Nelson County, VA
Wanting to go on another hike together, Blake and I decided to hike Crabtree Falls. We had not gone hiking since We went to Seneca Rocks in October 2018. We both have hike Crabtree Falls before and wanted to go again. It was very cold and the trail was covered in ice and a lot of the falls were frozen over. It made for an interesting, yet very fun hike.
Crabtree falls hike is approximately 2.8 miles with an elevation gain of 1,072 feet. The terrain consist of packed dirt with lots of stairs. The hike is steep with a series of switch backs from the base of the falls to the top of the falls. The views the entire hike are beautiful. Crabtree falls features a a series of cascades over 1200 feet and are the tallest vertical-dropping cascade falls east of the Mississippi River.
The first overlook features on of the most beautiful parts of the falls. This overlook is also ADA accessible and great for parents with strollers. From the parking lot, this part of the trail is paved and a little over 100 yards away. Today both sides of the falls were frozen over.
Now the elevation begins.
During our hike the stairs were very slick due to all the ice. Many places during the hike we have to use extreme caution.
We made our way up the trail, stopping at all of the overlooks along the way. Not only were the falls beautiful but with the added ice, they were breathtaking.
Along the hike a lot of the ground was also frozen over which made for beautiful sights. Some of the ice began to melt and we watched the water move under the ice.
We made it to the top of the falls and stopped to have a snack and take in the mountain views.
After we finished eating, we decided to do the 1.1 mile hike to Crabtree meadows. The hike ran through the woods and it was a fairly easy hike. Once in the parking lot of Crabtree meadows, they did have a restroom, however it did not open for the season until mid-April. We made the hike back to the top of the falls and then back to the bottom. Along the way passing by a rock cave.
We had a wonderful and scenic hike and burnt a lot of calories along the way.
Nic of Time - Travel 