# 5800h - 2023 First-Class Forever Stamp - Waterfalls: Dark Hollow Falls, Virginia

U.S. #5800h
2023 – Dark Hollow Falls, Virginia – Waterfalls

• Stamp pictures Dark Hollow Falls in Virginia
• One of 12 stamps in the 2023 Waterfalls set

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Waterfalls
Value:  63¢, First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  June 13, 2023
First Day City:  Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Quantity Issued:  34,992,000
Printed by:  Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method:  Offset
Format:  Pane of 12
Tagging:  Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tagged

Why the stamp was issued:  According to the USPS, this stamp (along with the others in the Waterfalls set) were issued to celebrate “the variety and beauty of American waterfalls.”

About the stamp design:  This stamp pictures an existing photograph of Dark Hollow Falls in Virginia along with its name and the state it’s located in (text is below the image).

First Day City:  Issued in Yellowstone National Park, appropriate considering one of the stamps pictures a major waterfall in the park.

About the Waterfalls set:  The USPS issued the 2023 Waterfalls set to showcase a small handful of the 17,000 documented waterfalls in America.  Each one has something special about it that draws visitors from all walks of life to witness its natural beauty and power.  These stamps include small, lesser-known waterfalls like Sunbeam Falls in Washington State as well as huge, worldwide attractions like Niagara Falls in New York.

Here's a complete list of the waterfalls pictured in the set:

a)  Deer Creek Falls, Arizona
b)  Nevada Falls, California
c)  Harrison Falls, Pennsylvania
d)  Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Wyoming
e)  Waimoku Falls, Hawaii
f)  Stewart Falls, Utah
g)  Niagara Falls, New York
h)  Dark Hollow Falls, Virginia
i)  Grotto Falls, Tennessee
j)  Sunbeam Falls, Washington
k)  LaSalle Canyon Falls, Illinois
l)  Upper Falls, North Carolina

History the stamp represents:  Shenandoah National Park in Virginia includes tens of thousands of acres of forest.  Tucked away in that forest are a number of beautiful waterfalls, with nine being major, named falls.  Of these, Overall Run is the tallest waterfall, measuring 93 feet tall, while Dark Hollow Falls is the most visited as it’s one of the easier locations to access.

The base of Dark Hollow Falls is just 0.7 miles from the beginning of the Dark Hollow Falls Trailhead near the Byrd Visitor Center.  It is a fairly easy hike, but does get a bit steep as the waterfall gets closer.  There are plenty of flowers to admire along the trail as well as butterflies, various songbirds, and other species of wildlife.  (Keep an eye out for black bears!)  The top of the waterfall comes into view first, but there is little to see at this point.  However, the trail abruptly turns downhill and the base of Dark Hollow Falls is in sight shortly.  There is one main fall, with small trickles of water appearing on the sides depending on the time of year and rainfall.

The best time to visit Shenandoah’s stunning waterfalls is during the spring when snowmelt boosts the output of streams and rivers.  Nothing can compare to the beauty of these forces of nature as they tumble through the lush forest of Shenandoah.