We took advantage of a warm day recently and headed up to see Little Stony Falls in Dungannon, VA. The waterfall is actually part of a larger hike that you can do, but we chose to just walk to the waterfall and back this time around.

The trailhead feels like it’s in the complete middle of nowhere as you’re driving there.

From ExploreScottCountyVA.org: To reach the Little Stony Falls trailhead from Dungannon, follow Rte 72 north for 7.7 miles, then turn left onto Retford Rd (Rte 664.) After 0.4 miles, take a slight left at Corder Town Rd/Quartertown Rd. Follow Corder Town Rd. for 0.8 miles, then turn left onto Forest Road (Rte 700). Follow Forest Rd. for 1.3 miles, then take a slight left onto Rte 701. The trailhead is at the end of the road.

Our GPS took us straight to it, but be sure to download the map before you start driving there because you are likely to lose signal at some point along the way.

A dirt and gravel parking lot covered with leaves, surrounded by forest.
There is quite a bit of parking for this trail. So long as everyone parks respectfully, of course. =)

The trail starts to the left of the sign.

The information sign for Little Stony Falls in Dungannon, VA. On it is a U.S. National Park topographical map of the area, and other information about the waterfall and surrounding trails.
A wide dirt path leading into the forest.

As you start down the trail, you’ll see a set of wooden stairs.

A set of wooden stairs along a dirt path going through the forest.

When you reach the bottom of the stairs, the path goes two different directions…go left to keep going towards the waterfall. If you go right, you end up back out on the fire road.

A wide dirt path leading into the forest.

It’s a beautiful hike along the river.

A view of the river running over rocks, looking through the bare trees. Rhododendron bushes are dotted all around the water's edge.
A small river with rocks, trees, and rhododendron bushes on both sides of it.

You even get to see a small waterfall before the main event. =)

A small cascade, or waterfall, flowing over rocks. Trees and rhododendron bushes surround it.

Not too much farther down you’ll see the wooden bridge to cross the river.

A wide gravel and dirt path that lead to a wooden bridge. Rocks and trees line both sides of the path.

A lot of people said that you could see the waterfall from this bridge, and technically you can, but it’s just the top of it. You can’t actually see the water flowing over the rocks, into the pool below.

An overhead view of Little Stony Falls in Dungannon, VA, from the perspective of standing on the wooden bridge that crosses over it.
This is all you can see of the waterfall if you’re standing on the bridge.

A set of stone stairs just beyond the bridge will take you to the bottom of the waterfall.

Little Stony Falls peeking through the trees, from the perspective of standing on the stone bridge that follows the trail past it.

If you can’t, or don’t want to walk down the stairs, there is a stone bridge just past the steps where you can get a view of the waterfall. It may not be quite as visible if there are more leaves on the trees, but you can definitely see and hear it.

Otherwise…it’s down the stairs you go. =) And really, compared to the stairs at Laurel Falls in Hampton, TN, these aren’t too bad. They are actual stone stairs that have room for you to move your feet, and there are a few landings on the way down if you need to take a break. (Or if you only choose to go so far.)

A waterfall behind a few trees, flowing down into the river below. On the left, stone stairs that lead further down towards the bottom of the falls.
A waterfall behind a couple of trees, flowing down over the rocks into the water below. On the left, a set of stone stairs leading to the bottom of the falls.
Little Stony Falls in Dungannon, VA, flowing over the rocks into the water below. The sun is overhead, it is surrounded by layered rock on both sides, and there are trees along the top.

I have a never-ending admiration for photographers and their ability to capture the most beautiful images in spite of the weird lighting. The sun was directly over the falls while we were there, so any pictures or videos were automatically distorted a bit. But the colors were gorgeous, and the sound was so peaceful.

I don’t know why I always choose a rock that moves to stand on when I shoot videos. This is why there’s a little wiggle every now and then. Haha!

On this day, I tried to scoot around until the sun was at least somewhat behind a tree, and then take pictures or video from there. But it never fails that I’m in a precarious position while trying to hold the camera still for a video.

There are more hiking trails in this area, including one from the Hanging Rock Trail to Little Stony Falls if you want more.

The hike to get to Little Stony Falls from the trailhead pictured above is only about a mile round trip. There are some stairs, and some roots and rocks along the way, but overall it’s fairly easy. The only thing I might classify as a bit rough are the stone stairs, but like I said, even they aren’t too bad.

(To see how I rate hiking trails and why check out my guide.)

If you choose to come from the Hanging Rock trailhead, the hike is around 6 miles round trip.

Either way you go, you’re going to get to see some beautiful scenery and experience the roaring beauty that is Little Stony Falls.