Purgatory Falls is a waterfall on Purgatory Brook in Floyd County, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge region, with a total height of about 75 feet. It lies about 6.1 miles south of Shawsville and roughly 22.1 miles southwest of Roanoke as the crow flies.
At 75 feet it is taller than the typical Virginia waterfall of about 69 feet, ranking 26th of 53 with a recorded height. The tallest single drop is 50 feet. The water comes down as a tiered waterfall, falling in several distinct steps one after another. It falls in 2 drops.
The Blue Ridge is the highest part of the southern Appalachians, a range of forested peaks and coves with oak, hickory, tulip poplar and hemlock and spruce-fir on the summits, in one of the wettest climates in the East. Steep mountain streams drop over granite, gneiss and quartzite ledges, giving the region hundreds of waterfalls.
There are 2 recorded waterfalls in Floyd County. Bent Mountain Falls, a 280-foot tiered waterfall, is about 5.3 miles away. Lick Fork Falls, a 100-foot tiered waterfall, is about 5.7 miles away. Bottom Creek Falls, a 200-foot tiered waterfall, is about 5.8 miles away.
Purgatory Falls is located at 37.0811° N, 80.2656° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The exact position has not yet been verified on aerial imagery, so treat the map pin as approximate. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.