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"The Start of Something Good"
Ohio isn't know as a state with many waterfalls, and for good reason. It doesn't have that many waterfalls. Sadly, this puts the waterfalls the state does have into bit of a shadow. When trying to research waterfalls in Ohio, it does become frustrating to find details on waterfalls as not even Topo maps seem to have enough information on them (sometimes not even accurate!). When I found this book available online, I was quite pleased and skimmed through the online preview and decided to purchase it.

For an above average waterfall fan, buying this book is not a mistake at all, though the benefits are limited. You will be hard pressed to find this... More > information (other than the heavyweight waterfalls in Ohio) any other way. So as a resource for the above average waterfall seeker, this is a good resource to have. You'll learn of a number of waterfalls through out Ohio (the book is broke up into NE/SE/SW/NW Ohio). The book gives you driving directions, hiking distances/difficulty, statistics on the waterfalls. For the vast majority of waterfalls in this book, you will be hard pressed to find any other online references to these waterfalls, so as a resource to complete your own collection of Ohio Waterfall pictures, this almost becomes an obligatory purchase.

The book would be a stronger resource, however, if it included a number of extra features. Firstly, no maps at all, which is alright if you are an above average waterfall seeker because you already have a bunch of maps to play with and are probably going to plot these yourself. But for the average person, mapping would be helpful.

Secondly, while technically waterfalls, some of waterfalls in this book are terribly underwhelming, though sometimes improperly referred in the text as 'gems' or a 'nice surprise'. For perspective, I consider Blue Hen Falls a small gem. A decent number of these sites are quite yawn inspiring to depressing. It is important to include these smaller, less impressive sites for completeness, but as a forewarning, a person should understand that the book of 200 hikes isn't really 200 worthwhile hikes, but probably 1/3 to 1/2 of the 200, at most (1/4 to 1/5 for northeast Ohio). This is probably why such a professional book doesn't exist for Ohio as the state lacks enough worthwhile waterfalls to catalog.

In addition, what also would have been nice is if the author spent a little less time including random bible quotes for most of the waterfalls and used that time to make sure directions were more instructive or up to date. A small waterfall that is actually located in Cuyahoga Falls is noted in the book being in Silver Lake intersecting a state highway (about 2 to 3 miles away from the actual location). Another waterfall notes parking along the side of the road, which is now marked by police as not allowing any parking alongside the road. Also, some directions are vague, forgetting to note starting points or points relative to some place.

High quality, color pictures would also have been a nice touch as well, though probably adding significantly to the cost. It would be nice for the book to include better pictures, with enough water flowing in the shots instead of the trickles that are seen in many of the photos, perhaps a typical water flow and a high water flow to offer perspective as to the potential of the waterfall). This would help a person in determining whether they would want to spend the time and effort to get to any particular site. Any waterfall hunter knows there is no sadder sight than a dry waterfall.

Overall, if you are really into waterfalls and live in or near Ohio and have done all the main falls and want more, this is a valuable thing to get. There are truly a number of great finds in this book. However, if you are more of a layman regarding waterfalls, you probably can get information you need regarding the state's best falls online. < Less