Holly River State Park Travel Guide

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Directly behind the Holly River State Park office and restaurant you will find a trout rearing pond. This is a good place to learn about the many kinds of trout that are stocked in the Holly River. Some of the trout in the pond are albinos, which are interesting to see. Visitors may not fish here, but they are allowed to feed the fish either worms or insects.

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Depending on your perspective there are either one or two Lower Falls. One segment of the falls is several yards downstream from the other. The Lower Falls is much more difficult to reach than the upper one. The hike down to the Lower Falls is mostly a scramble over wet rocks and mud. The poorly developed trail hugs the streambed, and would be submerged during high water. At times, I would have thought I had lost the trail altogether, except for an occasional red paint blaze that coaxed me onward. At one point I stumbled and would have fallen into the river except that I was able to catch myself on a tree.

When you reach the Lower Falls the vantage point for viewing them is not as good as for the Upper Falls. If I had had someone with me, daring me to do it, I would have tried wading the river just below the falls to learn if the view was better from that side.

These falls are on the main stream of Left Fork Holly River, so the amount of water flowing over them is more than the Upper Falls. Although the trail is rough, the hike is less than a half mile each way. I would recommend that you make the effort if you are in reasonably good shape.

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Like the upper falls, this interesting water feature is on Fall Run. It is a short hike downstream from the Upper Falls. Here the creek gushes through a narrow fissure in the quartzite bedrock as it makes a final noisy plunge into the Left Fork of the Holly River. When I was a younger man, and more foolish than now, I would have been tempted to ride down this natural waterslide. However, it would be risky. I could not find out how Shupe's Chute got it's name. But if a guy named Shupe did risk his neck here, I hope he survived.

This is one of those natural features that is difficult to photograph since the chute through which the powerful current flows is so narrow and dark.

The Holly River at the base of Shupe's Chute, is said to be a great swimming hole.

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This is by far the easiest of the waterfalls to reach, and to me it is also the prettiest. To get there you will have to take a one lane mountain road for about 6 miles off the main highway, where you will find a small parking area. From there it is a short but sometimes steep hike. Wooden stairs with handrails lead you over the roughest parts.

When I was at the Upper Falls, in the middle of July, there was not another soul around. Because of recent thunderstorms there was a good flow at the time of my visit. In dry seasons the falls would be somewhat dimished, but still well worth the effort to visit.

This waterfall is not actually on the Holly River, but on a small tributary called Fall Run, a short distance before it flows into the Left Fork of the Holly.

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Favorite thing: The Holly River, along with the Birch River, is one of the two largest tributaries of the Elk River, and both the Holly and the Birch join Elk in Braxton County. The Elk River Flows into the Kanawha at Charleston. The Kanawha joins the Ohio River at Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and the Ohio flows to the Mississppi and hence to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Holly River, which flows through the remote and heavily wooded Hacker Valley, is a beautiful stream noted for it's lovely waterfalls and trout fishing. Even after a heavy rain the water is generally clear.

Favorite thing: In this building, near the center of the developed part of the park and beside the Laurel Fork of the Holly River, you will find the restaurant, a few souvenir items for sale, and the park office. At the office I picked up a brochure and a map of the park which was invaluable to me in finding the hiking trails and the road to the waterfalls. The lady who worked at the office was very helpful in answering my questions. This would also be the place to get information on the rental cabins or other ammenities in the park.

Holly River State Park

Email: hollyriver@wvdnr.gov

Telephone: 1-304-493-6353