Intro
The waterfalls of Sharon Woods Gorge are located near Sharonville, Ohio and are about 20 miles from the nearest major city, Cincinnati. The gorge is a 21-acre preserve that contains sights such as 90-foot cliffs, a bubbling brook, wildlife, gorgeous waterfalls, and a forest full of primarily beech, maple, and ash trees along with oaks, walnuts, tulip-poplar, and hickories. The preserve itself is nested inside the 730-acre park of Sharon Woods, which contains a lake that feeds the creek. The whole park is an oasis bordered by urban surroundings.
Several small waterfalls are scattered along the limestone creek gorge. Two of them, although modest in size, are quite notable for southwestern Ohio with the largest being about 8 feet in height and 25 feet in crest width. To my knowledge all the waterfalls along the gorge creek are unnamed, although a nearby road is called Buckeye Falls. Thus for simplicity, in this article I will give the two largest falls the nickname Big and Little Sharon Falls
*. So let us begin our journey to the waterfalls of Sharon Woods Gorge.
Hiking to Big Sharon Falls
The Richard H. Durrell Gorge Trail follows mostly alongside the creek. We will begin our journey starting from the northeastern trailhead, located southwest of the dam in Sharon Woods Park, and not far from the gorge trail parking lot on Buckeye Falls drive (map is below). The trail is not long, measuring about 0.6 miles in length (1.2 miles round trip). It is mostly flat and wide and would be considered easy to moderate in difficulty.
After entering the gorge downstream via the steps of the northeastern trailhead, we will soon pass the first small waterfall. Feel free to stop and enjoy the scene but a superior vista is just a bit farther along. Soon we will come upon Big Sharon Falls as the trail ascends alongside the creek bed. An overlook waits to reward us with a view of the waterfall some 20 feet below. This waterfall is about 8 feet high and 25 feet wide. The land around the horseshoe-shaped waterfall is quite steep and even suffered a landslide several winters ago. Vegetation has since grown back, but the large boulders in the creek bed serve as a silent witness to the event.
Hiking to Little Sharon Falls
After enjoying Big Sharon Falls, move along to see Little Sharon Falls. The trail will begin to slowly descend and deviate away from the creek and will eventually turn back to cross the creek by means of a bridge. At the bridge crossing, the cliffs are especially noticeable. Cliffs in the area are not necessary complete drops but rather very steep gorge walls. After crossing the bridge, at least one more, tiny waterfall will be seen prior to arriving at Little Sharon Falls.
Little Sharon Falls is near the end of the Richard H. Durrell Gorge Trail, which lets out to another parking lot along Buckeye Falls road. Another observation deck beckons for us to view the waterfall, which now is just a few feet below. This waterfall has two parts, one that tumbles down layered rock and the other drops over a ledge with a small recess cave. Little Sharon Falls has a height of about 6 feet and a crest about 25 feet wide.
Closing Comments
In my opinion, the waterfalls of Sharon Woods Gorge are best seen in the fall due to the wonderful mostly yellowish backdrop created by the tree canopy combined with the autumn leaves peppering the creek and falls. As is the case with most waterfalls, just make sure you go shortly after recent rain, or even snowfall. Of course this can be hard to plan. The best months for precipitation are May and June for this area according to weather.com. Fall and winter months are among the driest.
Shown below is an interactive map marking the location of the two major waterfalls of Sharon Woods Gorge with red markers. Click on one of the red markers to open an information window containing the coordinates to the location and a button to get directions (to the parking lot only). You can use this map to zoom in and out, move around, and switch between map and satellite views (by default it is set to display the satellite with the map superimposed over it, but the roads are easier to see if only the map is turned on).
The waterfalls of Sharon Woods Gorge are beautiful and to many first time visitors are an unexpected delight considering the urban setting of the park. It is my favorite park in the Cincinnati area. So the next time you are in Cincinnati, Ohio, why not check out these waterfalls. Additional and larger images, as well as purchase options of the waterfalls of Sharon Woods Gorge can be found on the
gallery page.
