Brad, Aaron, and I all had the same few days off and since the weather is still warm, I figured, let's find water to swim in! There are tons of places to hike, but with fall coming, I'd rather wait for the leaves changing to explore the trails. I saw a waterfall online at Swallow Falls State Park. It is only an hour and a half away from us so I figured it would be a great day trip even though it was actually in Maryland! The drive was beautiful.
Once we arrived at Swallow Falls State Park, we changed into our suits and walked down to Muddy Creek Falls. There are two trails that lead to the falls. One is well maintained and covered evenly with water. The other trail which follows next to the water is a little more rugged, but nothing crazy!
Muddy Creek Falls was beautiful! Aaron and I personally have never went swimming under a waterfall, so time to do something new!
Aaron was hesitant at first because the water was a little chilly, but he eventually came around and got in.
It was so much fun hanging out under the falls. The rocks are very slippery so you have to be careful. There is also limited visibility in the water so you can't see where you're stepping. While we walked to the next waterfall, we saw this giant spider!
Then we arrived to Lower Swallow Falls.
Then we hiked down to Upper Swallow Falls. It doesn't look like much in this photo, but there is another place to swim at these falls!
Tolliver Falls was the last stop!
This was my main trip planned, but of course I had others in mind depending on how the boys felt. They wanted to keep going, so after we ate our packed lunches in the parking lot, we headed to Albert Falls in Douglas, WV.
The drive here is down a well maintained unpaved road. It is narrow, but we did not have a problem with moving to the side as other cars were coming. This would be a great place to walk or bike as well rather than drive. We went during the week so it wasn't busy, but I'm sure on the weekends parking is more difficult near the falls.
Albert Falls reminded us of Upper Swallow Falls. This would be a great place to swim, but there is limited access to the water.
One of the people that drove by us said the waterfall down the road is better, especially for swimming. So, off we went to the next waterfall named Douglas Falls.
It was absolutely gorgeous! It was also very cold!
All Brad's idea, "We need to get to that rock, we could take some great pictures". Well, we did it!
Since we were close to Blackwater Falls State Park I figured we should stop there. On our way down to view the falls, we saw an 'Almost Heaven' swing! In West Virginia, there are a few of these 'Almost Heaven' swings. They are placed in some of the most 'Instagramable spots'.
After a few photos, we headed down to Blackwater Falls. The water in the falls actually starts all the way in Ohio from the Ohio River!
Then we went to Pendleton Point Overlook where there were some adorable deer!
After this the boys were hungry so we went to Stumptown Ales. Once we got there I realized they do not sell food. We all got drinks and asked the bartender where she recommended for dinner (ironically she is from Auburn, NY which is close to where I am from). She said Sirianni's Cafe just down the road. They prefer cash or check, but the food is delicious! Watch out for the garlic!
After that, we took the 2 hour drive back to Fairmont and Morgantown. It was such a fun trip and we got to do it with Brad!
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