In the outskirts of the Cleveland metro area is a group of pretty cool waterfalls. At least three of these falls are to be found in the US’s most recently formed national park, Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Brandywine Falls is the largest of the falls in the park and in the Cleveland area as a whole. It is an amazing sight to see.

When I thought of this area, I guess my first thought was not of waterfalls and terrain that would lead to waterfalls. When I visited, I was surprised to see this waterfall and such a deep gorge formed, at least considering the area. At points, the walls on the side of the gorge are pretty steep.

As a bonus, look for a small, small waterfall to the left of the crest of the falls. I’m not always a great judge of distance, but it might be 200 feet or so away from the crest. We visited in July, and this mini-waterfall was still flowing, so I’m guessing in spring, there might actually be more water flowing there. A camera with very good zoom is required since you can only view it from the opposite side of the gorge where the trail is.

The 2nd visit: In November 2011, the parking lot appears to have been repaved, and it looked really impressive. The hike to the falls was still short, but the cool thing about this visit was the much higher volume of water flowing over the falls. It had rained almost non-stop the night before, which was not great for driving, but was great for the view. It was a very nice time to visit the falls, as there were very few people there in late November.

Directions:

1. In metropolitan areas, it can sometimes be complicated to remember how I got to the falls, since there are many different exits and construction that exist. I believe from I-271 heading south, we exited onto OH-8.
2. We headed south on OH-8.
3. Turn right onto Highland Road E and head to the intersection with Brandywine Road.
4. At the intersection, turn right on Brandywine Road and pull into the parking area for the falls.
5. From the parking area, head toward the trail leading to the falls. There is a wooden boardwalk that leads there.

Accessibility: 9/10 (easy)
Height: 65′
Length of Hike: 0.3 miles round-trip

Brandywine Falls in August 2009

Brandywine Falls in November 2011

Where in the World is Brandywine Falls?