The Cascades is in the Jefferson National Forest off US 460 near Blacksburg, Virginia. Point your GPS to 2068 Cascade Dr, Pembroke, VA 24136 or click on the map below to open Google Maps.
Bring cash to pay $3 per vehicle to park (on honor system). There are bathroom facilities near the trail head.
It is a 2 mile hike to the waterfall. The path to the right along Little Stony Creek is strenuous in places while the fire road to the left is easy to moderate. There are plenty of photo ops along the creek if you are willing to climb down from the path and get your feet wet (see picture right below). All Trails has a good map.
The waterfall is an impressive 66 feet tall and the splash pool is large - expect people swimming there in good weather.
I first visited the Cascades in the late 70's when I was a student at Virginia Tech. I remember the creek side trail being easier back then but I am not 20 anymore and the trail was rebuilt after flooding in 1996. These pictures were taken during a reunion in 2022.
The hike and waterfall is a nice half day excursion from Virginia Tech. And for Dirty Dancing fans take a side trip to Mountain Lake Lodge where much of the filming took place.
For more information about the Cascades visit Go Hike Virginia. And, Hiking Upward has a much more detailed hike beyond the falls to Barney's Wall.
Nikon D750, Nikon 24-120 lens @ 24 mm, f15 @ 1/8 sec
