point.[1](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/park-history/) Besides the main falls, the park contains Elakala Falls; the park waterfalls are stops on the West Virginia Waterfall Trail.[7](https://wvstateparks.com/did-you-know-you-can-visit-3-waterfalls-in-this-one-state-park/)
## History
The "Great Falls of the Blackwater" attracted adventurers seeking wilderness and trout-heavy rivers from the 1800s onward.[1](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/park-history/) • [8](https://wvstateparks.com/west-virginia-state-parks-then-and-now/amp/) In 1934 the West Virginia Conservation Commission leased over 400 acres including the site of the falls, a first step toward creating the park.[9](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/630f6c9fe236561e81382ecf/t/68a783a61f1f9c25a7ac11c3/1755808678568/june2008forweb.pdf) The park's own history page says the West Virginia Power and Transmission Company, which owned Blackwater Canyon, placed 446 acres around a scenic overlook at the head of the canyon, including the falls, under state parks protection in the 1930s and describes the land as donated;[1](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/park-history/) the architectural record SAH Archipedia instead describes a ten-year lease on the 446 acres granted to the Conservation Commission in 1934, with the park established in 1937.[10](https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WV-01-TU3)
Early development included cabins, a swimming pool, and picnic shelters built by the [Civilian Conservation Corps](https://www.edgepedia.org/civilian-conservation-corps), the [New Deal](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-deal) work-relief program that also shaped much of the rest of the West Virginia state park system.[8](https://wvstateparks.com/west-virginia-state-parks-then-and-now/amp/) • [11](https://wvencyclopedia.org/entries/538) In 1955 the state began adding cabins, a lodge, and fishing facilities.[1](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/park-history/) The Walter Butler Company of Minneapolis designed the lodge, completed as Blackwater Lodge in 1956 on the canyon's south rim, and a 65-site campground opened in 1961.[12](https://sah-archipedia.org/essays/WV-02-002) • [5](https://wvencyclopedia.org/entries/492) The lodge predates its sister lodge at Canaan Valley Resort State Park, about 20 minutes away.[3](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/lodging/)
## Recreation and lodging
**Trails and water.** The park offers more than 20 miles of hiking trails, including canyon-rim routes such as the trail from the south end of the lodge toward Balanced Rock Trail.[2](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/activities/) • [13](https://wvstateparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/WVSP-Digital-Guide.pdf) Pendleton Lake, in the Nature Center area, offers swimming and boat rentals (single kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddle boards) from [Memorial Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/memorial-day) to [Labor Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/labor-day), with weekend-only rentals afterward through the fourth Sunday in October, weather permitting.[2](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/activities/) Anglers can catch bass, bluegill, catfish, and trout at Pendleton Lake, and the nearby Blackwater River is regularly stocked with trout in spring and summer.[2](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/activities/)
**Winter sports.** The Blackwater Falls Sled Run, open mid-December through March, carries riders down a quarter-mile of snow on a 14,000-foot Wonder Carpet conveyor; the park's overview calls it the longest sledding magic carpet on the East Coast, while the activities page describes the conveyor as the longest in North America.[13](https://wvstateparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/WVSP-Digital-Guide.pdf) • [1](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/park-history/) • [2](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/activities/) A warming hut rents toboggans, cross-country skis, and snowshoes, with lessons available, and the park maintains ten miles of cross-country skiing trails.[2](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/activities/) • [13](https://wvstateparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/WVSP-Digital-Guide.pdf)
**Stays.** The renovated 51-room lodge keeps its mid-century architecture and overlooks the forested gorge from the south rim.[3](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/lodging/) The park's 39 fully furnished cabins sit in woods near the lodge, with 13 Vacation Cabins on the north side of the park near the falls and 10 pet-friendly cabins; cabins are available year-round, with check-in at 4 p.m. and check-out by 10 a.m.[3](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/lodging/) Of the 65 campsites, sites 1 through 30 are open year-round, with some facilities limited after October 31 until April 1, and sites 31 through 65 operate April 1 to October 31.[3](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/lodging/)
## Visitation and recognition
Annual visitation recorded by West Virginia state park statistics was 445,324 in fiscal year 2023, down from 629,340 in fiscal year 2019.[4](https://www.kyovaipc.org/Wayne_Branch_Rail_Trail_Feasibility_Study_12_Dec_2024.pdf) The park is among the ten West Virginia parks that feature lodges, restaurants, and conference facilities.[11](https://wvencyclopedia.org/entries/538) In 2022 the West Virginia Legislature considered a resolution declaring Blackwater Falls the official state waterfall.[6](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hcr80+intr.htm&billtype=cr&houseorig=h&i=80&sesstype=RS&yr=2022)
## References
1. [Blackwater Falls State Park Overview & History, West Virginia State Parks](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/park-history/)
2. [Activities at Blackwater Falls State Park, West Virginia State Parks](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/activities/)
3. [Lodging at Blackwater Falls State Park, West Virginia State Parks](https://wvstateparks.com/parks/blackwater-falls-state-park/lodging/)
4. [Table 7: WV State Park and Forest Visitations, FY 2019-2023, Kyova IPC feasibility study](https://www.kyovaipc.org/Wayne_Branch_Rail_Trail_Feasibility_Study_12_Dec_2024.pdf)
5. [Blackwater Falls, e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia](https://wvencyclopedia.org/entries/492)
6. [HCR 80, West Virginia Legislature (2022)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hcr80+intr.htm&billtype=cr&houseorig=h&i=80&sesstype=RS&yr=2022)
7. [Did you know you can visit 3 Waterfalls in this One State Park?, West Virginia State Parks](https://wvstateparks.com/did-you-know-you-can-visit-3-waterfalls-in-this-one-state-park/)
8. [West Virginia State Parks: Then and Now, West Virginia State Parks](https://wvstateparks.com/west-virginia-state-parks-then-and-now/amp/)
9. [75th Anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps newsletter (2008)](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/630f6c9fe236561e81382ecf/t/68a783a61f1f9c25a7ac11c3/1755808678568/june2008forweb.pdf)
10. [Blackwater Falls State Park, SAH Archipedia](https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WV-01-TU3)
11. [State Parks, e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia](https://wvencyclopedia.org/entries/538)
12. [Civilian Conservation Corps State Park Architecture in West Virginia, SAH Archipedia](https://sah-archipedia.org/essays/WV-02-002)
13. [History and Activities, West Virginia State Parks Digital Guide](https://wvstateparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/WVSP-Digital-Guide.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Parks, protected areas, and geographic heritage sites › Parks and public gardens (national, state, international, botanical, urban, and country parks) › United States state parks › Southern US state parks › West Virginia state parks*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license