Big Branch Falls is a tiered sandstone waterfall (the largest drop near 30 feet) on the Big Branch Trail in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, north of Hinton. The roughly 1.9-mile out-and-back passes more than a dozen smaller falls and cascades through a wildflower-rich ravine.
Its 30 ft drop is taller than about 24% of the 775 waterfalls we track.
Big Branch Falls sits on Big Branch. It lies in Summers, West Virginia. The site is on public land managed by National Park Service (New River Gorge National Park and Preserve).
This is a short hike waterfall: reached by a short trail, generally under about a mile each way. The walk in is brief — comfortable shoes are usually all you need. The walk to the main viewpoint runs about 1.9 miles round trip. The nearest town is Hinton.
When to go: spring. Flow usually peaks after snowmelt and heavy rain and tapers through late summer — a quick look at recent streamflow and the managing agency's conditions page can save a wasted trip.
