“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” “Fork in the road.” Both expressions are familiar ones, and indicate that our lives are filled with choices, not all of which are figurative. Two roads really do fork in a wood in Tucker County, West Virginia, and you’ll have to pick between them (unless you came prepared with enough time, food, and energy to tackle them both). But while the end result of each is very different, they share plenty of common ground: the ubiquitous pothole, a stunning surprise, and beautiful views await you along either path.
Off the beaten path in wild, wonderful West Virginia, a graveled forest road delves deeper into the heart of this state's most beautiful mountains: Forest Road 18.
You can find Forest Road 18 along the Seneca Trail (U.S. 219) just south of Tucker County High School in Hambleton.
And if you bear RIGHT at the first fork in Forest Road 18, you'll come to the old Olson Fire Tower after about two miles of fairly decent-for-dirt road.
There is a small parking lot and signs at the base of the tower so that just in case you somehow miss the mammoth spike jutting upward into the sky, you'll still know you've arrived.
Now back to Forest Road 18. If you bear LEFT (it might feel more like going straight) at the aforementioned fork, you're in for another wonderful surprise: Big Run Falls.
Forest Road 18 crosses Big Run Creek, and it's just after that crossing that you'll want to start watching for a trail to access the falls. There are two trails, actually; the first is located at the end of a small, primitive campground and marked with an orange blaze on a rock. It leads to the top of the falls, which isn't quite as good of a vantage point as the second trail, which enters the woods about 50 feet beyond the first one and follows the creek down to the base of the falls.
Big Run Falls isn't the easiest West Virginia waterfall to access, but it's well worth the effort to track it down.
As with any adventure you take into the wild beauty of nature, be sure to leave no trace of your visit when you leave - pack out trash and leave what you find as you find it for others to enjoy.
Have you ever visited either Olson Tower or Big Run Falls? Did you know they were such close neighbors? If you love towers, you’ll find more West Virginia ones here; if you prefer waterfalls, we’ve got lots of those featured here.
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