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

Paine Creek Ohio - Seasonal Change

 

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.