Brandywine Falls and the Valley's Waterfall Gorges

Boardwalks lead out to an upper and a lower viewing deck, both facing the falls directly. Plan on about half an hour for the main view. Spaces are tough to find on weekends, so an early start helps.

With spare time, the 1.5-mile Brandywine Gorge Trail begins at the upper deck and descends into the gorge the falls have worn over time. The loop passes over the falls before returning to the boardwalk. If time is short, you lose little by skipping it, since the boardwalk offers the highlight. Be ready for many steps down and back up.

Brandywine Falls is one of roughly 100 waterfalls in the Cuyahoga Valley, a landscape of ravines, wetlands and forest. Tinkers Creek has carved a deep gorge over thousands of years, and the Tinkers Creek Gorge Scenic Overlook on Gorge Parkway in the Bedford Reservation area looks down over a valley of deciduous forest. Nearby, Bridal Veil Falls is roughly a quarter mile on boardwalk and stairs from its parking lot. Overgrown trees can block the view from the platform at times, so the riverbank and the creek itself offer the better angles.

The rock here formed when inland seas covered the region, and the cool, moist ground around the falls supports delicate plant communities. Photographers should keep a distance of at least 50 feet from both the edge and the base. Climbing the falls or the nearby fences and rocks has caused serious injuries and deaths, so stay off them. Walkways and stairs get slick after rain or snow. The Inn at Brandywine Falls, a bed and breakfast with six rooms on the National Register of Historic Places, overlooks the falls and has been modernized while keeping its Greek Revival character.