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Indian Run Falls, Ohio

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Just outside of Columbus are a few waterfalls…there are actually a number of falls close to Columbus and others not too distant outside of the city. One of the easier ones to visit if you’re visiting Columbus is Indian Run Falls along with Hayden Falls.

Indian Run Falls in August 2015

I may have visited Indian Run Falls twice. I don’t have a record of the first time, so I’m unsure of it. I may not have taken any pictures because there wasn’t much water flowing the first time. The second time, in August 2015, there was definitely water flowing as I have the pictures to remind me. There are multiple drops on Indian Run, and I don’t think I’ve stumbled upon all of the drops. There seems to be a wide plunge waterfall that I didn’t find. Instead, I found a cascading waterfall that’s probably about a 20′ drop. It’s definitely worth a visit if in you’re in Columbus. So go out and explore!

Directions:

  1. This one’s kind of a confusing one, as the way you’ll take will strongly depend on the direction you’re coming from. The park is very near the intersection of I-270 and US-33. Right near the turn, US-33 switches from a divided highway to not a divided highway, which causes the complication.
  2. One parking area for the falls is on Shawan Falls Drive, which is on the north side of US-33.
  3. Once you get to Shawan Falls Drive, you’ll find the Indian Run Falls Parking Lot, and the trail starts from there.
  4. Looking at Google Maps, you may be able to park at the opposite end of the trail and view the falls from a different direction.

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: 20′
Hike: 0.2 miles round-trip (though I would suggest hiking further down the trail to find other drops)

Where in the World is Indian Run Falls?

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Yellow Spring Falls, Ohio

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In the town of Yellow Springs, you can find Glen Helen Nature Preserve, which has three smaller waterfalls in it: Yellow Spring Falls, The Cascades at Glen Helen, and Grotto Falls. I’m not sure if this waterfall is where the town got it’s name, but it’s a unique waterfall. I’m not sure if it’s a natural waterfall, or if it’s man-made (possible it could be accidental). Looking at the picture now, it appears to be a mix of natural and something people added on to.

At 4′ tall, Yellow Spring Falls isn’t super exciting, but the color of the rocks is fascinating. The rocks do have a yellow-orange hue to them. The trail system to find the falls can be somewhat confusing, so I’ve included a map in the directions below.

Directions:

  1. Head into the town of Yellow Springs. (There are a number of ways to enter, so I’ll let you figure that part out.)
  2. From the downtown area, head south on Corry Street.
  3. Turn left in the parking area, which is found at 405 Corry Street.
  4. At the parking area, pay the entrance fee. Follow the Inman Trail to the falls. It may help to have this map, since the trail system can be confusing.

Accessibility: 7/10 (easy/moderate)
Height: 4′
Length of Hike: ~ 1 mile round-trip

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Yellow Spring Falls in August 2015

Where in the World is Yellow Springs Falls?

Grotto Falls, Ohio

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Grotto Falls in August 2015

There are a number of waterfalls in the Dayton area, and in the town of Yellow Springs, you’ll find a few smaller waterfalls. They’re part of the Glen Helen Nature Preserve, which I found to be a very nice and enjoyable little park. (It’s surprisingly easy to get lost at the park, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.)

The Cascades would probably be classified as the main attraction at the preserve, as they’re very scenic, though not particularly tall. Grotto Falls is a bit of a surprise, as I wasn’t sure how many waterfalls I’d encounter. This isn’t a large waterfall, but it was still nice to stumble upon it!

Directions:

  1. Head into the town of Yellow Springs. (There are a number of ways to enter, so I’ll let you figure that part out.)
  2. From the downtown area, head south on Corry Street.
  3. Turn left in the parking area, which is found at 405 Corry Street.
  4. At the parking area, pay the entrance fee. Then start heading along the main trail, which will head downhill.
  5. It may help to have this map, since the trail system can be confusing.

Accessibility: 7/10 (easy/moderate)
Length of Hike: ~ 1 mile round-trip (though you might be able to get to this waterfall a bit quicker by taking a different path that I took)
Height: 4′

Where in the World is The Cascades at Glen Helen?

