Hidden Crystal Falls, Akron OH

Access by walking the trail in the Babb Run sanctuary. Not much water when I was there and it rained pretty hard two days ago so you must have to catch it right after a hard rain to see a really good flow. About a 1.5 mile round trip hike from the Babb run parking lot. It’s a nice walk that follows the river.

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A bit of a climb to get to here but absolutely gorgeous in the fall! A great secluded place to hike and plenty of steep climbing next to the beautiful river!

My family loves the "off the trail" experience of hidden crystal falls. You need to go to Babb wildlife sanctuary, go down the paved trail past what my kids call 'the stench zone' (not sure but think this is where Cuyahoga falls waste water treatment plant discharges into the Cuyahoga). The smell can be pretty intense, but it's short lived. A gravel trail starts and follows the river, then turns into a foot trail with lots of trees to climb over, rocks to step around, and some steep-ish hillsides to traverse. Eventually you come to a neat little tributary into the Cuyahoga river that travels over some neat shale formations into a step-style water fall. It's not too long of a trail, and it's a little challenging but not impossible. Not recommended for strollers or children who are still carried. It's usually pretty quiet on this trail, too, not over crowded.

This place feels like it gets more and more magicaleach time we visit. There is almost nobody around you the whole time you're here if anybody at all. In addition the sounds of nature and water all around just makes you feel like you can relax and be Zen!

Very neat spot. Don't attempt to climb the falls though. Very dangerous and it's a dead end at the top so you'll have to climb all the way back down the falls on wet rocks.

Just amazing waterfall that winds up through a narrow gorge. It's a wet slippery slate trek up through the waterfall so not an easy hike but well worth it!

Just over a mile hike from the Babb Run Parking area. I can only imagine the view in the spring and fall!

This waterfall is an unnamed creek behind Sunrise Senior Living, 1500 State Rd, almost underneath the Main St bridge between Akron and North Hill. Gorge Metro Park is to the East and Cascade Valley Metro Park is across the Cuyahoga River to the South. We reached it via Babb Run Park at 2800 Sackett Avenue, a Cuyahoga Falls city park. Park and walk down the steep asphalt path, which eventually becomes gravel and then dirt, but still a clear trail. The trail forks with one branch running close to the Cuyahoga River and the other further inland, but these trails reconnect as you turn east. At some point, the land alongside the river changes from Cuyahoga Falls park to City of Akron, so you continue to be on pubic land, but the trail is not maintained, and there are fallen trees to scramble over/under. Just follow the lightly used pathway east with the Cuyahoga River on your right and a steep ridge on your left.

Just a cool looking gorge, hollowed out by the crick that runs thru it. Has long jams and a whole slew of other cool things.