Big waterfall and swimming hole
Bentleyville, Ohio · on Aurora Branch · South Chagrin Reservaton
Verified · 4 independent sources
- WATER
- waterfall pool
- FALLS
- Waterfall on site
- ACCESS
- Local spot, unofficial
- FEE
- No fee found
- SEASON
- Best in summer
About Big waterfall and swimming hole
This spot sits in Cleveland Metroparks' South Chagrin Reservation near Bentleyville, Ohio, where Aurora Branch (a small tributary of the Chagrin River) drops over a series of tiered sandstone/shale ledges close to the Quarry Rock picnic area. Multiple hiking and travel write-ups describe wading and summertime swimming in the shallow pools below the falls, though Cleveland Metroparks' own park page does not designate any official swimming area here.
The falls lie within a hemlock-forested, sandstone-ledge ravine typical of South Chagrin Reservation, just off Solon Road near the Quarry Rock picnic area and not far from the Henry Church Jr. Rock (Squaw Rock) sandstone carving. The reservation as a whole has multiple named cascades along Aurora Branch and its side tributaries in this same cluster of ravines.
Swimming at Big waterfall and swimming hole
Visitors describe shallow pools and wading/play areas at the base of a tiered, shale/sandstone cascade rather than deep open swimming; some call the general Quarry Rock area 'a popular swimming destination during the summertime,' while others describe parkgoers wading and playing in the shallow water near the falls. This reads as an informal, casual wading/dipping spot rather than a deep swimming hole.
How to get to this swimming hole
Park at the Quarry Rock Picnic Area (36050 Solon Rd, Bentleyville, OH 44022) off Solon Road within South Chagrin Reservation, then follow the Quarry Rock/River trail roughly 0.4 miles to reach the falls.
Parking: Trailhead parking is available at the Quarry Rock Picnic Area lot; specific capacity or fee details were not found.
The hike in
Quarry Rock Loop / Quarry Rock River Trail, with Double Decker Falls (a short stretch of the Henry Church Jr. Rock Loop) as a possible alternate match for this pin
- To the water
- roughly 0.4 mi one-way (about 0.8 mi round trip) from the Quarry Rock Picnic Area lot to the falls/wading pools
- Time on foot
- 15-30 minutes round trip from Quarry Rock Picnic Area; up to an hour or more if covering more of the Henry Church Jr. Rock Loop
Difficulty: easy via the Quarry Rock route (mostly flat, some stone steps/bridges); moderate if approached via more of the longer Henry Church Jr. Rock Loop
Trailhead: Quarry Rock Picnic Area, 36050 Solon Rd, Bentleyville, OH 44022, off Solon Road within South Chagrin Reservation; the Henry Church Jr. Rock Picnic Area trailhead sits further along Solon Rd in the same reservation
The Quarry Rock River Trail is a short 0.8-mile out-and-back, with the falls reached at roughly its midpoint. If this pin instead corresponds to Double Decker Falls, that cascade sits along the early part of the 2.5-mile Henry Church Jr. Rock Loop and can be reached without walking the full loop.
Two named cascades (informally 'Quarry Rock Falls' and 'Double Decker Falls') sit close together along the same Aurora Branch/Chagrin River corridor in this reservation, and sources are not fully consistent about which one this Google Maps pin represents (see prior enrichment confidence_notes). Both approaches are gentle walk-ups with stone stairs/bridges near the water; no technical scrambling is required to reach either.
Plan your visit
Bringing kids
OK with supervision
Visitor write-ups describe shallow wading/play pools at the base of a tiered sandstone/shale cascade, and one travel piece calls the Henry Church Jr. Rock picnic-area loop family-flexible with a play area at the trailhead. But the ledges around the falls are wet and slick, there's a real drop at the cascade, and no lifeguards or safety infrastructure were found, so young kids need close supervision right at the falls rather than being turned loose.
Parking
Free
Free lot parking at the Quarry Rock Picnic Area (36050 Solon Rd, Bentleyville, OH 44022); the alternate Henry Church Jr. Rock Picnic Area trailhead, a short distance further along Solon Rd in the same reservation, also has its own free lot. Cleveland Metroparks facilities are free and unstaffed.
Restrooms
Yes
Cleveland Metroparks lists restrooms at several South Chagrin picnic areas (Shadow Lake, Sulphur Springs, The Shelterhouse); a separate travel write-up specifically confirms restrooms at the Henry Church Jr. Rock Picnic Area trailhead. No source confirms a restroom directly at the Quarry Rock Picnic Area lot itself.
Hours
6:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. daily, per Cleveland Metroparks' South Chagrin Reservation park page
On the water
Aurora Branch/this stretch of the Chagrin River corridor here is a small, shallow, waterfall-interrupted creek, not a navigable paddling run, and no source describes kayaking, canoeing, or paddleboarding at this specific spot. General Cleveland Metroparks rules note the park's CEO can prohibit any body-contact-with-water activity system-wide for safety/water-quality reasons, but no rule specific to watercraft at this location was found.
What regulars say
Visitor reports describe South Chagrin Reservation broadly rather than this exact falls by name: one longtime local recalled spending 1960s summers 'playing, fishing, and camping all through' the reservation; another visitor singled out nearby Sulphur Springs creek as 'the nicest section of South Chagrin'; and one photographer captioned a shot of 'a beautiful waterfall' along the Chagrin River running through the park, adding that 'the Chagrin has many beautiful waterfalls' in this reservation. No visitor reports specifically addressing water clarity, crowd levels, or rental options at this exact falls were found.
Backstory
The area sits near the Henry Church Jr. Rock (also called Squaw Rock), an 1885 sandstone folk-art carving by blacksmith Henry Church depicting a woman encircled by a serpent, an eagle, and other imagery, one of the reservation's noted historic sites.
Big waterfall and swimming hole: FAQ
Is Big waterfall and swimming hole kid friendly?
Visitor write-ups describe shallow wading/play pools at the base of a tiered sandstone/shale cascade, and one travel piece calls the Henry Church Jr. Rock picnic-area loop family-flexible with a play area at the trailhead. But the ledges around the falls are wet and slick, there's a real drop at the cascade, and no lifeguards or safety infrastructure were found, so young kids need close supervision right at the falls rather than being turned loose.
How hard is the hike to Big waterfall and swimming hole?
A hike is required, about roughly 0.4 mi one-way (about 0.8 mi round trip) from the Quarry Rock Picnic Area lot to the falls/wading pools to the water (15-30 minutes round trip from quarry rock picnic area; up to an hour or more if covering more of the henry church jr. rock loop). Wear real shoes, since approaches to natural swim spots are often rocky or rooty.
Where do I park for Big waterfall and swimming hole?
Free lot parking at the Quarry Rock Picnic Area (36050 Solon Rd, Bentleyville, OH 44022); the alternate Henry Church Jr. Rock Picnic Area trailhead, a short distance further along Solon Rd in the same reservation, also has its own free lot. Cleveland Metroparks facilities are free and unstaffed.
When is the best time to visit Big waterfall and swimming hole?
Summer, per a visitor video describing it as 'a popular swimming destination during the summertime.'
What are the rules at Big waterfall and swimming hole?
Cleveland Metroparks' general park rules state the Chief Executive Officer may prohibit swimming or other body contact with water anywhere in the park system based on weather, hazardous conditions, or water quality; no source found designates this specific spot as an official swim area, so any wading/swimming here is informal and use-at-own-risk.
What water body is Big waterfall and swimming hole on?
Big waterfall and swimming hole is on Aurora Branch, a natural waterfall pool verified in USGS hydrography data.
