Are you looking for a hike with lots of streams? If so, this is a hike you should do, and is one of the most popular hikes in the Jefferson N.F. You will either be right next to streams or within sight of a stream for about 90% of this hike. The highlight of the trail is the 200’ Apple Orchard Falls with a very nice viewing area constructed by the Forest Service in 2000. Shane “The Mountain Lab” joined us on this hike and true to Lab nature, he was wet most of the trip!!
There are some great camping spots within the first mile of the trail and a really good one near the end of the Cornelius Creek Trail just prior to the parking area. For such a short hike it has some of the best stream views of any hikes we have done in Virginia.
From the parking area take the bridge to the left of the kiosk to begin the hike on the blue blazed Apple Orchard Falls (AOF) Trail. In 0.2 miles you will come to an intersection, bear right and stay on the AOF Trail. About 1.0 mile later you will arrive at two bridges and another campsite, take the 2nd one over the creek continuing up on the AOF trail. The next 0.75 miles starts climbing more steeply until you reach Apple Orchard Falls. You will want to stop here and have lunch and get some good photos of the Falls.
Beyond the Falls you will start to climb a series of wooden stairs coming very quickly to the only overlook with a wooden bench of the whole circuit, and just beyond that another small waterfall. Go another 0.3 miles to the intersection of the Apple Orchard Falls Road (a seeded fire road) and take a right. Follow it 1.0 mile to the blue blazed Cornelius Creek Trail. The Fire Road bears to the right but stay straight to go on the Cornelius Creek Trail.
Follow the Cornelius Creek Trail for 2.2 miles to the parking area. The trail follows Cornelius Creek and will include two crossings. The creek was flowing well on our trip and made for difficult crossings and some wet feet. There are also some very good swimming holes on the way down. There are multiple places you will want to stop and take photos of the creek flowing over the rocks.
Warning: Be careful of the plentiful stinging nettles near the creeks and ticks on the fire road.
Note: An alternative parking area if all you only want to see the Falls is at Sunset Field, near Milepost 78.4 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is approximately 1.5 miles down to the Falls from Sunset Field.
Interactive Hike Map BelowPrintable
Topo Hike Map (PDF) Hike route in Drag the map with your mouse using the icon Zoom with the controls on the left Mouse-over the icons in the map below for location shots
Calculate roughly how many calories you could burn on the Apple Orchard Falls hike:
=
Hiker
Reviews For The Apple Orchard Falls Hike (5 Most Recent)
Terrific Hike! This really is a top notch stream hike... Nearly the entire thing is a gorgeous roaring cascade. And the actual falls are something special. The forest service did a terrific job with the viewing platform. I did the longer look starting from the bottom, up Apple Orchard Falls trail, crossing over on the AT, and coming back down Cornelius Creek trail. There had been a lot of rain recently so the water was up. Great for the views, but not as good for the stream crossings on Cornelius Creek. A large group was there and they apparently had several spills.... I, forewarned, was more lucky. Highly recommended!
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, October 24, 2009
Did a quick overnite with my 15 lb. trail dog Willie while in Lynchburg for business this weekend. I was initially disappointed with this hike, as it was basically a walk in the woods, complete with bridges and walkways. But, from the falls up (and over) it was fantastic. I hiked up to the AT and hike the 2 miles or so over to Cornelius, then down to the lower campsite noted in the write up. Great firewood, great water source, great site. The AT was spectacular with several great overlooks, and the campsite was perfect. This is a great dog hike, and a nice hike for novice hikers. The fall colors were truly amazing.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, October 24, 2009
Added note: The campsite I used was about 1 mile up Cornelius Trail from the parking lot, on the south (left) side as you descend . . . not the campsite noted in the write up. This new site was on a small ledge just above the creek, with water access a few feet below, and a truly fantastic perch. Shallow topsoil made for a hard bed, so bring a thicker bed roll!
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Friday, October 23, 2009
Additional Campsite Info:
There is a small campsite located at the very top of the falls. Ascend up the wooden stairs and after the wooden bench overlook, a small offshoot trail will lead you to the top of the falls. A clearing for a 2 man tent can be found with a fire pit and even an old log for seating. Stream is literally 20 yds away...soothing sound thoughout the night. Best experience is waking up and as you're boiling the water for your coffee, enjoy the incredible view from your campsite on the ledge of Apple Orchard Falls!
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Friday, July 03, 2009
What a wonderful hike. Can't say enough good things about Apple Orchard Falls. Three of my friends and I drove 3 hours from Richmond and were not disapointed. We arrived around 7am to find only one car in the parking lot. Passed them at the first camping area you come to (which is a lovely camp site). You're next to streams the whole way and as the previous posters described if you're not next to a stream, you can hear it (until the top around the Fire Trail or AT). The streams were running well, but not enough to create problems when crossing the streams (on the back end of the trail). The climb gets your blood going and also has some good rock hopping on the way up (especially around the falls). The weather was wonderful, chilly in the morning and perfect around noon. We didn't see anyone till we were past the big falls and up towards Apple Orchard Falls Road. By this time, the BRP people were up and making their way down from the road. The AOFR was a little over grown in spots, but just a nice walk through some tall weeds. The final leg of the hike (Cornelius Creek Trail) was wonderful. Cool, beautiful and near the end, a fawn met us in the stream and we followed him/her down stream until it got on the trail and took off up the mountain. A splendid finish to a lovely hike. On another note - we didn't see anyone all day except for the BRP people coming down to the falls. Once we hit the parking lot around 1pm, there were 9 cars parked in the lot. Not bad considering it is July 4th weekend. Found a few ticks on us when we reached the parking lot, but that's to be expected. You're in the woods after all.
The only irritating thing about the hike is the amount of trash people left through-out the trail. I guess the more populated hikes bring people who don't value nature or the effects their trash leaves behind. The Mountains are not a trash can. Cigarette butts don't just disappear. So please pack out what you pack in!
Beyond the Falls you will start to climb a series of 
icon 
