About 15 minutes northwest of Hawks Nest State Park is Cathedral Falls. This is an easy waterfall to visit as it is just off Highway 60. Just after the Gauley Bridge sign, is a small parking lot.

You can see the waterfall from the parking lot, but a small bridge leads to a closer view of the fall. While we were there, it was the middle of July and the falls were fairly dry, but it was still beautiful. Water cascades down the rocks into a natural amphitheater.

From here, we also visited the Kanawha Falls that are just up the road. The falls are located in Glen Ferris, West Virginia on the Kanawha River. There is a parking lot for fishing access so we parked there. The falls are low and wide with a power plant on the left side. We found a little trail that led through the brush to the shoreline. There is not a way to really get close to the falls, but they were nice from a distance.

If you are exploring the New River Gorge, be sure to check out these two water falls that are just a short drive away. We stopped at these places on our first day of exploring the New River Gorge. You can check out our route below!