Photographed with Canon 6D and Canon 16-35mm f/4 lens
Brush Creek Falls is a 25-foot waterfall in the Brush Creek Preserve, which is managed by the Nature Conservatory. This area is near the New River Gorge, and it’s very close to the Bluestone River (Brush Creek empties into the Bluestone River downstream of the falls).
You can reach the falls with a short hike, maybe about 1/4 mile. There is a wide trail that leads from a parking area down to the falls. You can easily view the falls from above, or for the best view scramble down the bank. At the bottom there are some rocks that provide a spot to set up your camera and tripod. When I was there in the fall the water level was very low, but the waterfall still had plenty of water.
I wore some boots and walked across the creek to get a view from the other side. Unfortunately, there was a large tree down on the opposite bank blocking the view of part of the falls.
It was also very bright and sunny the day I was in the area, which made it difficult to get decent shots of the falls. I still wanted to post the photos and the info here for anyone looking for information on the falls. If you’re able to be selective about when you visit, I would definitely recommend a cloudy, overcast day.
The photos in this post were processed with Aurora HDR.
Photographed with Canon 6D and Canon 16-35mm f/4 lens
How to Get to Brush Creek Falls
The parking area is along Brush Creek Falls Road, which is very close to Interstate 77. There is plenty of room for a few cars to park, and there is also a pavilion. The GPS coordinates of the parking area are:Â 37.464763, -81.064017
From the parking area you’ll see a clearly marked trail with a sign mentioning the waterfall. Take that trail for about 5 minutes and you’ll reach the waterfalls.
Tips for Photographing the Falls
As I mentioned earlier, if possible, avoid a sunny day. If, like me, you’re only in the area for a short time, you’ll have to make the most of whatever weather you have. With the bright sun, I found the best spot to photograph from was on the opposite bank. That way the rocks and falls were blocking some of the sun. I wore some boots are crossed the creek to get to that vantage point.
Photographed with Canon 6D and Canon 16-35mm f/4 lens
Be sure to take a tripod and a polarizer to help with reducing the glare on the water and wet rocks. You probably won’t need a neutral density filter here because the water flows pretty quickly and you don’t need a slow shutter speed to get a blurred look to the water.