A two-tiered, roughly 30-foot shale cascade in Chestnut Ridge Park whose base grotto emits natural gas that can be lit into a small flame visible behind the falling water. The trail to the creek bed includes box steps and railings added during a 2023 rebuild.
Its 30 ft drop is taller than about 24% of the 775 waterfalls we track.
The falls are fed by Shale Creek. It lies in Erie, New York. The site is on public land managed by Erie County Parks.
This is a short hike waterfall: reached by a short trail, generally under about a mile each way. The walk in is brief — comfortable shoes are usually all you need. The walk to the main viewpoint runs about 1.1 miles round trip. The nearest town is Orchard Park.
When to go: spring. Flow usually peaks after snowmelt and heavy rain and tapers through late summer — a quick look at recent streamflow and the managing agency's conditions page can save a wasted trip.
