Cascade Falls Trailhead — Attraction in Pearisburg

Cascade Falls is a beautiful 66-foot waterfall. It’s accessible through Cascades Day Use Area in Jefferson National Forest, just outside of Pembroke and about 20 minutes or so from Blacksburg. The site is open year round and easily accessible (no long gravel forest roads) so this is a great opportunity to see a frozen waterfall. After sustained periods of cold temperatures, the waterfall will freeze or at least partially freeze and it’s a truly magnificent site. We took our dog for a hike here after a cold spell. The hike to the falls is about a four-mile round trip. And it’s a very scenic hike; the trail has been designated a National Recreation Trail. There are two paths – the upper and lower trails. The upper trail is easier and follows an old road bed upstream for about 2 miles. The lower trail meanders along Little Stony Creek upstream to the falls. This trail is a little bit more strenuous, but much more scenic. There are a lot of stone steps and bridges along the creek. If you visit in the winter when there is snow and ice on the ground, you should bring Yak-Trax to wear on yours shoes or some other traction device as the stairs especially can be treacherous with ice buildup. Either path you chose, you’ll hit the waterfall in about 2 miles and can take the other trail back to make a loop. There’s also an Upper Cascades, about a half-mile further up from the main waterfall. At the point where the upper and lower trails meet above the viewing platform for the falls, continue uphill along the old road for about a half mile to an unmarked trail to the right. You have to climb down to get good views of the...

This hike is worth the 2 hr drive to get there about every other summer, with the beautiful creekside trail and the big waterfall payoff. Some of that trail are wet and slick even in summer so I hadn't considered going there in winter until I saw social media posts of the waterfall in ice. So we have it a try Monday on a brilliant blue sky day. It was amazing. We wore yaktrax to help with traction and needed it, as we did meet some people who had fallen, but the lower trail was mostly packed snow, not ice. We were warned away from the last quarter mile of upper trail as that is where most had fallen or dogs had fallen. But the lower trail has the best views that last part and had only short sections that were hazardous. Our dog did fine but he is used to hiking on cold snowy surfaces lately. We were ready to turn around if he needed us to, and had a dog rescue harness packed in case, but he was the one wanting us to pick up our deliberate pace. The ice formations were neat but the ravine edge icicle walls were awesome. The creek was beautiful in ice and the waterfall in the late afternoon sun was amazing. There is a good parking lot for 3 bucks and a restroom with running water that was open in winter but was not flushing so some maintenance issue there. But in general maintenance was fine. Bring $3 cash for parking as the credit card machine to pay was not working. No cell service most...

Beautiful hike.

There are 2 trails. Upper trail is wider and more of a walking path with gradual inclines, though a bit rocky at times. This one is recommended for those who can not easily traverse steps and boulders. As you get closer to the Falls, it gets a bit more challenging. Stay to you left and you may have step inclines but not near the challenge as the forks or bridges to the right.

If you are are okay with climbing steps and stepping across boulders and uneven ground, the lower trail follows the creek and offers a nature views.

I went with my 27 year old son. I’m 52 and although pretty healthy, I get winded easily hiking inclines. We took the upper trail to the Falls and the lower trail back (Glad we did) I didn’t not have as much trouble on the lower trail because it was mostly downhill.

Either way, I suggest grabbing a walking stick. Don’t forget you camera or cell phone. You won’t have much cell signal (ATT) but you’ll certainly want photos.

Either hike is good for school aged children but a word of caution to parents with children who tend to run ahead: the lower trail may be a bit to dangerous for them.

On our visit Today, there were signs warning of a section of the lower trail washed out. Don’t let this deter you. The washed out area is not until just before the Falls and if you make it through the rest of lower trail, you can traverse around the wash out. I’ve posted...