Falling Spring Falls photographed from the roadside overlook
Falling Spring Falls is an 80-foot roadside waterfall in the Alleghany Highlands of western Virginia. It’s located beside US Route 220, north of the town of Covington, not far from Interstate 64. There is a small parking lot and an overlook that provides a nice view of the picturesque falls.
You can photograph the waterfall from the overlook, head back to the car and be done in a matter of minutes. Or, you can make the trek to the bottom to get a much better view. The view from the overlook is nice, but there are a lot of small cascades at the bottom that you really can’t see from the overlook. These cascades give the waterfall a lot of character and make it pretty unique.
There is a fence blocking the way to the bottom, and some signs about danger. It is quite steep. But many people do go down, and from what I was told it is discouraged but still allowed if you want to go down. I heard that second hand, so if you decide to go to the bottom, do it at your own risk.
The path to the bottom is very steep, but possible if you are careful. I wasn’t planning to go down, but when I got to the overlook there was another photographer there and he said he was going down, so I decided to go with him. I would highly suggest going with someone rather than going by yourself, for safety reasons.
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Falling Spring Falls photographed from the bottom
I didn’t have much trouble getting down, but there are a lot of big rocks that you kind of have to climb over. Getting back up was a little harder. The ground was soft and I did slip and hard a bit of a hard time at one spot.
One challenge you may face photographing from the base of the waterfall is the spray. There is a lot of spray coming off, and keeping your lens dry can be an issue. Also, if it’s a sunny day you can have issues with the bright sky above the waterfall.
Overall, Falling Spring Falls is a great location for photography. The view from the top is beautiful, even if you are limited in options and angles for a photo. It’s easy to reach with no hike to the overlook, so if you are in the area I would recommend stopping here.