Eternal Flame Falls is a 30-foot waterfall on Shale Creek in Chestnut Ridge Park, Erie County, New York, known for the small natural gas flame that burns in a grotto behind the falling water. Once little known, it now draws a growing number of visitors to a short but steep hike through the creek bed.
The falls
Shale Creek, a tributary of Eighteen Mile Creek, slides over a 30-foot shale cascade; the World Waterfall Database gives that figure from lidar data. At the base, gas seeping from a small grotto can be lit into a flame that stays visible nearly all year, though it sometimes goes out and has to be relit. A 2013 study by geologists from Indiana University Bloomington and Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology found the seep unusually rich in ethane and propane, about 35 percent, and releasing roughly a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of methane a day. The gas rises along faults from the Rhinestreet Shale about 1,300 feet down, rock cooler than the roughly 100°C usually needed to make natural gas.
Getting there
The falls are in Chestnut Ridge Park, run by the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry. Hikers start from the designated Eternal Flame parking area off Route 277. The route is 1.2 miles with about 200 feet of elevation change, steep in places, over mud, roots and dirt, with part of the walk in the creek itself, and is rated moderate. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. The trail is not stroller or wheelchair accessible. Park hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day and 7 a.m. to dusk the rest of the year. The trail was open as of July 2026.
When to go
The creek runs on snowmelt and rain, so flow is best in early spring and the falls are often dry from late spring through fall. High water makes walking up the creek harder, and in winter the route is slippery.
On site
The county recommends sturdy waterproof shoes and drinking water. Leashed dogs are allowed. The ravine is steep: on July 4, 2026, two hikers broke ankles in separate falls on the trail, and sheriff's deputies had to rappel into the ravine to reach one of them. The sheriff's office urges proper footwear and an honest look at your own limits before starting. Growing visitor numbers brought litter, vandalism and trail damage; in August 2023 the county completed trail improvements that added 139 box steps and 120 feet of safety railing.
History and name
The name is a colloquial one, taken from the flame burning behind the water.
Nearby
Colden Falls on Cazenovia Creek is about 5.2 miles away, Clarksburg Falls on South Branch Eightmile Creek about 7 miles, and Emery Falls about 7.5 miles.
Distances are straight-line.