Waterfall hikes are some of the most photographed and most family-friendly trails in any state — the destination delivers a clear visual reward, and many are short enough to do before lunch. We pulled every Ohio trail in our database whose name explicitly references falls, cascade, chute, or plunge, then ranked them by accessibility so the easiest and shortest waterfall hikes surface first. The result is ten hikes that pay off without punishing the people you're hiking with.
Ohio's southeast (Hocking Hills, Wayne National Forest) is unexpectedly steep sandstone canyon country; the north and west are glaciated plains. Spring and fall are prime; summer humidity is significant; winter brings ice in southeast canyons. Waterfalls run hardest in spring snowmelt and after sustained rain — the same windows when trail surfaces are slipperiest.
Our rankings here are data-driven — pulled from the 9,884 mapped entries OutsideAtlas tracks in Ohio — but the data has limits worth being honest about. We identify waterfall hikes by scanning trail names for terms like "falls," "cascade," "chute," and "plunge." That misses unnamed seasonal cascades and trails whose primary feature is a waterfall not mentioned in the route name. Treat the list as a confident sample, not a complete catalog.
The Ranking
Ranked from #1 to #10. Click through any entry for the full trail page — map, elevation profile, weather forecast, and direct OpenStreetMap source link.
#1. Bear-Corn Plunge
Bear-Corn Plunge near Millfield in Athens County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #1 slot for accessibility. Expect dirt surface on a forgiving grade. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Bear-Corn Plunge trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#2. Blue Hen Falls Spur
Blue Hen Falls Spur near Peninsula in Summit County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #2 slot for accessibility. Expect dirt surface on a forgiving grade. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Blue Hen Falls Spur trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#3. Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail
Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail near Gates Mills in Cuyahoga County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #3 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#4. Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail
Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail near Gates Mills in Cuyahoga County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #4 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. Compared to similar trails in Ohio, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#5. Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail
Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail near Gates Mills in Cuyahoga County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #5 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#6. Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail
Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail near Gates Mills in Cuyahoga County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #6 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#7. Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail
Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail near Gates Mills in Cuyahoga County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #7 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Buttermilk Falls Loop Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#8. Cascade Ravine Trail
Cascade Ravine Trail near Youngstown in Mahoning County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #8 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Cascade Ravine Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#9. Cascade Ravine Trail
Cascade Ravine Trail near Youngstown in Mahoning County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #9 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. Compared to similar trails in Ohio, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Cascade Ravine Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#10. Cascade Ravine Trail
Cascade Ravine Trail near Youngstown in Mahoning County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #10 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Cascade Ravine Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.Planning your Ohio trip
A few pieces of context are worth keeping in mind specifically for Ohio. Spring and fall are prime; summer humidity is significant; winter brings ice in southeast canyons. Copperheads in the southeast hills, ticks across the state, and slip hazards on wet sandstone in the Hocking Hills.
Always cross-reference the official land-manager page before driving out — closures, fire restrictions, and seasonal road access can change quickly. Our trail pages link directly back to the OpenStreetMap source so you can see the tags we're working from.
If you're new to hiking generally, our beginner's guide covers footwear, layering, and the day-pack basics. For safety planning on bigger objectives, the ten essentials guide is worth twenty minutes of reading.
More Ohio hiking guides
If you found this useful, the rest of our Ohio coverage continues below.
- Top 10 longest trails in Ohio — Multi-day routes and through-hikes ranked by distance.
- Steepest trails in Ohio — Hikes with the most elevation gain in the state.
- Best beginner hikes in Ohio — Easy, well-marked trails for first-time hikers.
- Most challenging hikes in Ohio — Expert-rated routes for experienced hikers only.
- Best national parks in Ohio — Federal parks and recreation areas ranked.
- Best dog-friendly hikes in Ohio — Where leashed dogs are explicitly welcome.
- Best family hikes in Ohio — Short, easy trails sized for kids and grandparents.
Rankings like this are starting points, not verdicts. Trail conditions change, new routes get tagged, and what was the toughest trail in Ohio last year might not be next year. We refresh these articles when the underlying data shifts meaningfully.
Got a correction, a route we missed, or a question? Drop us a note via the contact page. We read every email and we'd rather hear it from you than miss it.
