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

An independent field guide · 365 places

The field guide to outdoor Ohio

Parks and forests, ancient mounds, caves, waterfalls and back roads, with the story behind each place and where to eat and fuel up nearby.
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  • 117parks & forests
  • 64ancient mounds
  • 34waterfalls
  • 40historic sites
  • 33road trips

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

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State parks & forests117 places, with cabins, campsites and trails117 places Waterfalls34 falls, with trail notes34 falls Mounds & earthworks64 ancient sites, from Serpent Mound to Newark64 ancient sites Caves & caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters12 caves Lake Erie beaches20 public beaches, Conneaut to Toledo20 beaches Historic sites40 places, from the frontier to the Civil War40 places Road trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail33 drives Oddities19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops19 roadside stops The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile loop, all 26 sections1,444 miles

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Six places to start

One from every corner of the state, each with its full story inside.

01Old Man's CaveHocking Hills · SoutheastA gorge of waterfalls and recess caves where a hermit is said to have lived, with the park's visitor center. 02Great Serpent MoundAdams County · SouthwestA gigantic earthen snake on a hilltop over Ohio Brush Creek, built by a people whose name is still argued over. 03Brandywine FallsCuyahoga Valley · NortheastThe tallest waterfall in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, reached by an easy boardwalk with an accessible upper overlook. 04Marblehead LighthouseMarblehead · Lake ErieThe oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, lit since 1821, on nine acres of limestone shoreline. 05Zoar VillageTuscarawas County · EasternA well-preserved communal village founded by German separatists in 1817, on the Ohio & Erie Canal. 06Longaberger Basket BuildingNewark · CentralA seven-story office building shaped like a picnic basket, with handles that are heated in winter.

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Lake ErieWest Virginia36 places368 places813 places135 places523 places2321 places2124 places2416 places1613 places134 places418 places182 places217 places1710 places1014 places142 places27 places76 places613 places133 places34 places414 places143 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places22 places22 places26 places64 places4

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Parks, forests & wildlife areas

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117 parks in 7 regions

East Falls and West Falls of the Black River

Elyria · Lorain County
Twin broad ledge falls over Berea sandstone on the East and West branches of the Black River
30 to 35 ftheight
Easywalk
Directions →Official source →

Two broad sandstone waterfalls facing each other across a wooded city park in Elyria, connected by bridges, stairs, and overlook platforms.

East Falls height
About 30 feet, 50 feet wide
West Falls height
About 35 feet, 80 feet wide
Managed by
City of Elyria, Cascade Park
Best time
After rain and during spring runoff
Fee
Free
Hours
8 a.m. to sunset daily

When it flows

The Black River branches carry a fair amount of water most of the year, so both falls generally flow well, though they thin out in an extended dry spell; heavy rain and spring runoff make them widest and most dramatic.

The story

Both falls formed as the East and West branches of the Black River cut through the same Berea sandstone that made nearby Berea famous for quarrying, eroding the softer shale beneath it until the sandstone ledge collapsed into the tiered drops seen today, a process geologists estimate has been at work for more than 13,000 years since the last glaciation. The two branches join just downstream of the park to form the main stem of the Black River.

Elyria grew up around this stretch of river in the early 1800s, and the falls provided water power for early industry in the young town. In 1894 members of the Ely family, the town's founders, deeded a portion of the river valley to the city, and Cascade Park was created around the two waterfalls as one of Ohio's early municipal parks. Like many industrial era Ohio rivers the Black River suffered from pollution and altered flow tied to upstream mills and development, and the park and its trail system have since been rebuilt and expanded, including new bridges completed in 2020, to make both falls easier and safer to reach.

No park id from the allowed list falls within about 20 straight line miles of Cascade Park, so the parks array is empty.

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 network of paved and stone stepped paths, wooden bridges, and overlooks winds through the park to viewing platforms at both falls, including a 440 foot pedestrian bridge added in 2020 linking the main park to the Elywood section.

Status
Open
Hours
8 a.m. to sunset daily
Cost
Free
Phone
440-865-8786
Managed by
Lorain County Metro Parks
Please note
Stay on marked paths and behind railings at overlooks, no swimming, parks close at sunset
Address
387 Furnace Street, Elyria, OH 44035 (Cascade Park)
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

Berea Falls
About 13 miles · 25 ft
Open

Parks nearby

Findley State Park
About 18 miles · Nearest park in the app
Open
Spencer Lake Wildlife Area
About 18 miles · Nearest park in the app
Open

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

Know a place that belongs here, or spotted something out of date? Email hello@fieldnotesohio.com.