Apple Orchard Falls, Virginia, Rainy Day Hike 

I always say "there's no bad weather, only bad gear." With the right gear, you can enjoy any conditions. Many of my rainy hikes have been some of my best adventures. It's good experience. Thanks so much for checking out my video, I really appreciate it!

This is one of the better ones for sure. Thanks for watching, my friend!

Indeed waterfalls and mountains are pretty awesome, but you have some pretty cool swamps, coastal forests, and tidal rivers out there in you're area. Thanks for checking out my video, as always much appreciated!

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for watching!

Thanks, man. This is definitely one of the better waterfalls for sure. Its tall and flows pretty good most of the year, especially with all the wet weather we have had this year. Thanks for watching, my friend!

Definitely blessed with all the amazing scenery in the Blue Ridge. Thanks so much for checking out my video!

The bridges were really cool and there were quite of few of them on this route. Thanks for checking it out, my friend!

@@SmellNRoses One of the Ultra races I have planned for Spring of 2020, the Promise Land 50k, runs up the exact trail you took.

The woods always look so neat in the rain and fog, plus you're practically guaranteed not to see anyone else out there lol. Thanks so much for checking out my video!

Thank you so much for checking it out!

Thanks for watching, my friend! It is a really awesome place, the creek views alone are worth the hike, and the waterfall is spectacular.

Glad you enjoyed it. It is a nice waterfall. Thanks for watching!

I agree, there is something really nice about the sound of rushing water. Thanks so much for watching and for your comment and thumbs up, I really appreciate it!

Smell N Roses , you are very welcome, my friend !❤️❤️😀😀

Yeah kids would love this hike with the cool bridges and creek features. Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching, my friend!

This is definitely one of the more spectacular falls in Virginia, and the hike up is very scenic and enjoyable as well. I always enjoy the forest when its wet and foggy, and I almost always pick a waterfall for the rainy day hikes. Thanks for checking it out!

/almost always pick a waterfall for the rainy day hikes/ is a good plan

I love rainy hikes too. Practically guaranteed solitude even in the popular spots. Thanks for watching, my friend!

Thanks for watching, man. This is not the biggest waterfall in Virginia, but it definitely ranks up there near the top of the list. Its an awesome falls and a great hike too. Glad you enjoyed the video!

It is a neat place for sure. Thanks so much for checking it out!

Thanks so much for checking out my video and for commenting, I really appreciate it! This was my first time back to these falls in decades, and I had only ever come down from the Parkway on previous visits. Nothing like what you described though. That was an intense experience I'm sure. I bet the frozen falls were spectacular though I can't imagine that ride back to Lynchburg.

If you see me hiking on a rainy day, its almost always a waterfall hike lol! Thanks for watching, my friend!

Thanks so much for watching! I appreciate it!

Thanks for checking out my video, my friend! Yes that hike down from the Parkway is pretty steep. That's the only way I had been previously, this was my first time hiking up from the bottom. It's actually only about a 1/2 mile longer going up from the bottom. This is a pretty popular spot but if you time it right you can have it all to yourself. That bench at the main overlook is really nice, wonderful place to sit for a while and look at the falls.

Rainy days are nice, I love the way the woods look when its foggy and wet. The guaranteed solitude is an added bonus! Thanks for watching, my friend, and happy new year to you as well.

Thanks for checking it out, my friend!

Oh yeah gotta be careful out there because the mountain don't care that's for sure. This is an awesome waterfall for sure, glad you enjoyed the views. Thanks so much for checking it out!

Thanks so much for checking it out! I hope you have a great 2019 as well!

Thanks! Yes you should visit this waterfall. Definitely one that should not be missed. There are multiple ways to get to it as well which can make for some fun and interesting hikes depending on how much time you have.

Thanks so much for watching and for your awesome comment, my friend. Days like these can be tricky in my area, sometimes a few degrees one way or the other can make the difference between a cold rain or a major snow storm and it can be hard to predict up there on a mountain. Either way, the rain and fog definitely add a mystical magical feel to the woods, and practically guarantee some good solitude as well as most people wouldn't venture out in that weather. Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks again for watching!

I always say "there is no bad weather, only bad gear." I always enjoy the way the forest looks when its wet. That said, this has been a very wet year for us and we could use some sunny days. Thanks for watching, my friend!

Thanks so much for watching! Yes that loop is really nice, and you can actually connect with quite a few other trails with some creative use of the various forestry roads in the area. This place is fairly close to home for me so I never considered camping there, but there are a ton of spectacular sites down in there, might have to think about a quick overnighter out there sometime.

