The Cascades

Hikers who make the 2-mile journey up to the Cascades, a much-photographed, 66-foot waterfall on Little Stony Creek, find that getting there is half the fun. Little Stony—a native trout stream—tumbles down a dramatic, narrow gorge from the same plateau that holds one of only two natural lakes in Virginia, Mountain Lake. After the initial precipitous drop over steep cliffs into a deep pool, the stream winds and gurgles around boulders, creates more pools, and flows out into a wide valley northeast of Pembroke on its way to the New River. Cool air sifts down the gorge from the high plateau, keeping temperatures down even in midsummer. The frozen falls are equally beautiful in winter. In the grassy valley of Little Stony Creek sits a beautiful picnic area with 15 tables and grills. Shading the area are apple and pear trees, native buckeyes, box elders, and walnut trees. Stream banks grow lush in late summer with the gold-orange blossoms of spotted jewelweed (Impatiens capensis). In the parking lot, look for summer colonies of dame's rocket (Hesperis matronalis). The small, four-petaled blooms of pinkish purple grow on spires up to 4 feet tall. To fish for the native brook trout in Little Stony, use single barbed hooks and artificial lures only. Also needed are a fishing license, a trout stamp, and a national forest stamp.

Channel: Travel & Events
Uploaded: November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am
Author: vbdenny

Length: 06:07
Rating: 5.0
Views: 1220

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