Ash Cave to Cedar Falls Trail

Ash Cave to Cedar Falls is a mapped out-and-back of about six miles round trip, linking the cave gorge, a 1934 fire tower and the waterfall. Allow about four hours with stops. The route climbs stairs above Ash Cave, then follows rough wooded paths and old forestry roads before reaching the falls. It is a substantial half-day link between two major visitor areas. The first quarter-mile through Ash Cave is level and wheelchair accessible; the steps and the connector beyond it are not. For a shorter visit, the separate Ash Cave Gorge walk gives you the cave without the long link to Cedar Falls.

Start at the Ash Cave parking area and cross State Route 56 at the signal. Follow the level gorge path through the cave, then climb the stairs to the rim. At the upper fork, take the left branch toward the fire tower and Cedar Falls. On the return, use the signed Ash Cave Rim exit from the fork instead of walking back through the one-way cave approach. Stay on marked trails; the park's trails and picnic areas are open from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.

Beyond the cave rim, the route changes from a narrow, worn dirt path to a broad old forestry road with a rocky base. A sign points to the fire tower. After the tower area, the route crosses a parking lot and Chapel Ridge Road before returning to dirt and joining another forestry-road stretch. Follow the trail markers at both road crossings.

The 80-foot fire tower dates to 1934, when Ohio foresters used towers to spot fires. Its climb is optional and is at visitors' own risk when weather and access permit; the tower landmark remains part of the route even if you skip the stairs.

At Cedar Falls, cross the parking roadway and take the marked entrance by the restrooms down to the waterfall. This outing turns around at the falls; the separate Cedar Falls circuit is an optional extra. Retrace the Grandma Gatewood/Buckeye corridor to Ash Cave, then follow the signed rim exit back to the lot. The pools and creeks are for looking, not swimming, and dogs must stay leashed on a lead no longer than six feet.

Picnic areas at both Ash Cave and Cedar Falls have tables, grills and latrines. At the waterfall, a broad sandstone recess frames the cascade; including the creek rocks in the foreground gives a photo a sense of the overhang's scale.

The cliffs and recesses here are carved from Black Hand Sandstone, laid down more than 350 million years ago. Water wore away a softer middle layer, leaving the deep overhang at Ash Cave and the ledges around Cedar Falls. The cave's name comes from large ash piles early settlers found inside, but the area's human history reaches much further back: Indigenous people lived around Ash Cave for centuries.