Today started out as just an ordinary day, well, I mean, not ordinary, it was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But I mean it basically started out like any other day. Anyways, let’s start at the beginning.
When I woke up (at like, 9:30 am…) I heard my parents talking, saying we were going to Blackwater Falls, West Virginia! In the morning my mom had called Blackwater Falls State Park and found out that it had already snowed 5-6 inches! I went downstairs and asked right away what was going on, we were going to Blackwater Falls State Park! We had been there once before in the fall, so I already knew how beautiful it was! We rushed and packed up everything we thought we might need. Snacks, Snow gear, salt (for the road because it might be slippery because of the snow), and literally every single thing we had for cold weather! You name it! (I have a full list down below). When we were finally ready to get into the car (after like 1hr and 30 minutes of packing and getting ready, so much for rushing) we were all so excited! The car ride was about 2hrs and 30mins, so we had quite a bit of a drive. Time to hit the road!
2 hours later…..
2 hours into the drive and we didn’t see a single flurry of snow… was there going to be any snow after all? The answer is, yes, there was snow! It was kinda strange because like I said, 2 hours into the drive, and not a single flake of snow! But in that last half an hour, there was snow alright! The roads were pretty filled with snow as well, so we had to drive reeaaallly slowly, which of course made the drive feel so much longer. They probably hadn’t started salting or plowing the roads quite yet because the roads were just a little bit icy. If you are planning to go to Blackwater Falls State Park in the winter when it’s snowing, I would definitely recommend going with a four wheel drive car, it might be safer just in case the roads have ice.
When we finally reached our destination, there was a lot of snow. By a lot, I mean like 5 inches. Where we live, it rarely snows 1-2 inches a year so 6 inches is a lot, a lot! The parking lot was nearly full when we reached the gift shop, which is right in front of the trail. To reach the actual waterfall, you have to walk down a whole lot of stairs! The steps were filled with snow, but there luckily wasn’t a lot of ice. It’s very important that if you are going to Blackwater Falls in the winter you have to have the proper hiking shoes/snow shoes, and watch out for ice. I would also highly suggest you take hiking sticks along with you. When I said a lot of stairs, I meant it! There are exactly 214 steps. Basically, you have to walk quite a bit of stairs and then you’ll reach this big flat ground that has a giant rock in the middle. There’s also a few benches if you want to rest and there’s some information boards if you want to read and get some history. Then you’ll continue and there will be some more steps that you have to go down (a lot of steps, I know). Then after you go down some more steps you’re going to find a little Lookout point it’s not the main Lookout point but it’s just a little Lookout point you can start seeing the waterfall from there and you can hear it too, and there are a few more information boards that you’ll see has more facts on it and then you’re going to continue down some more stairs, like I said a lot of stairs, so then you’re going to reach the final Lookout point, yay! From there you’ll see the waterfll and it looks so so pretty!
All the stairs are so worth it, here’s a few pictures!
A couple of things to take into account is first and foremost, the weather! The weather is a huge part of going on any trip! When we went when it was snowing, it was cold! When I say cold I mean like 23 degrees!!! So make sure you check the weather for when you're going and bundle up if necessary. The next thing is the road conditions, this may not seem necessary if you aren’t going in the snow or winter, but you also have to check for traffic, routes, etc. Thirdly, you need to make sure to pack enough but not too many snacks and drinks. Make sure to pack the right amount of snacks and drinks for you. Fourth, if possible try to download the google map of West Virginia and make sure not to download someplace else by mistake! Be careful to download the right area! The internet can start to get pretty spotty after leaving the highway, so you don’t want to risk losing your GPS directions. Fifth, something that really helped us was hiking sticks! Hiking sticks are incredibly helpful, because, one they will help you keep grip because of the snow and ice. I highly recommend taking hiking sticks. Finally, this tip is optional, take either hand or foot warmers. This is something we did not do, but personally we weren’t all that cold. If you take the proper gear, like good gloves, thick socks, a warm jacket, etc, you should be fine. I am soon going to be writing an entire blog post on things to wear and pack when going on a hiking trip, so make sure to check that out.
Alright, that was a lot of information, now back to the waterfall. When we were at the waterfall, there were icicles hanging from little cliffs/peaks. The icicles were huge! Most of them were about 1 ½ - 2 ft long! Also one thing, you cannot leave the boardwalk!!! It is dangerous and against the rules! One other thing to take into account is the time you leave for your destination. Since in the winter there is less daylight and it gets dark sooner, you want to plan accordingly so you don’t get there too late and it is also better to leave the park grounds before it is too dark in case the weather is too icy. So remember to check the distance to your destination and leave accordingly.
After about an hour of being at the actual waterfall, we finally started heading back up. Unfortunately, when you go down, you have to go back up. I’m not gonna lie, going up hill was the tiniest bit tough, but trust me anyone can do it! Don't let the stairs discourage you from going to Blackwater Falls State Park! It was a perfect winter wonderland! There were spruce trees hanging with snow on their branches and it was just so amazing! Once we got back up to the middle ground where the big rock is, me and my mom had a little snowball fight while my dad took some pictures! There really is a lot to see! Once we were done doing that, I decided to make a snow angel! We were finally ready to head back up, but we saw a little trail and were curious to know where it led. We were able to explore half of the trail and soon it was going to get dark so we decided to call it a day. When we reached the middle ground again, we finally started walking back up to the car. Again, there were more, a lot more stairs, but eventually we made it. There really isn’t anything to share about the walk back up, so I am going to leave it at that.
Well, we had finally reached the car and were all so tired and exhausted! We all just took off our jackets and were ready for the warmth of the car!
By the way, make sure to check out my YouTube channel! I have a link for it, right down blow. I have a video of our trip to Blackwater Falls State Park! Make sure to check it out for more information!
Well, that’s all for my blog today! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it and found it helpful and informative! Leave a comment if you have anything to note or say.
Things we packed -
Hats, gloves, scarves, gators, socks, jackets, and thermals
Snacks, such as, graham crackers, peanuts, granola bars, bananas, etc, make sure to take things that will keep you full for a while.
A sled, shovel, salt for the road in case of slippery ice, hiking sticks, and lighter (2)
We actually didn’t pack that much stuff, but the things we did take, you of course do not have to take, but some of them are good to take just to be prepared. Well, that’s it for today! I hope you enjoyed it! Bye for now!
YOUTUBE CHANNEL LINK:
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