Ohio's Best Waterfalls

Ohio is not known as a waterfall state, but the Hocking Hills region has a remarkable concentration of sandstone canyon waterfalls — among the most atmospheric east of the Mississippi.

Cedar Falls (Hocking Hills SP, 50 ft)
The highest waterfall in Hocking Hills — a 50-foot plunge of Cedar Fork into a pool at the base of a Black Hand Sandstone amphitheater. The surrounding hemlock forest (some trees 300 years old) and the moss-covered sandstone walls create an unusually primeval setting. The falls are at the end of a 2.5-mile hike from Old Man's Cave, or a short walk from the Cedar Falls parking area.

Upper Falls and Lower Falls (Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills)
Old Man's Cave features two falls — the Upper Falls (15 feet) above the cave formation and the Lower Falls (10 feet) below the cave recess. The cave formation itself (a large Black Hand Sandstone overhang sheltered a hermit named Richard Rowe in the 1800s) is the most visited natural feature in Ohio.

Ash Cave Falls (Hocking Hills SP)
A ribbon of water dropping 90 feet from the cave's lip into the cave floor's pool — Ash Cave is 700 feet wide, 100 feet deep, and 25 feet high. The waterfall only flows after significant rain; a smaller drip seeps from the sandstone. The cave's scale is extraordinary. Cherokee and Delaware tribes used the cave for shelter.

Brandywine Falls (Cuyahoga Valley NP)
The most accessible and photogenic waterfall in northern Ohio — a 67-foot segmented cascade of the Brandywine Creek over sandstone and shale ledges. A wooden boardwalk descends from the parking area to the falls overlook. The surrounding hemlock forest turns the ravine cool and green year-round.

Hayden Falls (Columbus)
A 35-foot urban waterfall in the Hayden Falls Park preserve — within the Columbus city limits in Dublin. One of the most accessible significant waterfalls in Ohio — a 10-minute walk from the trailhead.