Stop here a second — right where the ground starts to fall away. This is our turnaround, and it's also the trailhead for the serious half of Cantwell Cliffs, so let me tell you what's below you before you choose.
Those stone steps drop about a hundred feet into the gorge. Partway down they funnel into Fat Woman's Squeeze — a split between two enormous slump blocks so narrow you turn sideways and hand your pack through ahead of you. Those blocks are pieces of this very cliff that let go and slid, and walking between them is the closest thing to standing inside the rock itself. Below that the trail runs the gorge floor beneath the full hundred and fifty feet of wall, past a seasonal waterfall at the head of the box canyon, then climbs back out the far side. A mile and three quarters, an hour or more, and that climb out is the part that gets your attention.
If you're fit, sure-footed, wearing real shoes and not in a hurry — go. It is one of the finest hikes in Ohio and hardly anybody is on it. If you've got small children, bad knees, or forty minutes, turn around here with a clear conscience; the overlook behind you is the picture people come for.
Whatever you choose, keep well back from the unfenced edges, and stay on the trail — the rock out here is still coming apart one block at a time, which is exactly how all this got made. When you're ready, head back to the car and we'll roll south, where the trails get a whole lot gentler.