Hayden Falls, Ohio

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If you’re in the Columbus area, there are a surprising number of waterfalls in the vicinity. I’m not sure that all of them would be worth visiting, but the few that I’ve visited have been easy to find. Hayden Falls and Indian Run Falls are the two that I’ve visited.

My observation has been that waterfalls in this area tend to be very dependent on the season and rainfall levels. Your best bet at viewing the falls would be in the spring after the snow has melted (which might be relatively early) or after a lot of rain. I visited Hayden Falls in late August 2015, and there wasn’t a whole lot of water flowing over the falls. And yet there was still some, which I felt was pretty good for that time of year. As you can see, if you were to show up after a lot of snow melt, you might see a falls 6 to 7 times wider than it was.

Directions:

  1. From I-270, take exit 15 and head east along Tuttle Road.
  2. Drive along Tuttle Road for about 2 miles, and then turn right onto Dublin Road.
  3. Drive about 1 mile to Hayden Run Road. Turn left onto Hayden Run Road.
  4. On your right (as you’re heading east), you’ll see the parking are for Hayden Falls. The parking area seemed to be further east than what’s sort of shown on Google Maps.
  5. At the parking area, it’s a very enjoyable hike to the falls. There are stairs that lead to the falls, which makes it relatively accessible.

Accessibility: 9/10 (easy)
Height: 25′
Hike: 0.3 miles round-trip

Hayden

Hayden Falls in August 2015

Where in the World is Hayden Falls?

The Cascades at Glen Helen, Ohio

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Outside of Dayton, you can find a number of waterfalls. None of them are particularly tall or large, but they’re still interesting nonetheless. One place you can find a number of smaller waterfalls is Glen Helen Nature Preserve. The preserve is found in the town of Yellow Springs, which gets its name from one of the waterfalls in the preserve.

From the parking area off of Corry Street, the trail is relatively straightforward to find. It initially leads you downhill toward Birch Creek. Once you reach that creek (which might be the 2nd one you meet), you can either cross that river over a rock bridge, or you can take a left and head uphill. The Cascades mentioned here are found by taking the left uphill. Keep walking for a way until you reach the falls, which are difficult to miss.

That being said, the trail system is surprisingly complex and isn’t marked as well as it really should be. Finding the Cascades was easy, but after that, it was very easy to get lost. Some of the trails lead to dead ends or private property, and you don’t know until you end up at that point! I’m not sure what trail we used to get back to the parking lot.

Directions:

  1. Head into the town of Yellow Springs. (There are a number of ways to enter, so I’ll let you figure that part out.)
  2. From the downtown area, head south on Corry Street.
  3. Turn left in the parking area, which is found at 405 Corry Street.
  4. At the parking area, pay the entrance fee. Then start heading along the main trail, which will head downhill.
  5. After reaching the low point of the trail, head left uphill toward The Cascades. It may help to have this map, since the trail system can be confusing.

Accessibility: 7/10 (easy/moderate)
Height: 10′
Length of Hike: ~ 1 mile round-trip

The Cascades in mid-August 2015

Where in the World is The Cascades at Glen Helen?

Lanterman’s Falls, Ohio

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Lanterman’s Falls in mid-April 2015

I recently flew into Pittsburgh with the plan of finding waterfalls in the region. I started in northern West Virginia and found Valley Falls. I then drove into back into Pennsylvania and found a number of waterfalls in the southwest corner of the state. I was right near the Pennsylvania/Ohio border visiting Quakertown Falls, and realized I had a significant amount of time before I had to be back at the airport. I wondered if there were any waterfalls across the border in Ohio, and did a quick search. Luckily, there was one in Youngstown, and it ended up being about 25 minutes away.

Lanterman’s Falls is in the Youngstown area, and anyone in the city should definitely check out this area. There are a number of trails all around the area, and what seem like a lot of recreational opportunities. Right next to the falls is Lanterman’s Mill, which is open April through November (though hours vary).

Because there is the mill right next to the falls, in some ways it can be a distraction. Still, I found the waterfall to be very nice, though you can’t get extremely close to it. It also was very sunny that day, which I wasn’t complaining about, but it made photographing the falls a bit more difficult. The falls was probably near its peak flow considering it was mid-April and most of the snow had melted by that point.

