But most are smaller and lesser-known seasonal waterfalls that flow best in the winter months during periods of rain and thaw . Although they don ’ t run all year long , when in season , these waterfalls are as pretty as any the state has to offer . So starting at Cathedral Falls and running west on U . S . 60 , here are photographs of six waterfalls along the Midland Trail .
Cathedral Falls is located at a roadside stop a mile east of Gauley Bridge on U . S . 60 . This is one of the premier waterfalls of West Virginia . Lucia Hyde Robinson mentions in her Forward in " West Virginia Waterfalls : The New River Gorge ," a book of waterfall photography by Randall Sanger and me , that Cathedral Falls might have been named by her father , the renowned West Virginia photographer Arnout Hyde , Jr . That would be fitting because more than any single individual , Arnout Hyde , Jr ., through his photography , popularized the natural beauty of West Virginia .
Lying on Laurel Branch , Hidden Falls is about a half a mile west of Cathedral Falls on U . S . 60 . To be sure , this waterfall seems unimpressive , if visible at all , from the highway — thus the name Hidden Falls . But there are pull-offs on the river side of the highway for parking , and the walk up to the falls is short . Your walk will be rewarded by a waterfall with a single vertical drop of about 60 feet . Hidden Falls has the distinction of being the last waterfall in the New River Gorge . Just a half a mile downstream , the New River merges with the Gauley River to become the Kanawha River . In addition to being the last waterfall in the Gorge , it just might be the tallest , too .
Another hidden but very attractive waterfall lies on Riggs Branch just off of U . S . 60 about a half a mile west of the Glen Ferris Inn . There ’ s a large parking area on the river side of the road just before the highway crosses the railroad tracks . This is the safest place to park since the shoulders of U . S . 60 are quite narrow and the highway is close to the rail line at Riggs Branch . The falls at Riggs Branch are protected in a narrow cove in the sandstone cliffs near the road .
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