Sandstone Falls is a 20-foot plunge waterfall that spans the New River in Summers County, West Virginia, in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The Park Service calls it the largest waterfall on the New River, and a free boardwalk leads out across its islands to the edge of the drops.
The falls
A ledge of hard sandstone crosses the river where it narrows from a broad valley into the gorge. The river has worn away the softer conglomerate beneath, leaving a break that gives the falls their name. Islands split the flow into separate sections: the width is put at 1,500 feet and the drops at 10 to 25 feet, while a separate survey lists 20 feet in total with a main drop of 8 to 12 feet and rapids above and below, across a crest of about 1,800 feet.
Getting there
The falls are reached from Hinton on New River Road, about 8.3 miles; allow about 45 minutes from the Sandstone Visitor Center. The last stretch of road is narrow, with no center line and few places to pass, and vehicles over 25 feet are not recommended. Entry is free and no reservation is needed. From the parking area a quarter-mile wooden boardwalk crosses two islands on bridges, and a further quarter-mile trail leaves the boardwalk.
When to go
The boardwalk is open year-round; dawn or dusk visits vary the light on the river. A visit takes about 30 minutes.
On site
The boardwalk is wooden throughout, with two accessible parking spaces near its entrance, benches, picnic tables, vault toilets and exhibits. Dogs are welcome on a leash of six feet or less. The first island holds an Appalachian riverside flat rock plant community that grows in only five places in West Virginia.
The water here is swift and dangerous, and people have drowned at Sandstone Falls. Park incident reports record waders and anglers swept off their feet above and below the falls, one angler carried over the drop into a strong hydraulic at its base, a teenager who drowned after a boat capsized below it, and swimmers lost in Tahiti Rapid just downstream. Stay on the boardwalk and trails, and wear a life jacket near the water.
History and name
One of the boardwalk bridges crosses a man-made channel that once powered a gristmill. In 1993 Paramount Pictures filmed part of the movie "Lassie" in the Sandstone Falls area.
Nearby
Brooks Falls is about 2.7 miles away, Harvey Falls about 17.7 miles and Kanawha Falls about 32 miles. Hinton lies about 5.7 miles to the south.
Distances are straight-line.