Lace Falls is a 40-foot tiered waterfall on Cedar Creek in Natural Bridge State Park, Rockbridge County, Virginia. It marks the end of the Cedar Creek Trail, the walk that also passes beneath the 215-foot Natural Bridge.
The falls
Cedar Creek slides down a steep face of layered rock in three steps, the tallest about 15 feet. Lidar data puts the total drop at about 40 feet, a steep sliding cascade. Published figures vary: the state tourism office and a park interpretive panel give 50 feet, and Wikipedia gives 30. The falls are viewed from a circular observation area at the end of the trail.
Getting there
The trail starts behind the Natural Bridge State Park visitor center. An easy 2-mile there-and-back walk with about 393 feet of elevation change is partly paved and includes stairs. Visitors who need help with the descent can arrange an assistance shuttle at the visitor center to the start of the Cedar Creek Trail.
Admission to Natural Bridge State Park is $9 per person aged 13 and older and $6 for ages 3 to 12. Virginia State Parks annual passes include admission here for up to four people.
When to go
Spring through fall is the recommended season. Seasonal flow data for the creek isn't published.
On site
The trail descends several sets of stairs, and the climb back up is the hardest part of the outing. On the way, the path passes the Natural Bridge, the Saltpeter Cave, where saltpeter for black powder was mined during the War of 1812 and the Civil War, a reproduction Monacan village and an opening known as the Lost River. Virginia State Parks require dogs to stay on a leash no longer than 6 feet.
History and name
A park interpretive panel says the falls take their name from the lace-like pattern the water makes over the rock, a name in use for decades, and that the falls mark the end of the land once owned by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson bought 157 acres including the Natural Bridge in 1774. The site became a state park on September 24, 2016.
Nearby
Sprouts Run Falls is about 4.9 miles away, Apple Orchard Falls about 8.3 miles and Fallingwater Cascades about 11 miles.
Distances are straight-line.