Cascade Falls
Howard County, Maryland
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- Not recorded
- Location
- Howard County, Maryland
- Access status
- Official park area and fees confirmed; trail route from park lot not detailed
- The walk
- About 2.1 miles return from the Landing Road trailhead; shorter from the Swinging Bridge lot (distance not published)
- Ground & access
- Rocky and rugged in places, with stream crossings on bridges and stepping stones. Mountain bikers use the trail.
Cascade Falls is in the Avalon and Orange Grove part of Patapsco Valley State Park. Enter at 8020 Baltimore National Pike (or the Avalon entrance on South Street), follow the park drive along the river to the Swinging Bridge, and park there. The Cascade Falls Trail follows a stream with several small falls to the main falls, about 10 feet high. A second start on Landing Road has very limited roadside parking and a 2021 visitor comment reports posted no parking signs there.
Plan your visit
Patapsco Valley State Park Avalon area, Swinging Bridge parking, to the Cascade Falls Trail
MidAtlantic DayTrips gives 2.1 miles out and back for the Cascade Falls Trail from Landing Road. A distance from the park's Swinging Bridge lot is not published in the reviewed sources.
Rocky and rugged in places, with stream crossings on bridges and stepping stones. Mountain bikers use the trail.
Where to start
Park at the Swinging Bridge lot in the Avalon and Orange Grove area. Maryland DNR lists the Avalon area at 5120 South Street, Baltimore. Lots can fill on weekends and holidays.
Timing & water
Open all year. The blogger lists hours as dawn to dusk.
Before you go
Maryland DNR service charge, April to October: weekdays $2 per vehicle in-state, $4 out-of-state; weekends and holidays $3 per person in-state, $5 out-of-state. November to March: honor system, $2 or $4 per vehicle.
Visitor informationVisit sources
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
- Round FallsPartial guide: trail location documented; parking and exact access point not confirmedBaltimore city, MD8.6 miNE
McKeldin FallsOfficial park area and fees; visitor route documentedCarroll County, MD11 miNW- Stubblefield FallsOfficial trail and parking confirmed; rapids seen from the trailMontgomery County, MD30 miSW
Scott's Run FallsCounty park trail route and parking documentedFairfax County, VA31 miSW
Great FallsResearched visit notes46 ft (14 m) · Montgomery County, MD32 miSW
Kilgore FallsState park trail; summer weekend reservations; stream crossing to the base17 ft (5.2 m) · Harford County, MD36 miNE