Sometimes a road trip is all that is needed to perk up the spirits. Add the sound of rushing water, white spray against a cloud-rimmed sky and unopened rose-hued tree buds for a perfect getaway from city life. Blackwater Falls State Park near Davis, West Virginia is a fantastic destination!

The namesake falls exhibit a 57-foot drop, and is easily accessible from parking areas on either side of Blackwater Gorge. And there are other discoveries to be made along the hiking trails, or scrambling down a roadside hill. The state park has dog friendly accommodations -- both in selected rooms in the lodge and in private cabins, as well as an area to plug in electric cars.

Although the Lodge is currently closed for much-needed renovations, there are fantastic views from overlooks behind the Lodge, as well as numerous trailheads that connect to its parking area. 

The Elakala Falls are quite close, so you could do a very short trip to view the falls and then back. The falls are fed by Shay Run, and like all the streams and rivers of the area, feature "black" water due to high levels of tannins. 

Bring good footwear that you don't mind getting wet, especially for Spring time explorations. 

You can easily drive to Blackwater Falls, navigating a quarter mile paved path called the Gentle Trail from the roadside parking area on the South/East side of the Gorge. 

From there you can cross the bridge over Blackwater River and continue down to the main Falls Parking area. Getting a closer view of the falls involves another quarter mile walk, this time with a bit of gravity. 

It is about 200 steps to the observation deck closest to the Falls. 

We chose to walk from the Lodge along Water Tank Trail to Red Spruce Trail to Yellow Birch Trail, instead of driving, for a several mile round trip. 

For this we were rewarded with colorful foliage and boardwalks through bogs.

Video from main Falls viewing area

A true hidden gem! The sandwiches in this delightful little shop were superbly griddled and amazingly tasty. Whether you like the traditional pastrami or reubens, or you are seeking flavorful and satisfying vegetarian fare, Big Belly's sandwiches will have you smiling. Especially as they all come with a homemade pickle and cookie. Due to the pandemic, take out sandwiches would make the perfect picnic. Their motto is "Never Trust A Skinny Chef," and they open at 11 am (but best to give them a call, 304-259-2222 to be sure).

After lunch, we drove over across the Gorge to Pendleton Lake.

The Falls of Pendleton were not really visible from the trail. My husband and daughter did some scrambling to get this view.

A short walk to the Pendleton Point Overlook yielded a nice view of unnamed waterfalls cascading down from Shay Run just west of the Lodge on the other side of the Gorge.

For those that are comfortable scrambling down a steep hillside, there is a chain of cascades that you can follow to the floor of the Gorge. I did not go all the way down, but the ones I saw were lovely.

Having gone a short way down Balanced Rock Trail on the first day, we decided to explore this trail further. This area was not as well-blazed and we got lost a few times. Be sure that your hiking boots are nicely waterproofed!