Blackwater Falls, State park in Tucker County, West Virginia, United States
Blackwater Falls is a waterfall in Tucker County, West Virginia, where water drops around sixty feet over sandstone ledges into a forested gorge. The river carries amber-tinted water stained by organic plant matter from the surrounding conifer forests.
The area became a state park in 1937 to protect the falls and the mountain landscape of the northern Allegheny region. Before protection, the valley was part of a larger logging territory in the late nineteenth century.
The dark waters of Blackwater Falls, colored by natural tannins from hemlock and red spruce needles, feature on numerous West Virginia photography collections.
Wooden boardwalks lead from the parking area to several viewing points at different levels along the gorge. The paths can ice over in winter, while autumn brings color to the hardwood trees along the slopes.
The river flows through a high-altitude bog above the falls, where peat deposits and standing water increase the tannin concentration. This coloring remains visible even in the mist at the base of the falls.
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