Saint Mary's Falls: One of Virginia's best kept secrets

Saint Mary’s Falls is one of the best waterfall hikes in Virginia that you may not have heard of. The waterfall is only 35 feet tall and while it is beautiful – it’s a waterfall after all, it won’t be on any “most beautiful” lists.

What makes Saint Mary’s Falls so special is the easy but adventurous hike through the Saint Mary’s Wilderness and the swimming holes. We’ll cover the swimming holes a little later, most people miss the best one.

View of Saint Mary's Falls from above. A person is just to the side of the waterfall. — _{^{Photo by Blue Ridge Awaits}}

Where is Saint Mary’s Falls?

Saint Mary’s Falls is in the Saint Mary’s Wilderness in Central Virginia. The hike to Saint Mary’s Falls is buried deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but it’s only about an hour from Roanoke, Lynchburg, Harrisonburg, and Charlottesville, and even closer to Staunton.

It’s also only half an hour from Crabtree Falls, which happens to be the longest waterfall east of the Mississippi.

Parking at the Trailhead

If you are visiting outside of peak months or midweek you won’t have any issue parking. If you are planning on hitting the trail on a peak weekend be prepared for crowded parking.

There are only about a dozen parking spots at the trail head. A short dirt road leads to the parking area and if you’re arriving late on the weekend you will see dozens of cars lining the edge of the road.

Even though there is a dirt road you won’t need 4-wheel drive or a high clearance vehicle. On our last visit we were leaving the trail in the early afternoon and cars were line up about a quarter mile from the trail head.

Some people won’t care, but if that stresses you out, come early.

Hike to Saint Mary’s Falls

Saint Mary's Wilderness Sign along trail to Saint Mary's Falls. — _{^{Photo by Blue Ridge Awaits}}

To reach Saint Mary’s Falls you’ll need to hike the 4.3 mile trail out and back trail to the waterfall. Luckily the hiking is pretty easy, the elevation gain is only about 300 feet.

Hiking to the falls and back will take most people between an hour and a half and two hours. If you stop to swim or relax near the falls, and you should, it’ll take longer. But there are few things you need to know before you visit.

First, you are going to get wet (probably). There are five water crossings on the hike to Saint Mary’s Falls. None of them have wooden bridges. You’ll be rock hopping to get across the Saint Mary’s River.

People tip toeing across a series of rocks to cross the Saint Mary's River. — _{^{Photo by Blue Ridge Awaits}} *We always start so hopeful we’ll stay dry.*

We’ve found that you can avoid getting in the water but usually it is just easier to wear hiking sandals and stomp through the water. On the deepest crossings the river is around knee depth for an adult and the water isn’t swift moving, normally.

Boy stomping through water at water crossing to Saint Mary's Falls. — _{^{Photo by Blue Ridge Awaits}} *It doesn’t last long.*

Second, consider the gear you are bringing. The trail hiking is easy, but the water crossings are a little tricky if you are trying to stay dry. I would strongly recommend hiking poles if you are attempting to stay out of the water. Most of the stones in the water are stable but some shift when you step on them.

In our opinion, the best solution is to wear shoes that you don’t mind getting soaked or to wear hiking sandals.

The final thing to know, is that the trail uses a combination of trail markings. There are a few red blazes, and a couple signs. Honestly, it’s one of the more poorly marked trails in the area, but it’s also an easy to follow trail.

As long as you stay on the obvious trail, and check the signs to make sure you are heading toward the waterfall you will be fine.

There is only one spot where it seems a little hard to know which way to go.

Trail path near Saint Mary's River. An arrow points to the correct way to go, a red X marks the way to avoid. — _{^{Photo by Blue Ridge Awaits}} *You can go either direction, but the trail goes down toward the water.*

Large rock near trail with a faded red blaze on it. The trail runs directly beside Saint Mary's River. — _{^{Photo by Blue Ridge Awaits}} *Once you reach the riverbank you can see the faded red blaze.*

If you take the high route, you’ll have to figure out how to scale down a steep rocky ledge.

Swimming at Saint Mary’s Falls

Saint Mary’s Falls is one of the best swimming holes in Virginia. The most popular spot where people get into the water is at the shallow pool at the base of Saint Mary’s Falls. This is definitely the prettiest spot to get in the water but it isn’t the best place to swim.

Kids at Saint Mary's Falls getting into the water near the waterfall. — _{^{Photo by Blue Ridge Awaits}}

About 0.3 miles from Saint Mary’s Falls there is a small water slide style waterfall that spills into a plunge pool. The plunge pool is about 6 feet deep and surrounded by a rocky shore. There is even a natural rock slide that sits right over the plunge pool.

The river isn’t fast flowing in this spot, but you still want to be very careful when swimming. There are obviously no lifeguards in the wilderness and you should NEVER swim alone or after enjoying adult beverages.

The other thing to know is that the water is cold. So very, very cold – at least for a wimp like me.

So, if getting into cold mountain water is your bag – this is your spot. Everyone else may still opt to get into the shallow water near Saint Mary’s Falls.

What Else do You Need to Know?

Saint Mary’s Falls is in a protected wilderness area. Besides the normal Leave No Trace Principles, there are also additional regulations visitors need to follow.

Group size needs to be kept to 10 people or less.
Dogs must be kept on a leash and away from swimming areas.

Violating these restrictions can result in a fine, but that’s incredibly unlikely to happen. The most likely consequence is you will annoy other people, so maybe don’t be annoying.

There are a couple very narrow sections of the trail to Saint Mary’s Falls and this can become a problem if you have a less socialized dog or a large group. Just keep that in mind when you visit.

When is the best time to visit?

Saint Mary’s Falls never closes, but there are definitely better times to visit. The most optimal time to visit is May through late September into early October, depending on the weather. The water at Saint Mary’s Falls never gets warm, even in late summer, so the warmer it is the better.

Beyond that, while Saint Mary’s Falls is less well known than many other awesome hikes in Virginia, it is popular with college students. During warmer weekend days it is common to see the trail very crowded. If you can arrive at the trailhead by 9 AM you should be fine. Even more so if you can visit midweek.

As an aside, we visited once on the 4th of July and it was kind of miserable. There were droves of people everywhere. We figured it would be busy, but it was so much worse than we expected. So, if crowds in the forest bother you, skip this hike on major holidays in the spring and summer.

Can you camp near Saint Mary’s Falls?

Rough campsite on Saint Mary's Falls Trail. A small fire ring is positioned near a downed tree trunk. — _{^{Photo by Blue Ridge Awaits}}

There are a couple established camping areas along the hike to Saint Mary’s Falls. There is no registration requirement and no fee for camping, but there are a couple regulations you need to know.

First, you cannot camp with in 500 feet of the parking area or the waterfall. Second, the group size applies to camping as well as to hiking the trail.

If you decide to camp there are a couple established campsites along the trail. You’ll find these spots already have established fire rings, just make sure you completely put out your fire before going to sleep and double check it before you break camp.

Saint Mary’s Falls is a great summer hike. It’s one of our favorite easy hikes, especially for getting into the water. It can get crowded on some weekends, but for solo hikers these times may be the best time to visit if you aren’t comfortable hiking alone.

If you need to visit all the waterfalls, here is a list of our favorite waterfall hikes in Virginia.