Hiking to Brandywine Falls: Everything You Need to Know

Ohio has a beautiful waterfall just waiting to be hiked to!  The beautiful Brandywine Falls is just a short hike down a boardwalk and some stairs away from your viewing pleasure.  

There are 2 options, one longer and one shorter, to see the falls.  Whichever hike you decide, it’s a beautiful waterfall to check out!

Let’s jump in with some details so you can start planning your hike down to Brandywine Falls!   

Important Links

Brandywine Falls Info – from the NPS Website

The Best Cuyahoga Valley Trails

Hiking Journal – Never Forget the Details of Your Favorite Hikes Again!

Brandywine Falls AllTrails Link

Location

Brandywine Falls is located just 25 minutes north of Akron, OH within the confines of Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  The waterfall is just a short walk from the parking lot and can be done in less than 30-40 minutes.  

If you are looking to take a day trip you’re looking at a 2 hour drive from Pittsburgh, PA, a 2 hour drive from Columbus, OH, or a 3.5 hour drive from Cincinnati, OH.  

Reservations/Fees

Hiking down to Brandywine Falls requires you to enter Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  And while normally national parks charge an entry fee, this one does not!

There are no reservations or fees to hike to Brandywine Falls!  However, I do suggest you get there fairly early if you want to get a parking spot.  The parking lot can fill up pretty quickly, especially during a weekend.   

Parking

And speaking of the parking lot, you’ll want to park here.  This parking lot services the Brandywine Falls Trailhead and the Summit Metropark Biking/Walking Trail, so it is frequently full between 10am and 4pm on the weekends.

You can also use the address below to lead you to the parking lot.  

Address: 8176 Brandywine Rd, Northfield, OH 44067

Trail Stats

• Trail Name: Brandywine Gorge Trail
• Distance: 1.4 miles
• Elevation Gain: 160 feet
• Difficulty: Easy 
• Time on Trail: 40 mins or Less

There is a shorter option if you just want to see the falls!  You can find those details at the bottom of the trail description.

The Trail – What to Expect

The Brandywine Gorge Trail is a 1.4 mile loop that starts to the left from the trailhead, before sending you downhill toward the creek below the falls.  You’ll cross the creek on a metal bridge and then begin the loop back towards Brandywine Falls.  

This side of the trail can be muddy and will lead you back up some wooden stairs as you get closer to the falls.  You’ll hear the thundering of the water as you climb back up.

At this point, you’ll run into the Hike-and-Bike Trail, which is paved.  You’ll follow this around until you are standing right overtop of Brandywine Falls itself!  After this, you’ll loop back to the Boardwalk Trail and be heading back to your car in the parking lot. 

This section is all boardwalks and you can choose to walk straight back to the parking lot, but I highly recommend going onto the Lower Boardwalk Trail instead.  

Lower Boardwalk Trail

The Lower section of the Boardwalk Trail is off to the side and it leads you down several dozen stairs to a viewing platform.  From here, you can nearly feel the mist of Brandywine Falls as it flows down in the creek below.

The stairs can make this area a little bit more strenuous, but the view of the falls is absolutely worth it.  Just remember, the walk down the stairs is optional, but the trek back up those stairs is not!

Back to the Car

At this point, you’ll head back up the wooden stairs and begin to climb back to the Boardwalk Trail.  This will then lead you back to the parking lot to complete the Brandywine Gorge Trail Loop that you started on.  

Short on Time?

Shorter Option: You can also just hike the Boardwalk Trail and then the Lower Boardwalk part of the trail and turn around.  You’ll start off going right (instead of left) and take this as an out-and-back trail.  This is a great option if you are short on time, or if you don’t feel like hiking the entire loop.  

Our Hike

My husband and I had 1 day to spend in Cuyahoga Falls National Park.  Because of this limited amount of time and wanting to see as much of the park as possible, we started at Brandywine Falls.

We beat the rush for this hike but we also decided to just hike the Boardwalk Trail and the Lower Boardwalk Trail to see the falls.  We then went back to our car and did several other popular trails in the area.  Quick and Easy!

You can read all about how we spent a day in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in this post!  There are some great hikes here if you want to spend some time with your boots on the ground.  

Conclusion

If you are looking for a beautiful waterfall in Ohio, look no further than Brandywine Falls in Cuyahoga Falls National Park.  This stunning waterfall stands 60 feet tall, and the viewing platform to see the waterfall is easy to access.  

Ohio might not be the place you think of when you think of waterfalls, but Brandywine Falls is worth visiting at least once!  And Cuyahoga Valley National Park  is a great place to spend a day as well.  

As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions at averagewildexperience@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to answer them. 

-Happy Hiking!