White Park Waterfall, A Hidden Gem in Morgantown, West Virginia

by Crystal Carder

West Virginia is full of gorgeous hikes and hidden treasures. This past weekend, my kids and I were looking for something to do where we could enjoy nature. Our original plan was to go to Coopers Rock and take a hike, but about the time we got to that exit, God intervened and put our tire sensor light on in our car. Knowing we had to go to Morgantown, West Virginia now first, I started to look for things to do in Morgantown.

Since my family practically lives in Morgantown, I thought we had seen everything there, then I stumbled on White Park. White Park didn’t have many reviews or a lot of information on Google, but as you know, that just made me more intrigued. I had to at least drive past the place to see what it was.

 



I put the address in to White Park and the GPS quickly alerted me that the park may be closed. As it turns out, White Park is actually near a recreational park with an ice rink, baseball fields, and a mountain biking path.

White Park Waterfall, A Hidden Gem in Morgantown, West Virginia 10 When we got to White Park, there were a few baseball teams playing, but we parked and attempted to find out where this waterfall was.

There were a few trails heading upward, but there were absolutely no signs anywhere telling you where to go. We had two options, either hike the trails upward or cross the road and try that trail. My gut told me we should go across the street, but the kids decided we should go to the trails upward. White Park Waterfall, A Hidden Gem in Morgantown, West Virginia 11Turns out the trail upward had just as many side trails and no signs as to where to go. Just these empty graffitied signs. White Park Waterfall, A Hidden Gem in Morgantown, West Virginia 12After a mile of hiking and ending up at houses, we decided to head back and cross the street. Turns out, that’s what we should have done a long time ago. We had finally found the right trail and there were a few signs alerting us of this. White Park Waterfall, A Hidden Gem in Morgantown, West Virginia 13White Park Waterfall, A Hidden Gem in Morgantown, West Virginia 14After a short walk, we immediately came to a lake of water. White Park Waterfall, A Hidden Gem in Morgantown, West Virginia 15Continuing the walk on, we could finally hear water and knew we were close to the waterfall. Then, we came upon a bench with a small overlook. We were the only ones walking towards the fall that day, so it was like we had the whole trail to ourselves; it was so relaxing.

 


White Park Waterfall, A Hidden Gem in Morgantown, West Virginia 16 Just beyond the bench, we had finally made it to the waterfall!

Though, there is a little trail leading to the waterfall, it is a little more strenuous for kids, but totally do-able.*

The water at the waterfall was pretty still. Other than the water rushing down the falls, the water wasn’t moving, so we decided to sit on the rock and watch the water.

White Park Waterfall, A Hidden Gem in Morgantown, West Virginia 17
My pictures could never do the waterfall justice, so we used the GoPro Hero 5 Black to get video of the falls. As you can see, it did amazing capturing the pure beauty of this fall.

Ready to visit White Park, check out the park’s website HERE.

White Park Waterfall, A Hidden Gem in Morgantown, West Virginia 18

Directions to White Park Waterfall:

To get to White Park Waterfall, put this address in your GPS:

1001 Mississippi St, Morgantown, WV 26501

You will drive pass a ball park and the building for the ice arena. There is a parking lot that is directly across from the trail to the waterfall.

parking lot white park

From the trail its about .4 mile of a walk to the waterfall.

This trail is frequented by hikers, but the waterfall area is a bit more secluded, so use caution when visiting.

Visiting in 2023

When I first created this post in 2017, I had no idea how many people would see it. It seems like so many of you were excited to hear about this waterfall, but unfortunately it’s been 5 years since my family has been back there. We visited the falls this weekend and like all good things, people are trashing this waterfall which is really sad. There were bags of trash and trash everywhere.

trash at white park

Unfortunately, this area is beginning to look like a party area. While the waterfall is still beautiful, if you are visiting White Park, please pick up your trash and help preserve this piece of nature. 

Obviously, the waterfall is prettier in the summer months, but here is an updated photo.

2023 white park morgantown wv

Looking to spend the day near Morgantown, West Virginia, why not check out Pokey Dot in Fairmont, WV and try their extraordinary 9-pound banana split?! 

This post in no way encourages trespassing, swimming, or any other dangerous activities at the waterfall. Please use caution and stay on trails while hiking. As with any water, water is very dangerous. This post serves as only an entertainment post and therefore is not encouraging any activities at White Park. Explore at your own risk. 

Last Updated on 1 year by Crystal Carder

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7 comments

Brenda Grunewald May 7, 2018 - 12:00 pm

Beautiful!
How long of a hike to the waterfall?

Reply
Crystal Carder May 7, 2018 - 12:01 pm

It’s not far. I would say less than a mile. The hike is relatively flat, so it’s a pretty easy hike. The kids and I made it back there without any issues.
It’s very peaceful and pretty there.

Reply
Jordan June 23, 2018 - 3:28 am

My wife and I take our kids on the trail at White Park all the time but I’ve never seen this waterfall. Is it out on the trail across the road from the ball fields? The trail that coincides with the bike paths? I really want to see it the kids would love it!

Reply
Crystal Carder June 23, 2018 - 6:40 am

The first time we went, it took us a while to find the waterfall, but when you park walk across the road to the side with the ball field and the path that has the bike trail. It’s pretty much a straight shot. You’ll walk a little bit and then cross a road, once you cross you should see signs for water. Just keep walking straight on the trail and you should end up at the waterfall.

Reply
Zauresh November 9, 2019 - 12:52 pm

Thank you so much

Reply
Colleen Koval November 16, 2022 - 4:06 pm

This looks like it would be breathtaking in person!!

Reply
Crystal Carder November 18, 2022 - 8:41 am

It is! It’s well worth the hike!

Reply

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