University of Virginia Library

Crabtree Falls: A Perilous, Peaceful Paradise

By MARGARET ALFORD

Beneath towering trees, a
bubbling stream placidly wends
its way through a peaceful
mountain meadow, rushing
over a cliff to pound down on
mossy stones several hundred
feet below.

Twelve times Crabtree
Creek has swept people over
the falls' head, hurling them to
their death on the menacing
slick rocks.

* * *

On a cool fall afternoon, a
few youthful pseudo-hikers
merrily scramble up the steep
side of Main Top Mountain.
Approached from the bottom,
an hour's climb leads to the
top of the falls.

Sunlight shafts through the
thinning foliage, glistening on
frothy water. Intermittent bird
calls and bursts of laughter and
the water's incessant rumble
pierce the onlooker's solitude.

A morbid scene? Hardly.
The area is virtually untouched
by humans; it seems to lead a
curiously dual existence as a

pastoral spot of natural
splendor and as an elegant
deathtrap of screaming
treachery.

Crabtree Falls' serenity
creates a false illusion of safety
for unwitting visitors. A blazed
trail parallel to the falls leads
to the precarious lip, although
visitors seem to prefer
ascending the damp boulders
of the falls themselves rather
than following the relatively
safe trail.

Once at the top only a
danger sign and slender cable
protect the daring, the
foolhardy and the ignorant
from themselves.

Crabtree Falls are the
nation's highest falls east of the
Mississippi River. Although
estimates of the cascades'
height vary, the average is 1,400
feet. In comparison, Niagara
Falls is 193 feet. Crabtree's
entire drop consists of five
major and two minor falls. The
first and longest drop is 230
feet.

Although the falls are not
widely publicized, they attract
visitors because of their close
proximity to the Blue Ridge
Parkway. Backpackers from
the nearby Appalachian Trail
are frequent visitors, as are area
college students. From the
Parkway, Rt. 56 East leads to
the falls. Rts. 655 and 56 West
reach the falls from Rt. 29
South.

To protect tourists, the
National Forest Service and the
Nelson County Chamber of
Commerce plan extensive
development of Crabtree Falls
into a national park. While
disturbance of the area's
incredibly natural state seems
unfortunate, it is imperative
for preservation of the public's
well-being as well as for
maintenance of the falls' now
un-littered beauty, if visitors
continue to come.

William E. Massie, a retired
county resident, describes
himself as "only an interested
citizen" in the Forest Service
project. He has files dating
back to 1919 on Crabtree Falls,
and is intensely interested in
its development for public
enjoyment.

"The Forest Service owns
120 acres at the top of and
around the falls, and it is now
acquiring property by
condemnation at the falls'
base," he explained.

Projected construction cost
of for the area's development
into a public recreation area is
$200,000. Crabtree Falls lies
within the George Washington
National Forest.

Improvement of the now
rough and narrow Rt. 56 is also
an initial necessity, Mr. Massie
said.

Access to the falls presents
a major problem, because of
the flux of the water level in
the Nelson County flood plain
area. In recent years, rivers
have repeatedly swollen far
over their banks, causing
extensive property damage.

The wash of rocks and
other debris in each flood
raises the level of riverbeds,
inflicting increasing overflow
danger on surrounding roads
and bridges in the next hard
rain.

A footbridge and an
automobile bridge over the
river to the falls are both under
consideration.

Cutting paths to specific
observation points along the
falls trail will also be necessary.
Observation points will be
protected by guard rails,
although "any danger is hard
to control," Mr. Massie said.

"Look at Niagara Falls. It's
well protected, and people still
go over it in barrels. Our
observation points will be very
safe, but people can be so
stupid."

Construction of parking
areas, shelters, and picnic and
camping facilities are also
planned.

Rigid rules on waste
disposal and cleanliness will be
enforced, Mr. Massie said, and
stiff penalties will be imposed
for failure to comply.

Seventh District
Congressman J. Kenneth
Robinson has assured the Nelson
County Chamber of Commerce
of his support in the
development project,
particularly in requesting
federal funding. Officials
predict that popularity of the
developed site could provide a
needed boost for the
flood-ravaged area's pride and
economy.

Development is only in
initial planning stages now,
however, and will not be
complete for at least several
more years.

Visitors will continue to
visit the unprotected falls,
however. Park authorities
wince at the prospect.

"We can't tell people not to
go there," a Parkway
information booth worker said
"More and more come by,
though asking directions. There
would have to be a guard on
duty continuously just to tell
people to stay on the trail.

"How can you explain to
supposedly intelligent people
that a place like that is such an
easy killer?"

* * *

John R. Nash, 20, of
Wilmington, Del. was Crabtree
Falls' latest victim. He tumbled
to his death August 20 when
he and several friends stopped
at the falls on their way back
to college.

"Young people always seem
to be the victims," Mr. Massie
mused. "I guess they just tend
to be more rash and
dare-devilish."

Until steel bars and
concrete come to Crabtree
Falls, protecting people from
themselves remains a problem.
No small task, this.

Visitors must distinguish
human curiosity and daring
from blatant idiocy and
flagrant unheeding. In a
technologically advanced age,
man has grown away from
nature, and cannot appreciate
or respect its supreme power.

Undaunted by hints of
danger, he confronts the
natural world head-on,
matching his power against
something much older and
inherently stronger.
Unfortunately, as at least
twelve persons have discovered

at Crabtree Falls, the odds are
against him.

* * *

The world seems safe and
secure under the hemlocks.
The birds chirp and the never
ending water rushes on and on.

The onlooker stands among
the ferns, contemplating the
scene. Laughter rings through
the autumn air. The
pseudo-hikers still scale the
moist rocks, venturing further
and further toward the
beautiful swirling foam.

Human curiosity and will
are indomitable, they say. Not
morbidly, but realistically, the
onlooker cannot help but
ponder human nature.
Can it be defeated? Tamed?
Where has fear of and respect
for the natural world gone?
Whatever happened to
common sense?

Who goes next?