Elakala Falls
West Virginia · height not recorded · Blackwater Falls State Park · Last verified 2026-05-15
Flow at Elakala Falls is 50 cfs today, around its seasonal average.
Right now
Streamflow
50.3 cfs
BLACKWATER RIVER AT DAVIS, · 1h ago
Overnight
64°F
Isolated Rain Showers
Friday
74°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Today's daylight
Sunrise 6:00 AM · Sunset 8:45 PM · 14h 45m
Snapshot built 11m ago. Sources: USGS · NWS PBZ.
Elakala Falls is a waterfall in West Virginia. Height has not been officially recorded. Access details and conditions have not yet been verified in person by Fallspots — the data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Elakala Falls is in West Virginia. It drops along The Elakala Falls are a series of four waterfalls of Shays Run. The falls are inside Blackwater Falls State Park. The base sits at roughly 3,129 feet of elevation. Drive time is about 4 minutes from Davis. A trail — Elakala Trail — runs within 10 meters of the marked location. No public parking is recorded within 2 km, so a longer approach is likely. This is one of the more frequently visited falls in the state by our popularity model. Source records come from OpenStreetMap.
Entry is free. Dogs on leash are welcome on the access trail.
The Elakala Falls are a series of four waterfalls of Shays Run as it descends into the Blackwater Canyon in West Virginia. They are within Blackwater Falls State Park and are quite popular among photographers, with the ease of access for the first waterfall, and the relatively low traffic of the other waterfalls in the series.
Is the water flowing right now?
Most waterfall sites don't tell you this. The waterfall itself is almost never gauged, but a USGS streamgage in the same watershed can tell you whether snowmelt has started, peaked, or run dry.
USGS gage 03066000 · 2.2 mi away
BLACKWATER RIVER AT DAVIS, WV
View live discharge data →
30-day streamflow
Below 30-day average↻ Same date last year: 34.1 cfs · 147% of last year — significantly wetter
When to go (from the climate data, not our opinion)
Monthly averages from Open-Meteo's reanalysis dataset (2020–2024). Highlighted months are when we think the waterfall is at its best — but the numbers are the numbers regardless.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip (in) | Snow days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 21 | 6.1 | 19 |
| Feb | 41 | 23 | 5 | 13.4 |
| Mar | 49 | 30 | 4.9 | 10.2 |
| Apr | 54 | 37 | 5.7 | 7 |
| May | 62 | 46 | 6 | 2.4 |
| Jun | 71 | 55 | 4.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 76 | 61 | 3.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 73 | 59 | 4.6 | 0 |
| Sep | 67 | 53 | 4.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 58 | 43 | 3.3 | 1.8 |
| Nov | 48 | 32 | 4.1 | 8.4 |
| Dec | 39 | 26 | 4.7 | 13.2 |
Source: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API · ERA5 reanalysis 2020–2024.
Compare to nearby falls
If this one isn't the right fit, here's how it stacks up against the closest documented falls. Every column is filterable on the site — not buried in 13,000 reviews.
| Waterfall | Distance | Height | Trail | Dogs | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elakala Falls (this page) | — | — | — | Y | Free |
| Blackwater Falls | 1 mi | 62 ft | — | Y | Free |
| Douglas Falls | 2 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Albert Falls | 2 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Falls of Seneca | 20 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Small waterfall | 23 mi | — | — | — | — |
Questions visitors ask about Elakala Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
Is Elakala Falls in a national or state park?
Yes — Elakala Falls is inside Blackwater Falls State Park. We inferred this from OpenStreetMap protected-area polygons; if you find we got the boundary wrong, please report it. See the park page for fees, hours, and current conditions.
Can I bring my dog to Elakala Falls?
Yes — dogs are allowed (Blackwater Falls State Park permits leashed dogs in most areas). Inferred from park type; check the official site for trail-specific restrictions. Always leash and pack out waste.
Is there a fee to visit Elakala Falls?
No entrance fee. Blackwater Falls State Park is free to access. Some trailheads may charge a parking fee separately.
How far is Elakala Falls from a major city?
Elakala Falls is 3 miles from Davis (about 4 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in West Virginia
Where it is
39.1072, -79.4993
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elakala_Falls
Wikidata (Q37322)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37322
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
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