Brandywine Falls
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio · 797 ft
A 60-foot bridal-veil fall steps down Berea sandstone and shale ledges with beech and maple crowding the rim above the plunge pool. The upper deck lines up the full drop; the lower deck sets branches across the top of the frame.
Typical peak
Oct 10 – Oct 18
Long range. Treat as a planning estimate only.
Best light
Best under flat overcast
Crowds
high
Busy through peak. Be parked before sunrise or expect to walk in.
Getting there
Park in the Brandywine Falls lot on Stanford Road off Brandywine Road, two miles from I-271 exit 12, and take the 200-yard boardwalk to the two decks.
What turns here
- sugar maple
- american beech
- northern red oak
Color progression
Typical peak Oct 14Typical color progression for Brandywine Falls. No change from Sep 6 to Sep 23. First color from Sep 23 to Oct 2. Approaching peak from Oct 2 to Oct 10. Peak from Oct 10 to Oct 18. Past peak from Oct 18 to Oct 28. Bare from Oct 28 to Nov 11.
Color starts around Sep 23.
Light at peak
Brandywine Falls on October 14, the day it typically peaks. Knowing when color arrives is one thing. Knowing where the sun will be is another.
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| First light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 7:08 AM |
| Sunrise Rises E · 100° | 7:36 AM |
| Morning golden hour ends 37 min of low, warm light | 8:14 AM |
| Solar noon Highest sun, flattest light | 1:12 PM |
| Evening golden hour starts 37 min before sunset | 6:10 PM |
| Sunset Sets W · 260° | 6:47 PM |
| Last light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 7:15 PM |
Times in America/New York · day length 11h 11m · computed from NOAA solar equations
Which way to point the camera
Sun rises E, sets W.
Aim within 45° of those and the canopy glows translucent. Turn your back to them for flat, accurate color.
Location pages name the light directly.
Shooting conditions
Glassy water, wind blur, and what the cloud will do to your light.
Recent reports
What people actually saw here. Been recently? Add yours.