Waterfalls in Ohio: 13 falls worth the trip

Cedar Falls

Cedar Falls slides about 40 feet down a sandstone ledge before a shorter 10-foot drop into the gorge below, and it's the most reliably flowing waterfall in Hocking Hills State Park because it draws from a larger watershed than the park's other falls. It sits along the Grandma Gatewood Trail between Old Man's Cave and Ash Cave, about a mile from either trailhead, with stepped sections and a footbridge at the base. Access: public land, Ohio state park, no fee, no permit. Unlike Ash Cave's seasonal flow, Cedar Falls tends to keep running through summer in a normal year, which makes it the better bet if you're visiting in July or August.

Old Man's Cave (Upper and Lower Falls)

Old Man's Cave is a gorge with two named waterfalls, a 20-foot Upper Falls near the trailhead and a roughly 25-foot Lower Falls farther down the 1.5-mile loop, connected by stone steps, bridges and a recess cave partway through. It's the busiest section of Hocking Hills State Park, with a paved trailhead area and restrooms, which also means crowds and slick stone steps on weekends. Access: public land, Ohio state park, no fee, no permit. Sturdy shoes matter more here than at most Ohio waterfalls. The gorge trail includes narrow ledges and stairs that get slippery from spray and foot traffic, not just after rain.

Ash Cave

Ash Cave's waterfall drops about 90 feet from the rim of a horseshoe-shaped recess cave roughly 700 feet across, the largest such cave in Ohio. The quarter-mile paved trail from the lower lot is wheelchair accessible, though most visitors continue on stairs to the upper rim for a view from above the falls. Access: public land, Ohio state park, no fee, no permit. Flow is seasonal: trail reports describe a strong cascade after rain or snowmelt from fall through spring, and little more than a drip in a dry summer, so this is the wrong stop to plan an August trip around.

Brandywine Falls

Brandywine Falls drops about 60 feet over a shale and sandstone ledge, and it's the tallest, most visited waterfall in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. An upper boardwalk gives a fully accessible view from the rim, and roughly 80 steps lead to a lower overlook closer to the pool. Cuyahoga Valley charges no entrance fee anywhere in the park. Access: public land, National Park Service, no fee, no permit. Because the boardwalk view needs no hiking, this is the easiest stop on the list for visitors using a wheelchair, stroller or wagon.

Blue Hen Falls

Blue Hen Falls sits along a roughly 3-mile out-and-back trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, reached from the Boston Mill Visitor Center or Boston Trailhead. The trail includes about 100 stairs and several bridge crossings, and it runs noticeably muddier than Brandywine Falls' boardwalk. Access: public land, National Park Service, no fee, no permit; dogs are allowed on leash. Trail reports describe the best flow right after rain or snowmelt, thinning to a trickle in dry stretches. Parking fills early on summer weekends, so arriving before mid-morning matters more here than at most of these falls.

Chagrin Falls

Chagrin Falls runs through the middle of downtown Chagrin Falls village, a roughly 20-foot drop visible from the Main Street bridge and from Riverside Park without any hike at all. A second, smaller drop just downstream is sometimes counted as part of the same falls system. Access: public land / public right-of-way, village park, no fee, no permit. Parking is street and public-lot in the compact downtown, an easy walk to the falls from any spot. This is the one waterfall on this list you can see without leaving pavement, worth pairing with the Cuyahoga Valley falls on the same trip.

Berea Falls

Berea Falls sits along the Rocky River in Cleveland Metroparks' Rocky River Reservation, with a dedicated scenic overlook and a separate trailhead maintained by the park district. Cleveland Metroparks, like Ohio's other metropark systems, charges no admission to enter. Access: public land, county park district, no fee, no permit. The overlook gives a clean view of the falls dropping over shale ledges into the river; trail reports describe the immediate area as more developed and less remote-feeling than the Cuyahoga Valley falls upstream, a reasonable stop if you're short on time near Cleveland.

Lanterman's Falls

Lanterman's Falls drops about 20 feet next to the restored Lanterman's Mill in Mill Creek Park, Youngstown, one of the oldest municipal park systems in the country. The falls and the 1845 grist mill sit together at the bottom of the Mill Creek gorge, reachable by a short paved path from the mill's parking area. Access: public land, metropark district, no fee, no permit. Because the mill itself is a working historic site with posted hours, plan a weekday or off-season visit if the mill building, not just the falls view, is part of what you want to see.

Paine Falls

Paine Falls is a two-tiered, fan-shaped waterfall roughly 30 feet high on Paine Creek, reached by a one-tenth-mile trail with a couple of flights of stairs from the parking area in Lake Metroparks' Paine Falls Park. The park includes a restroom and picnic shelter, and Lake Metroparks charges no entrance fee. Access: public land, county park district, no fee, no permit. It sits about 30 miles east of Cleveland, far enough out that it draws fewer crowds than the Cuyahoga Valley falls. Trail reports describe a reliable flow most of the year, since Paine Creek's watershed is larger than some of the seasonal cascades farther south in the state.

Hayden Falls

Hayden Falls drops about 35 feet inside Hayden Falls Nature Preserve, a roughly 3.5-acre gorge preserve on the west bank of the Scioto River managed by Columbus Recreation and Parks. A boardwalk, stairs and an overlook built in 2006 protect the surrounding gorge habitat while giving visitors a close view. Access: public land, city park, no fee, no permit. The trail from the small lot on Hayden Run Road is about 0.3 miles round trip, short enough to pair with a walk along the Griggs Reservoir riverside trail next door. No stop in this guide sits closer to downtown Columbus.

Amphitheater Falls (Clifton Gorge)

Amphitheater Falls is a roughly 25-foot seasonal cascade inside Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, a 268-acre preserve cut into dolomite and shale along the Little Miami River. An observation deck along the Gorge Trail gives a clear view without descending to the streambed. Access: public land, Ohio state nature preserve, no fee, no permit. Trail reports describe the falls drying up most summers, so this is a spring or after-rain destination more than a July stop, a natural pairing with the state's other seasonal cascades if you're planning a wet-season trip.

Charleston Falls

Charleston Falls drops 37 feet over layered limestone in Charleston Falls Preserve, a 216-acre Miami County Park District property that's the most visited nature park in the county. Trails, stairs and an observation deck give views of the falls from both above and below, and a boardwalk sits at the base. Access: public land, county park district, no fee, no permit. The preserve is open 8 a.m. to sunset daily. Its limestone geology, described locally as a small-scale Niagara, makes it visually different from the sandstone falls farther south and east in the state.

Greenville Falls

Greenville Falls is a 20-foot cascade on Greenville Creek inside Greenville Falls State Scenic River Area, a 92-acre property owned by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and managed by the Miami County Park District. The park includes a limestone natural arch, historic mill ruins and about a mile of trail. Access: public land, state-owned / county-managed, no fee, no permit. It's a quieter stop than nearby Charleston Falls, without the boardwalk infrastructure, and trail reports describe minimal crowds even on weekends. Facilities are limited to a portable restroom, so plan accordingly.

This guide was compiled from public land-manager sources (the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the National Park Service, and city, county and metropark districts including Cleveland Metroparks, Lake Metroparks, Mill Creek MetroParks and Columbus Recreation and Parks), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, and published trail reports. We haven't visited these sites ourselves. Fees, access rules and conditions change; every listing draws on its primary source, last checked August 2026. Verify with the land manager before you go.