Get ready for about 20 stream crossings on your Devil’s Bathtub hike.
If you spend any time on the internet and you love to travel, you have probably seen pictures of the Devil’s Bathtub near Fort Blackmore in western VA. I first saw the pictures last year and I saved the hike on my AllTrails and didn’t think of it again. This summer we started planning a 5-day waterfall hiking trip around North Carolina. I remembered this hike and decided we would venture into VA to check it out. I’m thrilled we did. You need to add it to your bucket list.
I did a lot of research before the Devil’s Bathtub hike and afterward realized a lot of information on the internet is no longer up to date and decided to help fix that. From where to park, how to get there, and what it all looks like, I hope to get you up to date so you can make this hike and see how great it is.
6 things you need to know about the Devil’s Bathtub Hike:
1. What’s with the name?
According to my research from the county’s tourism division, it’s allegedly called Devil’s Bathtub because it’s the “only water cold enough to squelch the fires of hell.” After checking it out myself I have to agree that it is pretty cold. Not sure about the hell part but the name works. It’s a bit creepy swimming in something called Devil’s Bathtub. The whole time you can’t help think of how a horror movie could be made about some long fingers reaching up to grab you from the bottom. But I digress.
2. The details you need to know to get to the trail!
Devil’s Bathtub is really in the boonies in Fort Blackmore. But it’s not hard to get there. If you have the AllTrails app you can pull up directions and it will get you there with no issues. You can also just use your apple or google maps to get you to the trailhead by just entering Devil’s Bathtub.
The apps take you to a nice big parking lot with bathrooms and info on the trail. It’s great BUT it’s a mile to the trailhead from this parking lot. Consider this your overflow lot on busy days. We only saw 5 other people all day on our hike, so it was not busy. If you get to the trail early, try driving up to the second lot right at the actual Devil’s Bathtub trail head.
If you get there early enough keep driving and turn left when you get to this sign.
Follow the road up to the left. There is a brand-new parking lot at the top of this road at the trailhead. (There was recently a $283,000 Devil’s Bathtub Project to update this area) If there is not any parking in this upper lot you can park along the dirt road as long as you leave the road clear for vehicles and most importantly for EMS. We pulled just off the road.
3. Details of the trail to get you the bathtub
From the actual trail head, it’s right at 2 miles to the Devil’s bathtub, some great swimming pools and a cool waterfall flowing into it all. There is not a lot of elevation, and the trail is pretty easy. There will probably be mud during most visits so spots can be slippery and messy. Additionally, you will need to cross the stream numerous times. That’s definitely one of my favorite parts.
There are obvious spots to cross the creek each time you come to one and the rocks are extremely stable unlike creeks and rivers we hike through in Hawaii, so we were pleasantly surprised. The trail is being updated and cleaned up and there are several areas where they don’t want you to use an old section but to use their new one. It’s clearly marked for you so you shouldn’t have any issues. There are also yellow plastic diamond tags along your route to help you make sure you are heading the right way. It’s a stream and you are heading up to a waterfall but just to help you find the easiest spots.
You know you are close to the pools, Devil’s Bathtub and the pretty little waterfall feeding it all when you come to a section of trail that has ropes on the left-hand side. These are for holding onto as you go down a fairly steep, muddy area before reaching your destination. Not everyone needs them but if you have balance issues or it’s extra muddy you will appreciate them.
Once you pass this rope section you will come to a pretty pool that begs you to jump in. Don’t resist that call. It’s a perfect swimming hole. We went on a weekday, and it was threatening rain so when we arrived we had the entire area to ourselves. We decided to continue to the Devil’s bathtub and come back to the pool. Don’t miss it though.
The pool is deeper than it looks and definitely cold. But once you get in it’s quite refreshing after the two-mile hike to get to it. Resist the urge to slide down the waterfall into the pool. There is a precariously placed rock under the water that makes that unadvisable. Many people may mistake this for the Devil’s Bathtub. My hubby was convinced this was the spot. While it’s lots of fun on a warm day, this is not your final destination so keep on hiking.
Keep hiking up the left side of the creek from the swimming hole another 100 yards or so. You will see a waterfall up ahead and need to go down into the creek and cross it to go up the rocks to the waterfall. That’s your destination. Right below the waterfall is the Devil’s Bathtub. You can’t see it until you are right upon it. But you will know it when you get there.
The waterfall feeds right into the tub and the water was flowing pretty well on the day we visited. It took me a few minutes to ease myself in, but I wasn’t coming all this way NOT to get in and experience this. It is a little creepy feeling swimming around in something called the Devil’s Bathtub, but I was glad I took the plunge. Once you get in it just doesn’t seem so cold or maybe you are just getting slowly numb.
We had the place to ourselves for 45 minutes of exploring and swimming and it was awesome. We had brought towels and dried off after and had the picnic lunch that we had brought with us before we headed back to the trailhead.
4. How did the Devil’s Bathtub get there and how big is it?
Over the years the rushing water from the falls above the tub area wore down the rock to create the tub like hole. The tub measures 20 feet from end to end and is 8 feet from side to side. If you try, you can probably touch the bottom. My hubby did and we guessed it was 10 feet deep but from the research I did it seems it’s more like 12 feet deep.
The neat thing is that you can see all the way to the bottom because the water is so clear. That clear water is the only reason I got in. Remember those long scary fingers I imagined were down there on the bottom?
5. There is a lot of moss and algae growth on the rocks so be cautious
Resist the urge to take your boots off and just start exploring. The rocky area is covered with moss and algae if they are anywhere that gets wet. I found it wasn’t terribly slippery but there were places that I had to be careful. Just test it out before you start hopping all around exploring. You don’t want a slip and a broken bone to ruin a great day. If you have water shoes you might want to bring them.
6. This trail had more trash on it than most I have been on
I mentioned earlier that there is work happening on this trail and therefore there is a lot of brush and other stuff that needs to be removed from the area. But what surprised me the most was the amount of straight up trash that was on the trail. I never cease to wonder what is wrong with people. We found beer cans, water bottles, socks, headbands and even a soggy dirty diaper. I’m sure everyone taking the time to read more about this hike is not someone to leave trash, but you will be disappointed at what you see.
We picked up beer cans that were strewn around where we parked. I wished I had brought a trash bag to carry along with me so that we could have cleaned up some of the large amount of trash we found. If you think of it, bring a small back along to maybe get rid of a little bit of the trash.
This trail is really quite easy, and I think almost all fitness levels will be up to this adventure. To sum up here are 6 helpful reminders:
- Check out the new parking lot at the trail head.
- Bring plenty of snacks and water. The trail is 4 miles, and you will be exploring.
- Wear appropriate footwear for the hike and for the slippery water area.
- Don’t continue if water level in steam is higher than your shins.
- Remember a towel and something you can swim in.
- Enjoy the experience!
Have a great hike and if you liked this post, I would greatly appreciate a like, comment, share or all of the above. Subscribe to be notified of new posts and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and X.
Keep on exploring,
Stephanie
This looks awesome! I’d love to check it out.