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| The view from the top of Crabtree Falls, VA |
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| The very bottom of Crabtree Falls. |
It was a cold, crisp, clear Saturday morning and we took a drive southeast to a beautiful part of Virginia south of Staunton. Our destination for the morning was Crabtree Falls, known as the highest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi. The climb to the top of the falls is a 1.7 mile hike rising around 1200' in elevation.
When we began our hike, it was near freezing so we bundled up with hats, gloves and heavy coats. It wasn't long before those extra layers started coming off. The path led up the mountain with numerous switchbacks and warmed us up quickly. At various points on the hike, the path took us to amazing views of the falls. When we reached the 0.5 of 1.7 marker, I was questioning if I could make it to the top. We were less than halfway up the mountain and my legs were burning. The path was a mixture of steps, rocks and a dirt path, we plugged on.
As we got to the 1.0 of 1.7 post, I began asking those on their descent if it was really worth the trip. Most people said "absolutely yes" but a few said "we didn't make it, we had to turn around". We made the decision to continue our climb to the top and were rewarded with more amazing views of the falls and the valley.
The final 1/2 mile went pretty quickly. We stopped and rested a couple of times, took more pictures and went at a much slower pace. When we finally reached the top and crossed over the stream, we were greeted with an awesome view of the valley below.
From the top, you can't see the falls very well, but the rest of the vista is spectacular. The return trip down the mountain was a breeze as we passed all the people huffing and puffing on their climb. These people were asking the same questions of themselves and of the other climbers as they struggled up the mountain. The answer is simple: yes, it is definitely worth the climb to the top of Crabtree Falls.
When we began our hike, it was near freezing so we bundled up with hats, gloves and heavy coats. It wasn't long before those extra layers started coming off. The path led up the mountain with numerous switchbacks and warmed us up quickly. At various points on the hike, the path took us to amazing views of the falls. When we reached the 0.5 of 1.7 marker, I was questioning if I could make it to the top. We were less than halfway up the mountain and my legs were burning. The path was a mixture of steps, rocks and a dirt path, we plugged on.
As we got to the 1.0 of 1.7 post, I began asking those on their descent if it was really worth the trip. Most people said "absolutely yes" but a few said "we didn't make it, we had to turn around". We made the decision to continue our climb to the top and were rewarded with more amazing views of the falls and the valley.
From the top, you can't see the falls very well, but the rest of the vista is spectacular. The return trip down the mountain was a breeze as we passed all the people huffing and puffing on their climb. These people were asking the same questions of themselves and of the other climbers as they struggled up the mountain. The answer is simple: yes, it is definitely worth the climb to the top of Crabtree Falls.
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