Field NotesOhio
Upper Falls in the Old Man's Cave gorge, Hocking Hills, with visitors on the rocks

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Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Buttermilk Falls (North Chagrin Reservation)

Willoughby Hills · Cuyahoga County
Stepped cascade over exposed Chagrin shale
10 to 15 ftheight
Easywalk

An easy, family friendly cascade in North Chagrin Reservation, with a wooded overlook deck that highlights the exposed shale geology.

Height
Multi tier cascade, no official single height published
Trail
Short, easy walk with some steps
Managed by
Cleveland Metroparks
Best time
After modest rain; can thin in late summer
Fee
Free
Geology
Chagrin shale, formed over 365 million years ago

When it flows

A small, shale bedded stream that stays attractive even after modest rain, according to park sources, though like most small Cleveland Metroparks streams it can thin out during an extended summer dry spell and forms ice in winter.

The story

An interpretive sign at the overlook notes that the exposed rock here is made of compressed organic sediment laid down more than 365 million years ago, part of the Chagrin shale that underlies much of northeastern Ohio. Over a very long span of time, running water gradually eroded the softer shale layers, carving the small gorge and stepped falls seen today, and the site is used by Cleveland Metroparks as an accessible example of the region's bedrock geology.

North Chagrin Reservation was assembled by Cleveland Metroparks in the early to mid 20th century as part of the system's ring of reservations around the city, an era when the park district was also building rustic stone and timber structures nearby, including the well known Squire's Castle folly a short drive away. Buttermilk Falls and its scenic overlook have long been one of the reservation's most visited, easiest to reach natural features.

No source gives a single official height figure for this falls; the estimate here is a visual approximation, not a measured value. This is a distinct waterfall from Buttermilk Falls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, listed separately in this dataset.

Stay behind railings and on marked trails. Wet rock at the top and base of a falls is slick in every season, and most Ohio falls do not allow swimming, wading or climbing. Flow depends on rain: many falls are a trickle in late summer and at their best after a wet spell, in spring, or frozen in a hard winter.

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 coordinates for the falls or its trailhead
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures

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.

Getting to the falls

A short, fairly easy walk from the Buttermilk Falls trailhead with some steps to the falls, and a separate short walk across Buttermilk Falls Parkway to a wooded scenic overlook deck.

Status
Open
Hours
6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily
Cost
Free
Phone
216-635-3200
Managed by
Cleveland Metroparks
Please note
Stay on the trail and boardwalk, no swimming, dogs must be leashed
Address
401 Buttermilk Falls Parkway, Willoughby Hills, OH 44094 (North Chagrin Reservation)
Official page →DirectionsShow on the map

Trails close for repairs, ice and high water. Check the official page before a long drive.

More falls nearby

Chagrin Falls
About 10 miles · 20 ft
Open
Affelder Falls
About 11 miles · 20 ft
Open
Great Falls of Tinkers Creek
About 13 miles · 15 to 20 ft
Open
Bridal Veil Falls
About 15 miles · 20 ft
Open

Parks nearby

North Chagrin Reservation
The falls is inside this park
Open
Penitentiary Glen Reservation
About 6 miles · Lake Metroparks preserve
Open
South Chagrin Reservation
About 10 miles · Cleveland Metroparks reservation
Open
Big Creek Park and Headwaters Park (Geauga Park District)
About 12 miles · Geauga Park District property
Open
Punderson State Park
About 13 miles · Geauga County state park
Open
Girdled Road Reservation (Lake Metroparks)
About 14 miles · Lake Metroparks reservation
Open
Bedford Reservation
About 14 miles · Cleveland Metroparks reservation
Open

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

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