Mountaineering out to Contour Falls in Cuyahoga Valley Nationwide Park looks like discovering a secret the park by no means fairly advertises. Tucked deep inside a steep ravine, the falls are framed by towering hemlocks and rugged rock partitions, a world away from the crowds that outline different elements of CVNP. The hike itself isn’t tough, however within the hotter months, staying dry is almost unimaginable. That’s precisely why Contour Falls shines in winter, when frozen floor and icy circumstances flip the method into a much more fulfilling—and memorable—expertise.
Water seasonal from the ravine
Do not miss mountain climbing down the appropriate ravine!
Mountaineering to Contour Falls
After greater than two weeks of temperatures hovering at or under zero within the valley, I pull into the Station Street Bridge Trailhead hoping to seek out Contour Falls frozen stable. I’ve hiked out to the falls a number of occasions after heavy rain, when the water is surging, however winter guarantees a wholly completely different expertise. After not too long ago mountain climbing out to a frozen Twin Sister Falls, I like my possibilities that Contour Falls will likely be simply as nice underneath a deep freeze.
From the trailhead, I cross Station Street Bridge, which hyperlinks Cuyahoga County and Summit County on the Pinery Narrows—the narrowest stretch of the Cuyahoga River gorge. As I look down on the river, I can’t assist however suppose that if it hasn’t frozen after two straight weeks of brutal chilly, it most likely by no means will.
On the far aspect of the bridge, I flip left onto the Towpath Path and head north. Earlier than lengthy, I move a bench and cross a small footbridge the place the unofficial path to Twin Sister Falls begins.
A number of hundred yards later, Mudcatcher Falls comes into view on my proper, marking the pinnacle of the ravine that hides Twin Sister Falls farther upstream.
Winter Storm Fern not too long ago dumped greater than a foot of snow throughout the valley, however the well-packed line of footprints alongside the Towpath suggests it hasn’t saved many hikers at dwelling.
At 1.15 miles from the trailhead, I attain the second ravine, its entrance stamped with dozens of footprints from hikers trying to find Contour Falls. They’re within the mistaken place, I believe to myself. About 400 toes past that ravine—close to coordinates 41.333247, -81.588791 and simply earlier than mile marker 16—I arrive on the third ravine and step throughout the frozen canal.
As soon as inside, the route rapidly turns into a gradual rhythm of navigating round, over, and underneath fallen timber. None of them are particularly tough, however there are many them. Fortunately, after two weeks of frigid climate, the stream winding by means of the ravine is frozen stable.
The ravine twists and turns each few hundred toes for roughly three-quarters of a mile, and it is extremely stunning this time of 12 months. The solar even got here out for the primary time in like three weeks.
At 1.9 miles, I lastly attain Contour Falls, a forty-foot cascade now locked in ice. It’s fully frozen and, in truth, not as photogenic as it’s in hotter months after heavy rain—but it surely’s nonetheless a formidable sight.
The falls are also referred to as Sulfur Falls, a nod to the sulfur spring farther upstream. Most locals check with it by that title, although others understand it as Contour Falls, which turns into simpler to grasp as soon as the water is flowing freely in hotter climate.
I keep for about half an hour, consuming lunch and soaking within the silence earlier than heading again the best way I got here. On the return, I take my time, having fun with the surroundings—mature hemlocks including a splash of inexperienced to an in any other case naked hardwood forest. It’s an exquisite hike, one I’ve achieved many occasions and can proceed to revisit for years to return. Perhaps subsequent time, mid-October to seize the autumn colours.
