Trail runs along creek to 65-foot waterfalls

Brandywine Falls

Trail map. Courtesy Cuyahoga Valley NPS.

Cuyahoga falls
400 million years
in the making

A 65-foot waterfall awaits visitors on the Brandywine Gorge Trail at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Brandywine Falls ranks among the most popular of the park’s several waterfalls. The Brandywine Gorge Trail, with a combination of segments from the Stanford Road Metro Parks Bike and Hike Trail, loops 1.5 miles to the falls then back to the trailhead with several crossings of Brandywine Creek.

Autumn special
The area surrounding the falls is gorgeous in October beneath autumn leaves, but the trail can be hiked any season. It's shaded almost the entire way by red maples with eastern hemlocks and upon the ground green moss once closer to the falls.

To reach the trailhead, from Boston Heights, Ohio, head northwest on Brandywine Road. After driving under Interstate 271, turn west onto Stanford Road, which leads to the parking lot.

From the lot’s northwest corner, take the trail heading to the falls. Rather than go directly to the falls, turn left/west onto the Stanford Road walking path.

The trail parallels Brandywine Creek. Along the way, it steeply descends 160 feet via steps to the gorge floor.

Reaching the falls
The Brandywine Gorge Trail soon separates from the Stanford Road by going right/north. You’ll cross the creek over a high footbridge then follow it toward the falls.

Upon reaching the Metro Parks Bike and Hike Trail, go right/east onto it. As approaching Brandywine Road, the woods gives way to a grassy area. The trail then veers south, passing below the falls and crossing the creek.

Take an immediate right onto a trail that again crosses the creek and offers a close-up view of the falls. A spur boardwalk allows you to look at the falls from a vista point or with a walk down a stairs from its base. After taking in the views, the main trail can be continued back to the parking lot.

Notice that the top layer of exposed stone at the falls is dark; this is a hard cap rock that resists erosion. Below it, however, is softer sandstone and shale, set down some 350-400 million years ago when this part of the world lay under a sea. Because shale is thinly chunked, the water cascades down it, giving it the look of a bridal veil.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks guidebook.

Best trails to see Cuyahoga NP’s wonders

Brandywine Falls. Photo courtesy of
Cuyahoga Valley NPS.

Among the best ways to see Cuyahoga Valley National Park’s top sights is via a day hike. Just four short trails will allow you to enjoy each of the park’s highlights – waterfalls, rural farms of a century past, a historic canal, and a boulder-strewn cliff.

Waterfalls
Among the most popular Cuyahoga Valley waterfalls is Brandywine Falls, which drops 65 feet. The 1.5-mile Brandywine Gorge Trail loops to the falls then back to the trailhead with a bridge over the rier. The area surrounding the falls is gorgeous in October beneath autumn leaves.

Rural farms of a century past
Historic bridges, homes, and other structures dating to the 1800s dot the national park; among them is the Stanford House and farm, settled in 1806. The Stanford Trail heads 1.1-miles one way through the old farmstead to a scenic pond.

Ohio and Erie Canal
Built during the late 1820s, the canal connected Lake Erie and the Ohio River, opening Ohio to settlement from the eastern states. The Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail follows 20 miles of where mules on the shore pulled boats along the waterway. A number of access points creates a variety of day hiking options.

The Ledges
This boulder-strewn cliff offers the perfect spot to explore and enjoy a sunset over the wooded valley below. The overlook on the Ledges Trail is a mere 200-yard hike, but before settling in to relax, head over to the Ice Box Cave for a 1-mile round trip.

Vista
A spur off the north end of the Old Carriage Trail offers great views of Ohio & Erie Canal. From the Station Road Bridge Trailhead near Brecksville, go south on the Towpath and turn left/east onto the Old Carriage Trail, which heads uphill; in 0.25 miles, take the spur trail to the overlook for a 3-miles round trip.

Learn about other great national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks guidebook.