Elk Falls

Elk Falls, which drops four to six feet over a ledge of sandstone, is on the east edge of the town of Elk Falls. The sandstone was formed from sand deposited in shallow water along a seashore or in a river delta during the Pennsylvanian subperiod about 300 million years ago. A partial rock wall on the Elk River below the falls is all that remains of a mill that harnessed water flowing over the falls.

An iron and wood truss bridge crosses the Elk River just downstream from the falls. Built in 1893, it was used for vehicle traffic on U.S. Highway 160 until the mid-1970s. In the 1990s, it was refurbished for foot traffic and is now on the national register of historic places. The population of Elk Falls is about 100.