Thanks for watching, my friend. Yes this is a really nice waterfall. If you hike down from the AT, its not very far, probably just a little over a mile or so, but I agree this area deserves a dedicated trip. What I showed in this video just barely scratches the surface. You can actually make a loop out of it by connecting with a forestry road (or the AT) and the Cornelius Creek Trail, which also has numerous cascades and smaller waterfalls. There are a few really nice camp sites on the loop as well. Definitely keep it in mind for a future overnighter, I think you would enjoy the hike.

Thanks for watching, my friend. This can be a busy trail at times, but on a rainy day I had the place to myself plus good flow on the creek. I shot most of this video with my phone camera, but there were some GoPro scenes as well. Pick yourself up one, you won't be disappointed.

Thanks so much for checking out my video! Hope you enjoy your trip to the area!

Thanks, my friend! Yes this is a beautiful hardwood forest here. It's mainly oak up there. The mountain is named Apple Orchard, but there are no apple trees up there, well at least not full orchards lol. It gets that name because a lot of those oaks turn red in the fall, looking like apples on the trees. If you ever make it over to the Blue Ridge, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Hit me up, I'll show you around.

Thanks so much for checking out my video! Happy New Year to you as well, my friend!

Thank you, my friend! We are certainly blessed here in Virginia with some beautiful terrain, everything from beaches to mountains. I know its not all flat down in Florida and y'all even have some cool waterfalls too.

Thank you, my friend!!!

Thanks so much for watching, my friend! This is definitely a waterfall you should check out. I think you would like it. It is very close to the Peaks of Otter area. Although I think hiking up from the bottom is a much more interesting hike, you can also hike down from the Parkway. As you mentioned you can also do the full loop and check out Cornelius Creek as well, it also has some nice cascades and smaller waterfalls. The creeks were up some because of the rain so I was worried about the crossings on Cornelius Creek (there are a couple where you get wet even when the creek is low lol) so I didn't try the loop on this day I was out there. Man thanks for the shout out on your video. I gotta get caught up. I am going to try to watch some videos later this afternoon or this evening. I saw you had made another visit out to that lake and I thought you probably hiked more of the trails. I bet that Canon 80 is nice. Canon makes some good stuff. I have an older Powershot that I sometimes carry for still photos, especially for the zoom capabilities. For this video I used both the GoPro and my iPhone. I'm still getting used to using the GoPro but man I love it so far, its definitely a game changer.

You're right, I don't think I have ever seen a "bad" waterfall. This one is definitely among the better ones though. Thanks so much for watching!

Thanks for watching, my friend! This is definitely an awesome waterfall and I recommend you checking it out sometime. I think you would enjoy hiking in this area. You are right about the blue blazes. On this visit, I turned around at the falls, but had I continued on up, its less than a mile up to the AT. You can also use the AT or some forestry roads and another hiking trail to complete a loop in this area. Definitely check it out sometime. I shot most of this video with my iPhone but I did use the GoPro on several scenes as well. I have the new Hero 7 Black and man this thing is awesome. If you get one you wont be disappointed. I shopped around quite a bit looking for the best deal (back during the holiday sales season). I ended up ordering directly from the GoPro website. At the time they had a sweet bundle for the camera with a bunch of accessories and free shipping for the same price everybody else was selling just the camera. I'm not sure if they still have any special deals, but take a look at their site before you buy.

It was pretty steep just before reaching the falls. This was my first time hiking up from the bottom, but I've been to the falls a couple of times in the past. Previously I had hiked down to the falls from the Parkway, which is what most people do. If you come down from the Parkway it is extremely steep, a tough climb back up to Sunset Fields, and its only slightly shorter distance. Its far better to hike up from the bottom. It is about 200 feet tall. Its hard to tell from standing at the base because it sort of cascades over a rock slab rather than free fall. When you see the falls from some distance away you can appreciate how tall it is. Also, if you include the other smaller cascades at the base, it would be considered even higher. This is one you need to see if you happen to find yourself in that part of the Blue Ridge.

I will. I think I passed it once when I was on the parkway, but had no idea of how epic it was...

It's about a mile and half down from the Parkway and a heck of a climb back up. There is another smaller waterfall up stream from the main falls that you see on the way down though and one rock offers some nice views down into the valley. From the lower trail head its about 2 miles up to the falls, but a very pleasant hike and only gets real steep about the last half mile or so before reaching the falls.