Paine Creek Chasing Waterfalls

Local Gems can be found anywhere

If you spend enough time out in the wild you can find some interesting topographical features. The Grand River Valley has such features. Some of her river valley walls are 100 feet to 150 feet high.

Some of the Grand River’s tributaries have walls as high as 200 feet.

Paine Creek has a few tributaries that have a gorge that is 200 feet deep.  A lot of these streams are ephemeral and have water falls in them.

This video was from January

I have hiked up Paine Creek and to the high falls several times.

The tributary I am going to explore this Saturday is one of them that has 200 feet high walls.

The only way I have accessed it is hiking up from Indian Point Park. The is a water-hike and your feet will be wet most of the hike.  There are many waterfalls in this gorge, and this is the main reason I am researching it.

The above video was from March

During the winter this area is highly treacherous. I would not advise going here in the Spring due to flash floods. In the fall it would be doable, but again it is subject to any rainstorms in the area. A person could lose their life if they got caught in a high-water event.

For my first time exploring I will be going up in late spring early summer so that there is a less likely chance of me getting into trouble because of a rainstorm.

The mouth of the tertiary stream is at coordinates 41.710822, -81.159653.

I just got back and this is a potentially dangerous area. Lots of wood in the small gorge and one could get stuck in one of the pieces of deadfall.

As you will see in the videos. Its a beautiful small gorge with about 6 waterfalls.

Navigating this with a lot of water running in it would be a bad idea. If one of those pieces of deadfall lets go it could seriously injure someone.

Video Entry of Waterfalls Today on Paine Creek

 

This just means I need to return and make some ladders!!!!

Here is the climbing profile up the gorge wall.

Triple Falls Hike

 

Paine Creek is a tributary of the Grand River in Northeast Ohio. I have been hiking Paine creek a lot over the last few years.

The shale gorge of Paine Creek is in some locations have shale walls that are over 100 feet high.

The other thing about Paine Creek is it has a lot of tertiary streams flowing into it. Now, some of them are so small you can kick a rock across them.

Several sections of Paine Creek are accessible via the Lake County Park system.

Today’s hike will be a shorter hike than I normally do, but all the vertical deviation I will be doing will make up for it.

Today’s temperatures are going to be below freezing. The first part of this hike I have done dozens of times, but when it comes to hiking around ice and water, I always approach it like I have never been there.

I will be wearing my waders and changing into my regular hiking clothes for the overland part of the hike.

One of Paine Creeks features is that it has mostly a shall bottom. While this is generally very slick thew majority of it is shallow. The average depth is 18” and yes it has some deep holes that you can swim in. I will be steering clear of those today.

My main priority is doing some hike recon for what I am going to call Triple Falls Creek.  This little ditch has high gorge walls that are over 100 feet high.  I will attach a video that illustrates what I am trying to convey.

I don’t know if I can actually climb the two other falls and to be honest just getting past the first falls might be a challenge also.

I might have to return several times throughout this year and build some ladders to get up the falls. This trip is more about intel gathering than anything else really.

Have a great Sunday folks,

Sonder

3.30.2025 Hike - Paine Creek Ohio

Paine Creek here in Northeast Ohio has a lot to offer if one looks! I went on an almost 7-mile hike today in my waders on Paine Creek. I wanted to hike up to the base of Paine Creek Falls. This is the only legal way you can access the falls because the park has forbidden access close to the falls because of people injuring themselves.

With all the rain we had overnight if Paine Creek was muddy, I was not going to attempt this hike. You must cross the creek 5 or 6 times and getting caught in a highwater moment did not appeal to me.

The creek appeared to me like it was clearing. Well, I would be wrong, and the water level would double by the time I got to the falls.  I reached the high Paine Creek Falls and put it into high gear to get back to where I entered the creek.

A few times I had to wade across the creek with all my weight on the balls of my feet to resist sliding and this is with carbide studded boots mind you.

I did have one miscalculation today and had to claw myself up a muddy bank lol.

On Paine Creek counting the high falls at the park I counted seven total waterfalls in the creek.  I was nice to see mother nature’s handy work!

I visited Chair Factor Falls on my way home.

The Last Winter Creek Hike - Brandywine Falls, Ohio

So, before the prespring thaw I thought I would see Brandywine Falls from the bottom of the gorge. She never disappoints. The hike was extremely icy, but it could have been worse. The flow was a little higher than I would have anticipated, but again it has been over 33 degrees for two days.

This hike raised my blood pressure more than yesterday!

Winter Creeking Upper Paine Creek Ohio

Unknown variables can get a person hurt and possibly worse depending on the situation. I have been creek crawling in the winter time because I love the solitude.

I know there are a belligerent of variables that can go wrong in a heartbeat.

I have spent my entire life in the woods, on a body of water, or somewhere in between.

It’s up to you to stay safe and constantly remember every time you venture outside you run the risk of getting hurt.

I have chosen Paine Creek here in Leroy Township, Ohio for several reason. When its at normal flow her deepest hole is 5 feet deep, but those are at the shale waterfalls. Every where else its 2 to 3 feet max depth.

This is not to say you can’t get hurt, but it is to say you would have to be doing something really stupid to do so.

I used my hiking sticks as probes looking for hollow ice and of thin ice. I looked for pockets of air in the ice as I hiked. I found most of them, but as you can see in one video my foot went down 24” through the first layer of ice. Then as it traveled through the 24” deep air pocket my foot then landed on the other layer of ice.

I could hear the water running under my foot and I did not know how deep the water was. I saw this as a major issue. I did not go much farther because until this moment I had not had this problem.

I gathered my composure looked at the ice falls then turned around and retraced my steps to call it a day! It was an arduous 2.4 miles in the deep snow and the ice was well ice lol.

I was hoping the center channel was open in the creek then I ws going to hike 6 miles. I get-er done another time.

01.25.2025 Winter Hike

On 1.25.2025 it was supposed to get up to 30 degrees! Lol if it was 30 degrees it wasn’t after I got out of the woods today.

I went to finish my second leg of the winter hike of Paine Creek there in Leroy Township, Ohio.

I made breakfast and headed to the creek around 8 am.  I was curious to see how easy this access would be.  I know the main road was closed and their would be a hill to contend with going in and coming out.

I saw a jogger with his dog right off the bat.

Then once I got past I-90 it was all coyote tracks and deer scrapes looking for acorns.

The creek was flowing normally this time of year. The shale creek is mostly featureless, but you need to be wary, and I will show you why later.

It was nice to get out and make coffee on the bank of the creek.

Overall, I hiked 5 miles and slowly I will get in better shape.

Enjoy the artwork,

Sonder

Paine Creek Ohio Winter Hike

It’s been a minute, and my body was telling me we needed some to get some exercise. I decided to take a hike along Paine Creek in Ohio. I was hoping the center channel was open, but as you will see in the videos in some places it was open and some places well it was closed.

 The field snow was all fluff and about 10 inches deep. The daytime high was supposed to be 30 degrees. The sun would poke its head out from time to time. It was a great day to be out, and the Park was void of ppl.

I hope you enjoy the videos and be well.