QUICK FACTS
- Location: Near Hacker Valley, WV (Webster County)
- Elevation: 2,338 feet
- Coordinates: 38.655175, -80.338372 / (38°39’18.6″N 80°20’18.1″W)
- Waterway: Tenskwatana Branch
- Height: Around 15 feet
Tenskwatana Falls was my last stop on my trek through Holly River State Park. It reminds me a lot like Tecumseh Falls in that it’s about a 15 feet tall overhang as Tenskwatana Branch descends downward off the mountain. However, there is a nice picnic area for you to enjoy this spot – you’ll appreciate it because if you went to this waterfall via the Potato Knob Trail, you’ll be tired.
Tenskwatana Falls is located within Holly River State Park. There are several ways to get to the waterfalls, but what I did was drove on Route 3 right at the entrance of Holly River State Park on the Hacker Valley side, and drove about 4.2 miles out Route 3. Keep in mind, this road does turn to gravel, although I drove in a low-clearance sedan and didn’t have any issues. Then, you’ll see a gravel road on the right side of the road that drops down that has signs for Shupe’s Chute and the Upper Falls, among other things. Take that gravel road for a couple hundred feet, and parking will be there. Park there, and head out on the trail! Upper Falls will be on the left side, along with the steep ascent to Potato Knob, while Shupe’s Chute and several other waterfalls will be on the right side. Go right and hike for awhile. The trail is blazed in red, and though there’s a couple of tree markers down, it’s not hard to follow. You’ll eventually come out to blacktop after about a two mile hike past all of the falls on the Left Fork of the Holly River. Now the real work begins, you’re gonna climb straight up a mountain once you cross the blacktop and continue up Potato Knob. It’s about 3/4 of a mile hiking and I’d estimate 600 feet in elevation climb (that’s an average grade of near 15%). You’ll reach the top of the mountain finally, and follow an old forest road, which will take you straight to it after about another half mile of easy walking. There will be more details on this trek in an upcoming blog post.