Sight · New River Gorge National Park
A close-up waterfall reached by a short, steep spur.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
New River Gorge Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for New River Gorge National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the New River Gorge audio tourRecorded for this place
Kaymoor Top and the Mine Descent“You're nearing Kaymoor Top Trailhead, the start of a steep descent to a coal mine that closed in nineteen sixty-two.”
Plays as you drive up to Butcher Branch Falls in the Parkwolf New River Gorge Tour Guide.
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“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Butcher Branch Falls is a small creek dropping over sandstone in a series of cascades. It is stop 4 on the park's waterfall tour and a worthwhile detour if you want a close-up waterfall rather than a roadside view.
Start at Kaymoor Top Trailhead. Follow Butcher Branch Trail about 0.3 mile to the climbing-access sign, then continue 0.15 mile on the spur along the cliff to the falls, about 0.45 mile each way. The rocky switchbacks are steep and can be slick when wet; wear shoes with traction. This is not an accessible route.
The stream's flow depends on rainfall and may be low or absent after a dry stretch. The falls fan over several sandstone ledges; if you take a photo, include more than the bottom drop so the stepped rock and multiple cascades show.
Wildlife
18 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
126 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
25 sightingsPileated WoodpeckerMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
15 sightingsBarred OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
14 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
58 sightingsCopperheadMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across New River Gorge. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateButcher Branch Trail0.8 mi · 30 min · 0.4 mi awayA wooded connector to Long Point, with a rocky falls spur.
ChallengingKaymoor Miners Trail2 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA steep mine descent with a gorge view before the long stairs.
ModerateLong Point Trail3.2 mi · 1.8 hr · 0.6 mi awayThe bridge view repays the forest miles and rocky finish.
EasyTimber Ridge Trail1 mi · 30 min · 0.6 mi awayA short wooded link into the Fayetteville trail network.
ModerateCraig Branch and Kaymoor Trail Loop4.9 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayMine ruins, gorge views, and 821 steps in one loop.
ModerateCraig Branch Trail2.4 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayA 2.4-mile gravel descent links Arrowhead with the Kaymoor Trail.
EasyClovis Trail1.1 mi · 30 min · 0.7 mi awayA compact forest loop with a few easy rock patches.
ModerateLeCroy Trail1.8 mi · 1.3 hr · 0.7 mi awayNarrow singletrack, a rock bridge, and a rhododendron tunnel.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayKaymoor One MineA coal mine and coke ovens linked by 821 steps.Sight · 0.7 mi awayLong Point OverlookA rough last pitch opens onto the park’s signature bridge view.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayKaymoor Mine FallsA mossy cascade where mine drainage meets Wolf Creek.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayDiamond Point OverlookA cliff-edge view down nearly 1,000 feet to the New River.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayTunney Hunsaker BridgeA historic lower crossing on Fayette Station Road's one-way gorge drive.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayFayette Station River AccessRapids, two bridges, and the gorge from river level.
Visitor center · 1.4 mi awayCanyon Rim Visitor CenterPlan your park visit, then step out to the bridge view.
Sight · 1.4 mi awayNew River Gorge BridgeA 3,030-foot steel arch above a river 876 feet below.Parkwolf’s New River Gorge ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
