Rivers, streams, and creeks jump, leap, and roll through Appalachia. Where they meet steep slopes and cliffs, they launch into the air. Some plunge in stair-step fashion, others as frothing cataracts.

In this, his second edition, Randall Sanger points out 174 waterfalls in Virginia and West Virginia. And many, of course, can be found in places such as Shenandoah National Park, along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and within the landscapes cut by New River Gorge National River and Bluestone National Scenic River.

This gorgeous, full-color book glorifies Sanger’s chosen waterfalls, with images splashing across two full pages. Many of these photos were captured with slow shutter speeds to bring out nuances of the falling waters. The image of Dark Hollow Falls in Shenandoah, for instance, turns the spraying water into streaming wisps akin to those cast by fireworks.

Beyond the imagery, Sanger provides details, noting where you can find each waterfall (GPS coordinates included), the name of the stream that creates the waterfall, how high it is, the nearest town, how difficult it is to reach the waterfall, and the round-trip hiking distance. He also provides reports of his own treks to these falls.

At the back of the book, Sanger provides a checklist of all the waterfalls (with the page number where you can find his reports) so you can track the ones you’ve seen and the ones still remaining on your to-do list. There’s also a short section in the front that offers tips for waterfall photography. This is a great resource to pack with you on your travels to Virginia and West Virginia.