Mill Creek Falls is a 45-foot horsetail waterfall on Mill Creek in Cleveland, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County, viewed from an overlook in Cleveland Metroparks' Garfield Park Reservation. Cleveland Metroparks calls it the tallest waterfall in Cuyahoga County.
The falls
Mill Creek spreads into a wide horsetail and drops about 45 feet in a single fall based on lidar data. The falls sit in the Erie Drift Plain, where creeks cut through shale and sandstone bluffs on their way to Lake Erie.
Getting there
The Mill Creek Falls Overlook is at The Yard at Mill Creek Falls, 4101 Fulton Parkway in Cleveland, with parking during the non-winter months. From the lot the falls are in view almost at once. The alternative is to park at Garfield Park and follow a paved all-purpose trail through the woods beside Mill Creek, along a hilly 1.18-mile trail that links the overlook with the 1888 Brilla House.
When to go
The creekside trail is recommended for fall colors. Parking at The Yard is available only outside winter.
On site
The viewing point is a small overlook platform. Dogs are allowed on leashes no longer than 8 feet, as in all Cleveland Metroparks reservations.
History and name
The power of the falls helped Cleveland grow into a prosperous city, and the waterfall was once known as Cataract Falls. The falls are not in their original place: the first mill was built here in 1799, and the waterfall was shifted about 300 feet south in 1905 to make room for the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad.
Nearby
Bridal Veil Falls is about 6.3 miles away, Great Falls on Tinkers Creek about 6.4 miles and Brandywine Falls about 12.5 miles.
Distances are straight-line.