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

New to the guide?

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

Cedar Falls

College Corner · Preble County
A series of small cascades over limestone and shale ledges in a wooded ravine inside a large state park
Low fallsheight
Moderatehike
Directions →Official source →

A short, quiet trail past small limestone cascades in Hueston Woods State Park, next to one of Ohio's last stands of uncut beech maple forest.

Height
A few feet at each of several small drops
Trail
About 0.8 mile, with one unbridged creek crossing
Managed by
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Best time
Spring and after rain
Nearby landmark
A National Natural Landmark beech maple old growth forest
Fee
Free to hike

When it flows

Best after rain; can be reduced to a trickle in dry summer weather. The trail includes an unbridged creek crossing that can be harder after heavy rain.

The story

The small falls along this trail drop over limestone and shale laid down when this part of Ohio lay under a shallow Ordovician sea, the same fossil rich rock that makes the park a well known spot for finding bryozoans, brachiopods, trilobites, and other marine fossils.

The park is named for pioneer settler Matthew Hueston, who acquired this land in the early 1800s and left much of the forest uncut, which is why the park still protects a beech maple climax forest recognized as a National Natural Landmark. The state of Ohio bought the land in 1941 and first used part of it as a prison camp before developing it into a state park. In 1956 the state dammed Four Mile Creek to create Acton Lake, named for state legislator Clyde Acton, who pushed for the park's creation.

No other listed park properties fall within about 20 miles of this location.

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

Check before driving — this site is seasonal, approximate, privately run, or otherwise uncertain. Confirm hours and access with the official source above.
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
Approximate — boundary or exact point not confirmed
Approximate location, use the address or 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

About a 0.8 mile trail along a creek from a park trailhead, including one creek crossing without a bridge and a short climb to a rocky overlook of the valley.

Status
Open to the public
Hours
6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, standard state park hours
Cost
Free to hike
Phone
(513) 523-6347
Managed by
Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Watercraft
Please note
Stay on the trail; Pets must be leashed in the general park and are not permitted on the adjoining state nature preserve trails; No off trail hiking in the nature preserve section.
Address
6301 Park Office Road, College Corner, OH 45003
Official page →DirectionsShow on the map

The pin on the map is approximate; use the address or the park's own directions to find the trailhead.

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

Parks nearby

Hueston Woods State Park
The falls is inside this park
Open
Sycamore State Park
About 26 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.