Cascade Falls in the Jefferson National forest – Pemrboke, VA
Posted by Chris | Filed under Roanoke/New River Valley, Southwest Virginia, Trail Information
While living in Southwest Virginia for 4 years, one of my favorite hikes was the short trip the Cascade Falls in Pembroke, outside of Blacksburg, VA. The park is just a short drive from Radford, Christiansburg, and Blacksburg. The hike, at a length of 4 miles round trip is fairly easy going but can get steep in parts, and the view of the Fall’s is good at any time of the year. Here are the full details on the trip.
Location: Pembroke, VA – Jefferson National Forest/Cascades Recreation Area
Driving Directions: Take exit 118 on I-81 north on US-460, making sure to use the bypasses around Christiansburg and Blacksburg. After 26.6 miles turn right on Cascade Dr (SR-T623) in Pembroke. The entrance is in 3.3 miles. 
Finding the Trail: Find the trailhead at the upper end of the parking lot. The Cascades National Scenic Trail follows Big Stoney Creek upstream, eventually forking into an upper and lower trail. If the lower trail is open, take it because it is definitely the more beautiful of the two. The upper trail ascends the gorge, continuing to follow the stream, albeit at a distance. It eventually descends again to the stream to meet the lower trail. The lower trail follows the stream closely past beautiful cascades and pools. After the trails rejoin, they snake their way through the narrow gorge between high cliff walls. After passing an old stone building, the falls come into view.
Trail Distance: Total hike is 4.0 miles round trip over sometimes steep terrain on a sometimes rough and often muddy path.
More details about the trail and hike can be found at the Giles County website – http://gilescounty.org/cascades.html
Park Fee: $3.00 per vehicle
For More Information call:
540-552-4641
Jefferson National Forest
Cascade Falls - Pembroke, VA
Cascade Falls - Pembroke, VA during Winter
Now – just a side note – the above picture is not mine and I do not know the person in it. However, it captures the beauty of the falls in the winter so I went with it. If it is yours, email me and I’ll gladly give you credit.
In the winter when the falls have frozen or are close to freezing was my favorite time to hit this trail.
