Stiles Falls is my favorite "nearby waterfall hike" - hands down! On a hot July day, it was refreshing to be in the cool forest along Purgatory Creek! Stiles Falls is located on the property of Alta Mons, a United Methodist Church retreat center that offers summer and fall camps for children and teens. Usually, the public isn't allowed on their campus during these times. But, with Covid-19 still raging in the U.S., the camp is closed, but open for hikers! We first hiked to Stiles Falls on Sept. 28, 2019. I've included a few pictures from that hike in with ones from today - D @ the falls (water much lower in September!), a surprise Eastern Ratsnake, minnows nibbling at my foot, and a monarch on its way to Mexico that stopped at Bent Mountain Bistro while we were eating lunch! Catch you later.... Storyhiker

Hiking/Backpacking

Montgomery County, Virginia, United States

time : Jul 12, 2020 9:04 AM

duration : 2h 29m 42s

distance : 4 mi

total_ascent : 512 ft

highest_point : 1912 ft

avg_speed : 1.8 mi/h

user_id : storyhiker

user_firstname : Story

user_lastname : Hiker

Stiles Falls is my favorite "nearby waterfall hike" - hands down! On a hot July day, it was refreshing to be in the cool forest along Purgatory Creek! Stiles Falls is located on the property of Alta Mons, a United Methodist Church retreat center that offers summer and fall camps for children and teens. Usually, the public isn't allowed on their campus during these times. But, with Covid-19 still raging in the U.S., the camp is closed, but open for hikers! We first hiked to Stiles Falls on Sept. 28, 2019. I've included a few pictures from that hike in with ones from today - D @ the falls (water much lower in September!), a surprise Eastern Ratsnake, minnows nibbling at my foot, and a monarch on its way to Mexico that stopped at Bent Mountain Bistro while we were eating lunch! Catch you later.... Storyhiker