Elakala Falls and Moss Covered Rock

Arguably Blackwater Falls State Park, WV's most photogenic waterfall is the Falls of Elakala, within a short walk of the park's lodge. The thirty to thirty five foot waterfall featured is only the first of many waterfalls Shay Run performs tumbling almost 350 feet down into the steep Blackwater Canyon, nor is it the most impressive of the cascades � judging from the opposite canyon rim's overlook. This is the only Elakala waterfall with easy access, all others requiring a dangerous climb down into rough terrain, for some perspective on the steep decline -- it falls 350 feet in only 1200 feet of aerial distance (an average grade of roughly 29% and over 50% following the first waterfall).