Blackwater Falls State Park in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia centers on the sixty-two-foot Blackwater Falls, where the tannin-darkened Blackwater River drops from Canaan Valley into Blackwater Canyon. The park protects 2,358 acres of upland forest and includes trails to canyon overlooks and smaller waterfalls. First widely publicized after David Hunter Strother’s visit in 1852 and followed by tourist lodging beginning in 1858, the area grew into a modern state park through 1930s land leases and donations, with formal creation in 1937 and later expansion. Developed further in the 1950s, it is now a major scenic and year-round recreation destination.