Field Notes Ohio

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117 parks in 7 regions

Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park

Garrettsville · Portage County
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
167acres
—trail miles
1949established

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
ODNR park finder (search this park)
Location confidence
Verified property location
Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park, 12440 OH-282, Garrettsville
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Hunting or permits
Not a hunting destination. At 167 acres with heavy foot traffic through tight terrain, this park is managed for day use.

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.

The story of this land

The rock came first, and it came from mountains that no longer exist. During the Alleghenian Orogeny, a range rose to the east, and westward-flowing braided streams carried its eroded material out across what was then a broad coastal plain. That sediment hardened into Sharon Conglomerate — a hard, quartz-pebbled sandstone that became the cliff-forming layer you see here.

Then the ice. About 24,000 years ago the Wisconsin glaciation pushed down from the north and covered this ground. Glaciers scoured away the softer formations and flattened much of the region, filling deep valleys with clay, silt, sand, gravel and boulders when they melted around 14,000 years ago. The Sharon Conglomerate was too well cemented to give way, so it survived as the highlands and hilltops that remain. What's left is a 167-acre park of massive slump blocks — house-sized chunks of rock that have slid and separated from the parent cliff — with formations 50 to 60 feet high and ground fissures as deep as 60 feet running between them.

The named features do the rest of the talking: Devil's Icebox, a crevice that holds cold air year-round; Indian Pass; Old Maid's Kitchen. Sylvan Creek drops over Sylvan Falls into a narrow zig-zag gorge cut along two intersecting joint systems, so narrow in places you can nearly touch both walls. The park was established in 1949 from land at Nelson Ledges and Kennedy Ledges. A serious note: two people died in falls from these cliffs in 2011. In 2022 the state approved $1.5 million for a glass observation bridge and better trail signage, and the bridge opened in 2025.

Things to do in the park

  • The Devil's Icebox, Indian Pass, and Old Maid's Kitchen rock formations
  • Sylvan Falls and the narrow zig-zag gorge
  • The glass observation bridge, opened 2025
  • Squeeze through the fissures on the Red Trail — genuinely tight in places
  • Waterfalls after rain or snowmelt

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Garrettsville's small downtown
  • Punderson State Park, about 25 minutes northwest
  • Amish country in Geauga and Trumbull counties
  • Cuyahoga Valley National Park, under an hour west

Hiking trails

A compact network of short, rugged trails through the ledges — the Red, Blue, White and Yellow trails. The Red Trail is the most difficult, threading tight fissures and requiring scrambling. Total mileage is small, but the terrain is slow and technical.

Wildlife you might see

  • Cool, moist microclimates in the fissures supporting ferns and mosses uncommon nearby
  • Hemlock and hardwood forest
  • Barred owls and woodland songbirds
  • Distinctive cliff and crevice habitat

Fishing

  • No fishing water in the park — this is a geology and hiking destination.

Hunting

Not a hunting destination. At 167 acres with heavy foot traffic through tight terrain, this park is managed for day use.

Gold Hunter's Cave and the Devil's Icebox

The names on this map read like a storybook. There is Gold Hunter's Cave, said to be the place where would-be prospectors tunneled into the rock looking for treasure. There is Old Maid's Kitchen, Indian Pass, a stair called the Kooky Staircase, and the Devil's Icebox, a deep crevice that stays cold enough that ice is said to last there well into summer. Minnehaha Falls sits in a crack in the conglomerate, named for Longfellow's poem about Hiawatha and his wife.

Behind the legend

The names are older than the park and the stories are mostly names. The rock is the real prize: the ledges are Sharon Conglomerate, about 318 to 311 million years old, left by rivers running from mountains that no longer exist, and then scoured by glaciers about 24,000 years ago. The Devil's Icebox stays cold because the crevice traps cool air, which is enough to explain the name without a devil. Minnehaha, meaning laughing water in the Dakota language, is a nineteenth-century poetic borrowing and not a local Native name. The 'Kennedy' in the park's name comes from the local family whose land included part of the ledges.

Gold Hunter's Cave is a small cave and overhang tied to local tales of gold seekers, and no real gold has ever been reported. The most reliable history is the paper one. The state bought Nelson Ledges in 1940 and 101 acres of Kennedy Ledges in 1948, and created the park in 1949.

If you go

Take the harder loop through the tight slots to the Devil's Icebox on a hot day and feel the difference. Stay on the trails: the cliffs and crevices are steep, and two people died in falls here in 2011. Camp and swim next door at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park.

Caves near Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park

Caves, rock shelters and cave attractions within reach of this park. Stay on marked trails and official tours.

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

Garrettsville · Portage County
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.
Rock fissures and passages
Part of this park

Waterfalls near Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park

Falls inside or within reach of this park. Stay behind railings and on marked trails; wet rock is slick in every season.

Falls of Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park

Garrettsville · Portage County
Waterfalls tucked among towering conglomerate rock walls and slot like crevices, including a new glass walkway overlook, in a small state park near Garrettsville.
10 to 50 ftModerate hikeAccessible overlook
Inside this park

Day-use park, no camping. The cliffs here are genuinely dangerous — two people died in falls in 2011. Stay behind railings, watch footing on wet rock, and keep close hold of kids. The rock stays slick long after rain.

Where to camp nearby

Nelson Ledges Quarry Park
Private campground and swimming quarry right next door, separate from the state park
Directions
West Branch State Park Campground
Large state campground on West Branch Reservoir, about 30 minutes southeast
Directions
Punderson State Park Campground
Wooded state campground, about 35 minutes north
Directions

Restaurants nearby

Sean's Pub & Eatery
Local favorite with a good burger and fair prices. Closed Mondays
Directions
Two Travelers Tavern
Small, cozy, strong bourbon list and good fish tacos. Closed Mondays
Directions
The Brick
Hand-cut fries and fresh burgers. Closed Sundays
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Speedway
24 hours, the only round-the-clock option nearby
Directions
Save 4 Store
Local convenience store, opens 6 a.m.
Directions

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