Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

I'm tagging this as a hike, although I'm not sure its a long enough walk to qualify as one. However, since sets of steps are involved, its work.

I visited Brandywine Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in Ohio, twice during my trip. The first time was on arrival in the state. I met my friend Matty, down for the weekend from Michigan, and we headed out. Despite a road closure we eventually found our way to the new parking area and walked the short trail to the falls. Most of said trail was wooden steps, and we both found them a bit of a challenge. Matty had more of a struggle due to his weight and the fact the surgery to reconstruct his damaged leg was more recent, but we both got up and down OK.


The falls were spectacular, despite the summer water flow and a large log stuck at the base of the cascade. The best views were from the lower viewing platform, but the upper platform at the crest of the falls also provides good shots. Its possible to photograph from other locations on the walkway but I found there to be too much vegetation to get an effective image. Hiking is allowed in the gorge near the falls, and when Matty and I visited we saw a photographer parked near the far side of the base of the cascade.

I returned a week later during a day doing short hikes in the national park, but the photos were not an improvement on the evening shots I'd taken before. So I spent some time walking the new stretch of the Bike and Hike Trail. In 2011 when I rode the trail it switched to a horrible on-road section and I passed the falls without even knowing they were there. Now cyclists can take the Bike and Hike down the hill, over a trail bridge above a highway, and into the parking lot for the falls. Or they can continue past the parking lot, down a corkscrew turn and the trail brings you to the entrance to the upper platform for the falls. The trail continues on a closed road located just above the crest of the falls. When I visited, the trail was closed for resurfacing above the falls, so a rider has to get off the trail at Brandywine Road, as in 2011. Still, this is a big improvement for the Bike and Hike Trail, and probably helps bring more people to the falls.