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Post by GaliWalker on Mar 29, 2021 9:25:44 GMT -5
I decided to spend a rainy day, yesterday, photographing waterfalls in West Virginia's Blackwater Falls State Park and its surrounding. I find the flat light from overcast conditions to be optimal for waterfall photography, but rain makes things trickier. Still better than a sunny day, as long as there’s no wind to make it fly sideways. I began with Douglas Falls and its orange rocks. The rocks have been stained that color, wherever the water touches them, due to strip mining. This has now stopped, and efforts are underway to clean up the water in the Blackwater River. Until then, the orange color makes for a spectacular sight. Albert Falls, upstream of Douglas FallsJust downstream of Douglas Falls is Lower Douglas Falls. A steep, muddy scramble is required to get down into the gorge. The wide waterfall is hard to capture in a nice photograph, but the spot is great to experience in person. I continued down the gorge for 2.5mi to catch the cascades on Tub Run, before returning back to the car. Next up was the main attraction, Blackwater Falls. The rugged route up to its base is difficult on the best of days. Throw in the rain and slippery conditions and I was ready to turn back twice, but persevered, and am glad I did. A lot of effort to get a couple of photos! My final waterfall was Elakala Falls. Access to this is easy. There are 2-3 more downstream, progressively harder to get to, but the rain had become quite heavy now, and a brisk 20mph wind was making it fly sideways. I felt lucky to tuck in the upper falls, which is my favorite of the group anyway. Note: All photos were taken from under an umbrella.
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Post by hikingandwildex on Mar 29, 2021 16:21:42 GMT -5
Amazing photos, especially the ones with the orange-colored rocks in the foreground! Wish I had known about this place when I visited Blackwater Falls a few years ago. Will have to spend some time there the next time I'm in that area. Thanks for sharing.
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Post by GaliWalker on Mar 29, 2021 18:04:41 GMT -5
Any of these waterfalls would get top billing in a lesser spot. To have them in such close proximity to each other is an embarrassment of riches.
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Post by hikingandwildex on Mar 30, 2021 4:42:40 GMT -5
Any of these waterfalls would get top billing in a lesser spot. To have them in such close proximity to each other is an embarrassment of riches. Living in Western New York, I can relate to that. There are so many top waterfalling locations within a 1-2 hour drive of me (Ithaca, Watkins Glen, Letchworth, Rochester, Niagara Falls, Hamilton) that you could spend years or decades visiting/exploring and never get bored. Still enjoy seeking out unique waterfalls in other areas, though, such as Hector Falls in Allegheny National Forest -- and this Douglas Falls would certainly fit the bill as well.
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Post by GaliWalker on Mar 30, 2021 6:18:36 GMT -5
Western New York is great for waterfalls!
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Post by hikingandwildex on Mar 30, 2021 11:24:40 GMT -5
Western New York is great for waterfalls! It sure is! Check out falzguy.com, nyfalls.com, digthefalls.com, and the "200 Waterfalls in WNY/CNY" book if you're ever planning a waterfalling trip in the region and want to visit some of the more off-the-beaten-path falls. Lots of nice ones in the 50-100 ft. range that would be more crowded in other areas of the country, but get overlooked here because everyone's going to Niagara, Taughannock, Watkins Glen, Letchworth, Eternal Flame, Zoar, and a few of the more popular spots.
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