East Falls

East Falls, Ohio

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East Falls is the brother of West Falls, both found on the Black River in downtown Elyria. East Falls has the unlucky fortune of being the less scenic of the two falls, and going to the falls seems just a little more shady, even though you’re right near a police station. Even though it’s not really that bad, the waterfall is essentially difficult to view. The viewing area is placed such that you can see the manmade portion of the drop, but the lower, natural portion is almost impossible to view completely! I’ve seen other pictures that showed a more complete falls, but I don’t see any way that you could really view the whole falls. Maybe they changed the viewing area?

Directions:

  1. Get onto OH-57 heading south. This can be accessed from the Ohio Turnpike or from other roads in the area.
  2. After a short distance, turn left onto OH-113 heading east.
  3. In just a few blocks, you will come up to West River Street. Turn right here.
  4. Continue on West River Street to Lake Avenue. Turn left onto Lake Avenue.
  5. After a short distance, Lake Avenue will veer to the right. You’re going to turn left around this area, though it’s a little confusing. I would suggest finding the police station, and then taking a left directly after the police station. The road is either Parkview Court or Cascade Street. Both roads will lead you to the parking area for the falls.

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: 25′
Length of Hike: roadside

East Falls in August 2009

Where in the World is East Falls?

West Falls, Ohio

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I just got back from visiting some waterfalls in Ohio, and I’m trying to decide which one to write about. Many of them were surprisingly beautiful, but I’ve decided to write about West Falls first, since I think I might forget the directions if I don’t write them down now.

West Falls is on the Black River in Elyria, a distant suburb of Cleveland. There are actually two waterfalls (West Falls and East Falls) on the Black River within a short distance of each other, and West Falls is the more scenic of the two falls. The falls drops 20’+, and are very beautiful. A pedestrian bridge has been constructed for better viewing, along with another observation deck, which would be best utilized in winter when the tree leaves will not block the view. You can also walk down under the bridge and walk along the rocks to get a ground view of the falls. The pictures are deceiving…West Falls was larger than I expected.

Directions:

  1. Get onto OH-57 heading south. This can be accessed from the Ohio Turnpike or from other roads in the area.
  2. After a short distance, turn left onto OH-113 heading east.
  3. In just a few blocks, you will come up to West River Street. Turn right here.
  4. The entrance to Cascade Park will come up in almost right after you turn onto West River Street. Turn left to enter into Cascade Park.
  5. Once you’ve entered into Cascade Park, you’ll now loop around for about a mile or so. You’ll pass by a few pavilions, along with some children’s park. Park near the Nature Center, where you’ll find another pavilion and a children’s playground. (If you start going uphill again, you’ll end up exiting the park without visiting the waterfalls).
  6. Past the playground, you may notice what look like some stairs. Head toward this general area. You have two options on how to get to the falls. #1: Look for a PAVED trail that has a sign indicating a bridge and waterfalls. This is the shortest path to the falls, but is less scenic. #2: Follow the rather apparent dirt trail, which will have arrows indicating a path to the falls. This is longer, but does have more to see.

Accessibility: 8/10 (easy/moderate)
Height: 35′
Length of Hike: 1.2 miles round-trip

West Falls in August 2009

Where in the World is West Falls?