Directions:

  1. The falls are accessed on US-62 in between I-680 and OH-11/I-76.  The address to the mill is 980 Canfield Road, Youngstown, OH 44511.  I would suggest typing this in on Google Maps.
  2. There is significant parking found on E Park Drive, which can found by turning right if headed southwest along US-62.
  3. From the parking areas, you will follow the trail that hugs the river and goes under US-62. You will come out at the falls.

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: 20′
Distance of Hike: 0.4 miles round-trip

Where in the World is Lanterman’s Falls?

Buttermilk Falls, Ohio

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Buttermilk Falls in August 2009

Buttermilk Falls is another one of the surprising waterfalls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which is very close to Cleveland. Brandywine Falls is the main attraction, but doesn’t require much of a hike (or walk). The small Blue Hen Falls is in another area of the park, and Buttermilk Falls is found by continuing along that trail.

I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to find it after reading the directions, but it was easier than I expected. You do have to cross the river/creek, and that is not difficult. It’s unlikely you’ll get wet! Once you get to the falls, you can get pretty close to the falls. I think some people were actually trying to climb up the falls. They’re steep, but only about 20′ tall.

Directions:

  1. On I-271, take exit #18 onto OH-8.
  2. Head south on OH-8.
  3. Once you reach E Twinsburg Road, turn onto E Twinsburg Road, which will become W Twinsburg Rd.
  4. Go to Brandywine Road and turn east. Brandywine Road will become Olde Eight Road.
  5. Turn west onto Boston Mills Road. On your right will be a one-way road where you can park to visit Blue Hen Falls. There is also a parking lot on the left side of the road that is much easier to park at, though it does add a short amount of distance to your hike.
  6. From there, follow the rather obvious trail downhill to Blue Hen Falls.
  7. After you see Blue Hen Falls, keep heading downstream along the trail. You will cross the stream three times, which is not that difficult at all. It’s pretty hard to miss Buttermilk Falls (assuming you’re on the right trail).

Accessibility: 7/10 (easy/moderate)
Height: 20′
Length of Hike: 1.2 miles round-trip

Where in the World is Buttermilk Falls?

Berea Falls, Ohio

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Berea Falls is found in the city of Berea. When we visited Berea Falls, the sky was overcast and the air was humid. The waterfall is a pretty waterfall, but it’s one negative is that you are pretty far from the falls when you’re viewing them from the overlook. I think the falls would be more interesting if I could have gotten closer to them.

With that being said, there is likely a way to get closer. I’m just not sure how, and since they didn’t excite me that much, I didn’t try and figure out a path. The one interesting thing in the background is the bridges crossing the river. The bridges look rather old.

Directions:

  1. From I-71, take exit 235.
  2. Head west on Begley Road for 2.2 miles.
  3. Turn right onto Barrett Road.
  4. Go a little more than 0.5 miles to the entrance of the metropark, which will be on your right. Turn here and park.
  5. The overlook will be obvious from the parking lot.

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: 15′
Length of Hike: negligible

Berea Falls in August 2009

Where in the World is Berea Falls?

Brandywine Falls, Ohio

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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?

Olmsted Falls, Ohio

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In the city of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, you can find Olmsted Falls, a beautiful waterfall found on Plum Creek. Plum Creek flows through the city, and two different drops occur, one being Olmsted Falls and the other known as Plum Creek Falls. Both falls are not large, but they are very scenic and the hike around the falls is just as beautiful. Plum Creek meets with the Rocky River in this park.

Directions:

  1. From I-71 in Ohio, take exit 235 to Bagley Road.
  2. Head on Bagley Road for a short ways to the town of Olmsted Falls.
  3. In Olmsted Falls, turn right onto OH-252 (aka Columbia Road) heading north.
  4. In a short distance, OH-252 will veer to the left. Instead of veering left, head straight.
  5. Park at the library or in the parking area below the library. The trail to the falls will be pretty noticeable. You will first encounter Olmsted Falls, and further downstream will be Plum Creek Falls. (You may also be able to access the falls via the David Fortier River Park, but it’s unclear whether there’s an entrance on Water Street.)

Accessibility: 9/10 (easy)
Height: 17′
Length of Hike: 0.5 miles round-trip

Olmsted Falls in August 2009

Where in the World is Olmsted Falls?