Hemlock Falls is a beautiful waterfall near Butler, Ohio. Although it can be difficult to locate, the hike to this nearly 100-foot waterfall is worth the trip!
Hemlock Falls is located near Mohican State Park but is owned and managed by the Richland County Park District. The Mohican Watershed Conservancy recently purchased the land and will eventually make the falls part of the new B & O Trail.
The Hemlock Falls trailhead is only a few miles from Malabar Farm State Park, making it easy to combine with a day trip to Malabar Farm.
How do you access Hemlock Falls?
The Hemlock Falls trailhead is directly across the road from 5360 Bunkerhill Rd, Butler, Ohio. There is a small parking area that will hold about 8 cars. Cell phone service is spotty in this area. I would screenshot the location before leaving home.
Hiking to Hemlock Falls
The Hemlock Falls Trail is a .3-mile out-and-back trail. The trail is not difficult but may be muddy or icy in other seasons. We did our most recent hike in mid-October during a year of drought. The creek bed was low and the waterfall wasn’t much more than a trickle. I’d recommend going in spring if you’re hoping for more water! Our last visit was in March and much of the ice was melting, creating a nice flow.
Hemlock Falls is approximately 25 minutes southeast of Mansfield, Ohio, or 30 minutes north of Mount Vernon, Ohio.
Have you been to Hemlock Falls? It’s one of my favorite Northeast Ohio hikes. Let me know if you go! Looking for nearby hikes? Check out my family adventure guide to Mohican State Park!
Interested in visiting more waterfalls? Check out my favorite waterfalls of Ohio!
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This place looks beautiful. It may actually be closed as of May 2020, I found your site trying to find more information about this post I saw on AllTrails today:
“HEMLOCK FALLS AREA CLOSED – SIGNS WILL BE POSTED SO THAT EVERYONE IS AWARE OF THE LOCATIONS THAT ARE BEING CLOSED.
If you have any questions prior to going out hiking please contact one of the people listed below with any questions or concerns that you may have. Thank you so much for being diligent in protecting Hemlock Falls.
This area is closed to protect rare plants and fragile habitat.
In two weeks’ time people climbing the hill sides and the cliffs have done damage that will take 10 or more years for nature to repair. This is a unique place with a rare community of plants and fragile habitat not found elsewhere in Richland County.
Please report anyone you see violating this emergency closing order to Gorman Nature Center at 419-884-3764 or jlarson@richlandcountyoh.us, Eric Miller at 419-631-2158 or ericmiller@neo.rr.com, or Mike Solon at 419-610-3148 or msolon@richlandcountyoh.us.
This land is owned by the Richland County Park District. It has the right and the obligation to close this area in order to protect it for future generations.”
Hi Kat! Thanks for letting me know. I reached out to one of the contacts and this is the response I got:
The Hemlock Falls property and the main falls are still open to the public via the Clear Fork Valley spur trail, but only via that trail spur and only to the end of the bridge below the falls. Due to current situations there is absolutely no off-trail access or access to other parts of the property without a written permit from the park district or certified guide. Access to the other falls on the property, the giant slump rocks and anywhere above and around the main falls is strictly prohibited, again without a temporary pass or a guide from the park district. Even with a pass (without a guide from the park district) the pass only gives access past the bridge to the “horseshoe” falls area. No other areas are accessible even with the temporary permit.
You can email and ask for a temporary permit if you want to access the other areas. Thanks!!
That place will always be sacred to me. Can’t count how many great times we ABSOLUTELY DID NOT HAVE there as teenagers in the mid 1990’s. The acoustics are fantastic if you play acoustic guitar and hand drums (so I’ve heard). The camp fires’ light that definitely never occurred on top of the falls at night turned the girl you were with into a wood nymph. Beautiful sights all around and vibes older than time-or so they say.