Devil's Bathtub

A challenging and rewarding hike somewhere in southwest Virginia

By Brian Cary

April 8^th, 2023

Finding Devil's Fork Loop Trail

I had to look on the map for this one.

In search of a trail to run for my first workout post-marathon (the Virginia Creeper Marathon 2023), I found this gem of a waterfall. Once I made my plan, I was setting out into unknown territory in search of Devil's Fork Loop trail and the Devil's Bathtub waterfall landmark. Why not make this fun and include a challenging trail with 10 water crossings, and do it in the rain? Ok, time for an adventure.

Getting there (and things along the way)

I loaded up the van and set off. This drive was only under 60 miles - most of it on the highway - and then some turns off onto byways and through small towns. Since it was a Friday and only around noon, I was the only one in the parking lot. From there, it's about a half mile hike up to the trail, which takes you another .25mi to the trail head. That's where there were lots of warning and informational signs about how difficult the trail is (4 hours going the short way, 8 hours going the long way), and how to get help in case of an emergency. There were also beer cans in the area so lots of young people must come here and party, sometimes getting into accidents.

Anyways, I made my way to the first stream crossing, just 3 minutes into my hike. I wore thick wool socks knowing that this would be the case, so without hesitation I forged the stream and scurried up to the other side.

Up-close and personal with the Devil's Bathtub

Long story short, it's a fun and beautiful trail in the Thomas Jefferson National Forest. I hike/ran/rock-jumped my way through the trail and made it to the bathtub.

There was definitely a dangerous cliff when you got to the feature, but thankfully there were ropes in place. They were not professionally installed, however.

I think it's a pretty cool waterfall. These lines look unique. The pool of water is perfect blue on a gray rainy day - it has to be amazing on a sunny warm day. There's plenty of deep pools to jump in on a hot day.

Devil's Fork Loop

The loop part of the trail continues onward and around - but I'm saving that for another day. This time, I headed back in the same direction as I came. It was mostly downhill on the return, which was very welcoming. I didn't stop much if at all until the trailhead - water dripping from above the entire time.