Located in Southeastern Ohio, Hocking Hills State Park is a great place to visit in any season. The park features many well maintained trails, towering cliffs, waterfalls, caves, and deep, hemlock-shaded gorges. About waterfalls in the park – If you want to see gushing waterfalls, you will be better off visiting this place during spring/fall or after rainfall. During summer with little rain, you will only see a bit of water dripping over the edge.
You will need 2-3 days to visit all the attractions/trails mentioned below :
- Whispering Cave
- Old Man’s Cave
- Ash Cave
- Cedar Falls
- Conkle’s Hollow
- Cantwell Cliffs
- Rock House
- Logan Lake boating
- Where to stay
Whispering cave trail – The trail can be taken from behind the Hocking Hills Lodge with directions posted in many places. After a brisk 0.8 miles, you will arrive at Whispering Cave, boasting a 300 foot wide recess cave. This trail is moderately difficult with steps at the beginning and at the end of the trail. You will follow the same 0.8 mile path on your return trip. The trail is very scenic with stunning views of the vast pine forest.
Hocking Hills Visitors Center – The visitors center has a large parking area with many picnic tables under shaded trees. Old Man’s Cave trail begins at the north end of the parking lot.
Old Man’s Cave – The main trail in this park is the old man cave which is about 1-mile in length from the visitors center area. Old Man’s Cave derives its name from its former resident, hermit Richard Rowe, who lived, worked, and died within this large cave recess. This trail begins at the north end of the parking lot and takes you over a bridge to the Upper Falls. This bridge crossing is one of the most photographed spots in all of Hocking Hills. The picture was take after heavy rain the previous evening. You can swim in the pool that is formed at the base of this waterfalls.
Continuing on along the trail, you will go past some interesting rock caves, a rock tunnel, traverse a rock bridge over a unique formation called the Devil’s Bathtub, before you reach Old man’s cave and Lower Falls.
Ash Cave – Ash Cave is one of the major hiking trails of Hocking Hills State Park. The trail is approximately 1/2 mile long and takes about 40 minutes to hike this one-way trail. After reaching the cave/waterfall area, hikers must continue on the one-way trail system and up a series of steps to the rim trail, which leads (if turning right) back along the rim to the parking lot (or 2.3 miles to Cedar Falls if turning left).
Ash Cave is named after the huge pile of ashes found under the shelter by early settlers. The largest pile was recorded as being 100 feet long, 30 feet wide and 3 feet deep. The source of the ashes is unknown but is believed to be from Indian campfires built up over hundreds of years. The horseshoe-shaped cave is massive, measuring 700 feet from end to end, 100 feet deep from the rear cave wall to its front edge with the rim rising 90 feet high.
Cedar Falls – From the parking area the path to the falls is approximately 1/2 a mile long with steps. You will be able to see a gushing waterfall if the area had rain in the previous days. Cedar Falls was misnamed by early white settlers who mistook the stately hemlocks for Cedars.
Walking the Conkles Hollow gorge trail – there are 2 beautiful trails here :
- Moderately difficult 2.5 rim trail around the stunning gorge
- Easy 1 mile out and back paved gorge trail with a waterfall at the end of the trail. Although there was no waterfall due to lack of rain.
We went on the gorge trail enjoying its coolness and the 200 feet cliffs of Black Hand sandstone rising above the gorge floor. The gorge is only 100 feet wide in places and is the deepest in Ohio.
Cantwell Cliffs – This is another scenic hiking trails of Hocking Hills State Park, the path is the most rugged in the park system, remote, and a one-way in and one-way out loop. There are over two miles of trail with two loops, each being one mile. It takes approximately an hour or more to hike the trail. Parts are smooth and level but you have to hike from the gorge base to the rim, so lots of climbing downhill and uphill onto steps that are sometimes unlevel rocks.
Rock House – Rock House is another major hiking trails of Hocking Hills State Park. The Rock House Loop Trail is about 1 mile. Hikers enter from either the upper or lower parking lot, but both trails come together and exit at the shelter house (at the top). This House of Rock has a ceiling 25 feet high while the main corridor is 200 feet long and 20 to 30 feet wide. As one might imagine, Rock house was used for shelter by past visitors. Archaeological evidence has shown that Indians inhabited the cave. The natives constructed small ovens in the rock walls to cook meals. They also created troughs in the cave’s floor, which collected water, providing inhabitants with a water supply.
Logan lake – We rented a Pontoon boat for 2 hours which has enough seating area for our group of 8. A relaxing ride across the length and breath of the lake enjoying the view, snacking, and taking pictures with friends.
Where to stay – On day 1 of our trip (party of 4), we stayed in Hocking Hills Lodge which features 81 guestrooms in the main building along with the 40 cabins on the property. we stayed in one of the cabins which had 2-bedroom with one full bathroom and a kitchen and living room area. The main building had a restaurant where we had dinner overlooking the beautiful green forest area of the park.
There are many Airbnb available within 20 mile radius to the park. On day 2 of our trip (party of 8), we rented a 5 bedroom Airbnb for our group. It was quite comfortable with 3 full baths, an outdoor grill, and a hot tub.
Some fun picture ….
