We have probably visited Cole Run Falls at least four or five times, including on this other visit. It is a great place to go if you are driving in the area and have about half an hour to spare riding on the gravel and dirt roads of Forbes State Forest and walking down to the falls. For western PA, a place with relatively few waterfalls compared to Northeastern PA, let alone large ones, this is certainly a larger waterfall. Overall, this is a small to medium size waterfall that is very picturesque. It goes into a small gorge that is filled with hemlocks, moutain laurel, and other flora. Its creek leads into nice trout pools, including Blue Hole, and others, and several covered bridges, the Barronvale and Kings Covered Bridges, are located nearby, in addition to Seven Springs Mountain Resort.
I would rate the hike somewhere between easy and moderate. It is very short, though once you head down the gorge, there are some spots that require a little maneuvering and have some slick mud that you will need to pay attention to. If you head down into the gorge, I recommend you err on the side of caution and put on some hiking boots with a decent tread, just to be safe.
Here is the view from the top. About 15 feet back from the top of the falls, there is a nice little pool that you can dip your feet into.
A little overexposed. This is a fun set of falls to experiment with your camera settings at, for there is variable lighting and lots of ways for you to compose your shots.
That's better!
A shot that is "rooted" in beauty! A large tree root helped to naturally frame this photo.
As I said earlier, this gorge gives you so many chances to come up with unique compositions with your shots.
Immediately following the falls, there are a number of little falls.
Depending upon my mood for the day, I like to switch up the speed at which I shoot the falls. I often prefer stop motion shots like this, but the lighting was not as conducive to it. Overall though, we highly recommend checking out Cole Run Falls if you are in this area of the Laurel Highlands. You will certainly not regret it. Be sure to also check out the nearby Barronvale and Kings Covered Bridges and Seven Springs Mountain Resort.
Finding it is easy, for it is already listed within Google Maps, but here are the coordinates:
Coordinates to the parking area are:
39.973007, -79.284217
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