The largest waterfall on the New River, 1,500 feet across and split into channels by islands, reached by a short accessible boardwalk.
March through May
Big water window
in a typical year
Rain fed
What drives it
New River
Live USGS
Data on this page
gauge 03184500
NPS New River Gorge
Managed by
their rules govern
Trail status, closures and safety rules belong to each falls' managing agency, named and linked on every page.
The season
What fills Sandstone Falls, and when
Sandstone Falls drains a very large Appalachian basin, so it runs all year and swells with regional rain. Bluestone Dam upstream moderates the biggest floods, which makes the falls steadier than an ungauged mountain creek but no less loud in spring.
Typical best flow: March through May
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What the agency itself says
Spanning 1,500 feet across, it is the largest waterfall on the New River.
Gauge: USGS 03184500 NEW RIVER AT HINTON, WV, upstream of the falls, below Bluestone Dam. The gauge reads the river, not the brink of the falls, so treat it as the trend line rather than a turnstile.
Source: USGS Water Services (National Water Information System). Instantaneous values and daily statistics services. U.S. Geological Survey data are works of the United States Government and are in the public domain. Gauge verified 2026-08-27.
Multnomah Falls in autumn: a Columbia Gorge falls that keeps respectable flow year round, and the standard against which most falls seasons get measured. “Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Multnomah Falls, fall color - 3” — Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region — Public domain
Getting there
Access, in the agency's words and ours
The boardwalk to the falls is short and accessible. Several small islands divide the falls into different parts.
Pictured: Blackwater Falls, West Virginia. Sandstone Falls is a far wider, lower drop on the New River, but it answers to the same Appalachian rain. “Blackwater Falls (15437499241)” by Benjamin Smith from United States, CC BY 2.0
Common questions
Sandstone Falls flow season FAQ
The reliable big-water window is March through May. Sandstone Falls drains a very large Appalachian basin, so it runs all year and swells with regional rain. Bluestone Dam upstream moderates the biggest floods, which makes the falls steadier than an ungauged mountain creek but no less loud in spring.
This page reads the USGS gauge on New River (NEW RIVER AT HINTON, WV, upstream of the falls, below Bluestone Dam) live in your browser, and shows the latest flow next to the median USGS publishes for today's date, so you can see where today sits in the year. The gauge reads the river, not the brink, so treat it as the trend rather than a turnstile.
No. The New River carries water year round; spring simply carries more of it.
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve (National Park Service). The boardwalk to the falls is short and accessible. Several small islands divide the falls into different parts. Trail status, closures and safety rules are theirs, and their page is linked on this one; nothing here overrides what they publish.
In their own words: "The waters around Sandstone Falls are very swift and dangerous. Remain on the boardwalk or trails when visiting the falls." That sentence is New River Gorge National Park and Preserve (National Park Service)'s, quoted verbatim, and their page is the place to check before you go.
Yosemite Falls in May, running on snowmelt that will be gone by late summer. The National Park Service tells visitors the falls can be dry by August, which is why every falls page here starts from its watershed. “Tourists below Yosemite Falls (39832011431)” by Mike McBey, CC BY 2.0
Keep planning
More falls, and the rest of the West Virginia year
Places to stay