Field Notes Ohio

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117 parks in 7 regions

Nelson-Kennedy Ledges (Devil's Icebox and fissure passages)

Garrettsville · Portage County
Rock fissures and passages

Visiting information you can trust

Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
Official page
Location confidence
Verified property location
Published park coordinates
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
Tickets or admission info

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

A 167-acre state park of tall conglomerate ledges, deep fissures and narrow passages, including the Devil's Icebox, Goldhunters Cave and Old Maid's Kitchen.

Type
A maze of rock ledges and crevices; the named features are trail formations, not underground caverns
Formations
Devil's Icebox, Goldhunters Cave, Old Maid's Kitchen, Indian Pass, the Narrows and waterfalls
Rocks
Angled blocks 50 to 60 feet high with ground fissures as deep as 60 feet
Trails
Four trails: White (1 mile, easy), Yellow (three-quarters of a mile, moderate), Blue (three-quarters of a mile, moderate) and Red (a half mile, difficult)
New
The Falls Edge Glass Walkway, 137 feet over Sylvan Creek Gorge, opened in spring 2025
Park
A day-use park; open year-round, with picnicking

The story

The ledges are a jumble of tilted conglomerate blocks that slumped away from the cliff, leaving narrow passages between them, and a place where cold air lingers in the Devil's Icebox. ODNR says the area was of vital importance to Native American peoples: the Delaware, Shawnee, Miami, Seneca, Mohawk and Cayuga are said to have lived at Nelson Ledges. The park lies near one of the highest points in the state and near the watershed divide between the Ohio River and Lake Erie, and several major foot trails and canoe routes passed through here, making it a trade center for both pioneers and Native peoples.

The region has long been a vacation spot. The state bought land at Nelson Ledges in 1940 and 101 acres at Kennedy Ledges in 1948 and created the park in 1949. Two deaths from falls off the cliffs were reported in 2011, a sobering reminder that the ledges are dangerous. The red trail in particular goes through tight rock squeezes and climbs.

Sources differ on trail lengths; ODNR's are listed. That the Devil's Icebox holds cold air well into summer is from a hiking guide, not ODNR.

Stay on the marked trails and official tours. Caves are fragile and can be dangerous, and entering any cave or crevice that is closed, unmarked or not open to the public is unsafe and unauthorized.

Visiting

Status
Open year-round; check current conditions
Season and hours
Open daily during park hours. Check ODNR for trail closures and conditions.
Cost
Free.
Phone
See ODNR Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park
Please note
Stay on the marked trails and behind barriers. Do not climb the ledges or enter unmarked crevices.
Address
12440 State Route 282, Garrettsville, OH 44231
More information →DirectionsShow on the map

Seasons, tours and access can change. Confirm with the operator or park before a long drive; where a closure alert applies, check current conditions.

Parks nearby

Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park
Inside this park · The formations are in the state park.
Open
Punderson State Park
About 20 miles · A lodge and lake park in Geauga County.
Open
West Branch State Park
About 20 miles · A big lake park with camping.
Open

Buckeye Trail

Burton Section
Near the Buckeye Trail
Open

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.