Crabtree Falls is one of the tallest sets of
waterfalls in the
United States east of the
Mississippi River. It is located in the
George Washington National Forest in
Nelson County,
Virginia, off of
Virginia State Route 56. The name of the falls is thought to have come from William Crabtree, who settled in this part of Virginia in 1777. L.A. Snead, former US Assistant Fuel Administrator (WWI), environmentalist and notable Nelsonian, spearheaded negotiations to secure land surrounding Crabtree Falls after it was almost developed as a resort area in the late 1960s. Using personal and Congressional funds, the land deals were completed and the deeds transferred by LA Snead on June 3, 1968, to the National Forest System. This assured benefit for future generations of this magnificent Nelson County treasure.
The set of waterfalls is often credited with being high, but topographic maps show the total drop to be closer to .
[U.S. Geological Survey Massies Mill 7.5-minute quadrangle] Crabtree Falls is a series of cascading waterfalls, with five major cascades, the tallest of which drops about , and several smaller cascades, all over a total distance of approximately horizontally.
[ The cascade with a drop also gives Crabtree Falls the title of tallest vertical drop in a waterfall east of the Mississippi River. However, the title of tallest free-fall vertical drop goes to Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee's Fall Creek Falls State Park.
There is a trail to the waterfall maintained by the United States Forest Service called the Crabtree Falls Trail. Twenty-nine people have fallen to their deaths from leaving the trail to climb too close to the waterfalls. Recent deaths occurred April 2013, June 2015,]
References
External links
US Forest Service website for the Crabtree Falls TrailFee Schedule for Crabtree FallsWorld Waterfall entry for Crabtree FallsNelson County Webpage for Crabtree FallsTopoQuest Map of Crabtree Falls
Landmarks in Virginia
Waterfalls of Virginia
Protected areas of Nelson County, Virginia
Landforms of Nelson County, Virginia
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