Field Notes Ohio

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117 parks in 7 regions

Charleston Falls

Tipp City · Miami County

Horseshoe shaped cascade over layered dolomite, often called a miniature Niagara

37 ftheight

Easywalk

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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.

A 37 foot horseshoe cascade over dolomite ledges in a 216 acre preserve near Tipp City, often called Ohio's miniature Niagara Falls.

Height: About 37 feet
Trail: 3.74 miles of preserve trails; the falls overlook is a short walk from parking
Managed by: Miami County Park District
Best time: Spring and after heavy rain; can slow to a trickle by late summer
Size: About 216 acres of prairie, forest, and wetland
Fee: Free

When it flows

Best in spring and after heavy rain, when the horseshoe curtain is fullest; can thin to a trickle in a dry late summer. Forms ice curtains and icicles in cold winter weather.

The story

Charleston Falls drops over layers of Silurian age dolomite bedrock, laid down more than 400 million years ago when a shallow sea covered western Ohio. Over thousands of years a small feeder stream and groundwater seepage have worn a horseshoe shaped notch into the rock, and a crawl in limestone cave at the base of the nearby cliff has formed along the same soluble layers.

The preserve takes its name from the small Charleston community that once stood in the area, and the land was farmland before the Miami County Park District acquired it and opened it as one of its earliest nature preserves. Boy Scout Troop 103 later built an observation tower on a hilltop above the falls, and the site is now the most visited park in the Miami County system.

Exact coordinates are taken from a park directory rather than an official GPS pin, so treat them as approximate.

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

About a half mile on wide gravel, boardwalk, and wooden stairs from the main parking lot to observation decks above and below the falls, part of a larger 3.74 mile trail network through the preserve.

Status

Open to the public

Hours

8 a.m. to sunset daily

Cost

Free

Phone

(937) 335-6273

Managed by

Miami County Park District

Please note

Stay on the trails provided; No fishing in the wildlife pond; No swimming or wading in the falls pool.