Field Notes Ohio

Ohio's parks, forests and wildlife areas with camping, the ancient mounds beside them, and the Buckeye Trail that links them. Stories, trails, wildlife, and where to eat and fuel up nearby. Book campsites on ReserveOhio.
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The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop around Ohio, with all 26 sections.
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Mounds & Earthworks43 ancient sites, including the Great Serpent Mound and the Newark Earthworks.
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Historic Sites39 places, from Fort Steuben and Zoar to Camp Chase and the Rankin House, from the frontier to the Civil War.
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Road Trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail.
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Lake Erie Beaches20 public beaches from Conneaut to Toledo and the islands, with a map.
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Oddities & Roadside Attractions19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops, plus a Mothman just over the line.
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Caves & Caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters, with a map.
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Waterfalls34 falls from the Cuyahoga Valley to the Hocking Hills, with trail notes and a map.
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Explore Ohio

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Lake ErieWest Virginia27 places277 places77 places73 places35 places519 places1913 places1319 places1916 places168 places810 places1010 places109 places98 places820 places204 places43 places3Barkcamp State Park4 places47 places77 places76 places69 places917 places173 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places2Forked Run State Park3 places32 places26 places610 places103 places32 places2

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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

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.

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.

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.