Hike Location: George Washington National Forest, Crabtree
Falls Recreation Area
Geographic Location: northwest of Lovingston, VA (37.85104, -79.07993)
Length: 3.4 miles
Difficulty: 9/10 (Difficult)
Dates Hiked: March 2003, August 2019
Overview: An out-and-back, occasionally steep and
occasionally rocky, along cascading Crabtree Falls.
Trail Information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/gwj/recarea/?recid=73667
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=940867
Photo Highlight:
Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of
US 29 and SR 56, take SR 56 west 16.8 miles to the signed national forest
entrance for Crabtree Falls on the left.
Alternatively, reach this point by taking SR 56 east 6.4 miles from the
Blue Ridge Parkway. Pay the small
entrance fee and park in either the upper or lower parking lots.
The hike: The
Appalachian Mountains have many waterfalls named Crabtree Falls, but none of
them match the size and scale of the Crabtree Falls in Nelson County,
Virginia. This Crabtree Falls drops 1200
feet over 5 major cascades, and it tumbles down the south side of the deep and
steep ravine that contains the South Fork of the Tye River. Taken together as a single water feature, the
5 cascades form the tallest waterfall in Virginia and maybe the tallest
waterfall in the entire eastern United States depending on how you group other sequences
of cascades on a common watercourse.
Crabtree Falls is the centerpiece of
George Washington National Forest’s Crabtree Falls Recreation Area, and the
national forest’s Crabtree Falls Trail follows Crabtree Creek for 2.7
miles. The lower-most 1.7 of those miles
climb beside Crabtree Falls, offering fantastic views of all 5 cascades. Doing those 1.7 miles as an out-and-back
forms the 3.4 mile hike described here.
Note that Crabtree Falls is located fairly high in its watershed, so you
need to come after a good rain to see the falls in their full glory. I have been here twice, once in April 2003
and again in August 2019, and I had a nice hike and visit each time.
 |
| Trailhead: Crabtree Falls Trail |
The Crabtree Falls Trail starts at
the rear of the upper parking area. A
sign for the Crabtree Falls Trail, a large information kiosk, and some benches
mark the trailhead. The first 500 feet
are paved with asphalt, and the trail is wide enough and the grade gradual
enough to allow wheelchairs and strollers access to the lowest cascade. A small pioneer cemetery protected by a
wooden fence is passed on the left less than 200 feet from the trailhead.
 |
| Small pioneer cemetery |
At 0.1 miles, the asphalt ends where
you reach Crabtree Falls’ lower-most cascade.
This bottom cascade drops about 30 feet down a bare rock outcrop that
features a lot of algae. Several people
have fallen to their deaths by climbing on the waterfall and slipping on the
algae, so be sure to stay behind erected barriers. A dense forest consisting of oak, tulip
poplar, and a few pine trees makes for a cool, dark, and damp setting.
|
| Crabtree Falls, lower-most cascade |
The dirt trail now begins the long
series of switchbacks that climb alongside Crabtree Falls. The east end of each switchback brings you
back to the falls, and a new cascade seems to be seen with every
switchback. The second cascade features
more boulders than the first, and some constructions such as steep wooden and
stone steps aid the climb in several places.
Wooden mileposts appear at 0.1 mile intervals, and they simultaneously
push you on by telling you how far you have come and warn you about how far you
still have to go. Pace yourself and feel
free to turn around if your stamina wanes: the old motto “climbing up is optional
but climbing down is mandatory” applies on this hike.
 |
| Climbing the switchbacks |
Continuing to climb the switchbacks,
the third time you get back to the waterfall brings you to a bench that
provides your first north-facing view across the Tye River ravine. Crabtree Falls is a tall sheer cascade
here. The trail climbs beside the
waterfall for a few hundred feet as it passes a small rocky cave. Adventurous hikers can climb through the cave
and re-emerge on the trail a few feet higher.
 |
| Peering through the cave |
More switchbacks lift you further up
the hillside, and as you approach the rim of the ravine the understory becomes
denser with ferns and stinging nettle. On
my visit some monarch butterflies were fluttering around some yellow violets
that were in bloom, and I watched a blue-trailed skink dart beside the
trail. I also paused while a timber
rattlesnake crossed my path, and I looked carefully to make sure it had no
cousins nearby before I proceeded.
 |
| Crabtree Falls, upper-most cascade |
At 1.4 miles, you reach the base of the
upper-most cascade. Another drop over
bare rock, this cascade may be the tallest of the five cascades that comprise
Crabtree Falls, and it is definitely the brightest: the large bare rock outcrop
allows plenty of sunlight to strike the water.
A sign tells you that this is the last waterfall view, and some people
turn around here. However, climbing for
another 0.3 miles not only leads to the top of the falls but also to a
fantastic view.
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| View at top of falls |
A final long switchback lifts you to the top of Crabtree Falls, where
you reach a trail intersection. The
Crabtree Falls Trail turns right to continue a more gradual but less developed climb
along the west bank of Crabtree Creek, but you want to turn left and cross
Crabtree Creek on a wooden footbridge to quickly arrive at the
top-of-the-waterfall view. A bench and
overlook provide a fantastic northwest-facing view up the heavily forested Tye
River ravine toward the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. After taking in the view, you can extend your
hike by continuing up the less developed portion of the Crabtree Falls Trail, but
eventually you will have to retrace your steps back down to the parking lot to
complete the hike.
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