Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls is a broad, low waterfall on the New River near Hinton, where islands split the river into cascades across roughly 1,500 feet. It’s one of the park’s signature stops, and the short boardwalk is the way to see both the lower falls and the main falls. Give the river-road drive enough time; the visit itself can be short.

An accessible boardwalk crosses two bridges to viewing decks on the islands. Plan on about 0.2 mile each way. The first island faces the lower falls; continue to the second for the main falls. The optional Island Loop adds an easy half-mile walk over natural ground, which can be muddy or rocky. It’s a real trail, not more boardwalk.

For a photo, work with the width of the falls: frame the separate cascades across the river instead of cropping in on one patch of water. The amount of whitewater changes with river levels, so the scene can look quite different from one visit to the next.

The river spreads across the islands and drops about 10 to 25 feet. This is a long series of low cascades, not one tall plunge. Hard Stony Gap sandstone makes the ledge; softer rock below it erodes first, undercutting the shelf until sections break away. That slow process moves the falls upstream.

The first bridge crosses a man-made channel that once carried water to a gristmill, where local corn and wheat were ground. The larger island was farmed, grazed and timbered. Its old fields are gradually growing back into forest.

The first island supports an Appalachian Riverside Flatrock Community, a rare group of plants adapted to exposed sandstone that floods scour clean. Lichens and mosses start building thin soil; small plants take hold, followed over time by eastern red cedar, scrub pine and post oak. The community occurs at only a handful of West Virginia river sites. Dams upstream have reduced flood intensity, and the long-term effect on this habitat is still unknown.

From Sandstone Visitor Center, allow about 45 minutes by way of WV-20 through Hinton and WV-26/New River Road. The final stretch is narrow, has no center line and gives drivers little room to pass; vehicles over 25 feet, including RVs, aren’t recommended. The day-use area has parking, a restroom and interpretive information. There’s no food service at the falls; the picnic area at Brooks Falls is a separate stop on the drive. Sandstone Falls Overlook is also separate: it’s the high roadside viewpoint on WV-20, while this place is the riverside boardwalk. The New River runs fast and its level changes, so stay on the boardwalk and established trails.