Brandywine Falls Trailhead: Cleveland Hiking Area Guide

Brandywine Falls is one of the most popular waterfalls in Ohio.It is definitely worth a visit. The observation area is reached by stairs and there are many but not difficult to climb.There is also the gorge trail that is easy to moderate and offers scenic views. The parking area is large and there are restrooms.

If you're wanting to see the waterfall it's a very short walk (5-10 minutes) from the parking lot, you don't need to hike the entire loop. It's almost completely shaded by tree canopy. There is a steep staircase to get to the bottom of the falls but that's about the most strenuous part of the hike. You can also access the longer Bike and Hike trail from here. There are restrooms and potable water here as well.

Did the hike clockwise and would rate an easy moderate at 1.7 miles total for us. Dog friendly and almost all in the shade. Some stairs going down the gorge and roots/rocks coming out. But after the 1.5 inches of rain the day before, trails in great shape and the falls running strong. At the falls, nicely paved and a boardwalk from the parking lot (an option to skip the hike). The overlooks for the falls are nicely placed and walking down a couple of sets of stairs brings you to the best one closest to the falls.

Water level was high. So falls were beautiful. Lots of walking trails are mostly manufactured so no dirt to deal with. Could see falls from three layers if you choose. ( but then lots of stairs.)

We visited on a Tuesday afternoon in mid-April 2025. It was a rainy and drizzly day. We were staying over at the Inn at Brandywine Falls so we parked over there and walked over to the falls. There were maybe 5 or 6 cars in the parking lot but it was also kind of drizzling. There is a bathroom in the parking lot as well. it's a short walk down the boardwalk-like trail to the falls. There is a trail that has stairs down to a closer lower view and if you continue on the upper trail it takes you to a higher overlook but I think the lower one is way better and more worth it. If you keep walking to the end of the upper trail you come across the ruins of the old Champion Electric Company. if you continue and go over the bridge you can see the falls from the top side. My wife and I did not do the full loop but our 3 kids did and they said it did get a little hilly in there with elevation change so keep that in mind if you do the full loop. We would probably visit again especially in a different season. Not all the plants were out yet and it was also cloudy and overcast. We were hoping to get cool pictures with sunrise or sunset on our trip but it was just overcast both days.