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Hocking Hills State Park

Posted on June 27, 2009 by: Traveler

Closest City: Logan
State: Ohio
Country: United States

Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio

All told, Ohio is the greenest place I have ever been to (and I have visited numerous tropical locations in the south pacific, southeast Asia and the Caribbean). I grew up in a modest (tiny in fact) house but feel so fortunate to have had access to a two-acre yard; most of which was covered in woods. My fondest childhood memories include my parent’s backyard with all the tree forts my brother and I built and the games we played with the other neighborhood kids.

I remember a particular downpour which dumped two inches of rain in the span of an hour. This was without the help of a hurricane or monsoon… just your typical rain. I fondly remember this because I was “suckered” by my parents into grilling out back. I didn’t start out back solo but as soon as the torrential downpour began everyone else (including my brother who was supposed to help) retreated under cover. Funny thing is that while I got soaked it took awhile to happen because the tree cover is so thick over the grilling area in my parent’s backyard. If two inches fell that hard and that fast in southern California… the entire area would be rendered impassable because the soil absolutely cannot soak that much, that fast. In contrast, there was hardly a standing puddle in Ohio because that much precipitation is the norm.

Even though I grew up in a small town (North Ridgeville) in northern Ohio and had gone on numerous vacations with my parents to southern Ohio (mainly Mohican and Salt Fork state parks), I had no idea the Hocking Hills area existed. After my discharge from the Marines, I decided to stay out in California and that is when I started experiencing total solitude from backpacking trips to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In the time since leaving the “safety net” of my childhood abode, my parents were told of Hocking Hills State Park and were told it is absolutely gorgeous. They went and naturally agreed with this claim. So, on a trip back east to visit, I was told we would be renting a cabin on a lake for two nights in a place I had never heard of.

I gotta say, I was a bit skeptical as to how a place in Hocking Hills in Ohio (which has a high point – Campbell Hill - 1549 feet above sea level just outside the city of Bellefontaine) could compare to the towering granite peaks and deep valleys of the Sierra Mountains. That is an unfair comparison I might say, however, that was all I could compare most hiking areas to. Truth be told, I was completely blown away by how lush the vegetation and was amazed at how high the trees towered overhead. In short, the area is gorgeous. Shortly after arriving, I was actually a bit disappointed we had never come to this area because I would only get to spend a few short days here before we drove back north to the Lake Erie area.

Our rental cabin was right on the edge of a small lake (reservoir actually) and there was a majestic house directly across. I am not sure how my mother found the cabin but I have included numerous links at the bottom of this page to help in finding a perfect match to what you may desire.

As I always do… a quick geography lesson- Hocking Hills gets its name from the Native American tribes (Wyandot, Delaware and Shawnee) who inhabited the area during the 1700’s. All the small, secondary canyons and flowing waterways are part of a larger bottle shaped valley. The natives referred to the Hocking River as Hockhocking, or “Bottle River”. The ancient Adena Culture became the area’s first known inhabitants approximately 7000 years ago.

Sandstone and shale rock of varying composition make up six unique areas of Hocking Hills. An ancient sea once covered this area and numerous periods of upheaval and erosion contribute to the oddly shaped canyon walls seen by hikers today. Erosion patterns include: cross bedding; a checkerboard pattern formed from ancient sea currents. Honeycomb in which water seeped through the layers of permeable rock and washed out loosely packed particles. Those two processes took eons to be seen and contribute to the phenomenon called block weathering; where large chunks of the canyon have fallen after their support had eroded away. Ice Age glaciers did not make it down this far however, their presence just north created a micro-climate in the canyon recesses of Hocking Hills country. Towering Eastern Hemlock, the Canada Yew and Yellow & Black Birch all thrive here.

For specific driving directions to the main points-of-interest in the park, see the park map link (below) and print it out for your convenience. The main attractions of Hocking Hills State Park are as follows:

Old Mans Cave: Old Man’s Creek flows through this scenic canyon into five sections: Upper Falls, Upper Gorge, Middle Falls, Lower Falls and Lower Gorge. The hiking path through Old Man’s Gorge connects to Cedar Falls and then onto Ash Cave in the Hocking Hills area (about 6 miles each way). For those wanting multi-day treks, this portion of trail also belongs to the Buckeye Trail (a 1444 mile system taking the adventurous from the shores of Lake Erie to bluffs overlooking the southern border of the Ohio River- and then back around full circle). This section also connects with and is part of two national trail systems; the North Country Scenic Trail and America’s Discovery Trail.

This is the most heavily visited attraction in Hocking Hills and is also near the main visitor center.

Ash Cave: From the parking area, it is a quick 0.25 mile paved (wheelchair accessible) hiking path. A trail also goes to the rim of Ash Cave and is 0.5 miles (also wheelchair accessible). Ash Cave measures 700 feet across and 100 feet deep and appears much larger from the vantage at its base. This is the first attraction we visited and I was amazed when we finally approached the overhang of Ash Cave. A small waterfall dropped down from the center of the rim approximately 90 overhead. The water has formed its own depression directly below the fall and then meanders out along the hiking path. We did not see anyone up top during our time here.

Rock House: The only “true” cave in Hocking Hills… Rock House is situated part way up an approximately 150-foot sandstone wall. The trail’s parking area is above the canyon rim and hikers have to take a short stroll down into the cave. A neat vantage lies at the far side of Rock House in which numerous trees have taken root directly into the canyon wall.

Cedar Falls: Located in Queer Creek Canyon (don’t ask me) Cedar Falls has the largest volume flow of water in the Hocking Hills region. The falls are split by a large rock “nub” in the center of the cascade flow. Hemlock dot the walls and floor of this narrow canyon and settlers mistakenly believed the trees to be cedar- that is how the falls received their name. The canyon is very lush and another fall (unknown if it is named) can be seen from the trail on the right side as you approach Cedar Falls.

Cantwell Cliffs: Mostly isolated from the other attractions of Hocking Hills, Cantwell Cliffs lie some 17 odd miles from Old Man’s Cave along S.R. 374. This area has one of the deepest canyons of Hocking Hills and has a unique stone step path down into the gorge. Part of the path leads to an oddly titled “Fat Lady’s Squeeze”, but (if need be) hikers can bypass this section to get down below. Steps have been carved into the sandstone wall and tree roots snake down along the edge of the stairway.

Conkle’s Hollow: The parking area for this half mile long ravine lies at the floor near the mouth of the canyon. It is possible to walk straight up the middle of the floor which is covered is thick vegetation. At roughly 200 feet high, the walls of Conkle’s Hollow are reported to be the highest in the state of Ohio. A waterfall at the end spills over a recessed cave. It is also possible to walk along the entire perimeter of the rim of Conkle’s Hollow. The views up top provide the most expansive views in the Hocking Hills area and the autumn colors explode in vibrant reds, oranges and yellows.

***The following directions are taken from the website for Hocking Hills State Park:

From Cleveland, Ohio:

Take I-71 South to Columbus.

Take 270 East toward Wheeling, WV to U.S. 33 East (Lancaster Exit)

Travel East to Logan, Exit on 664 South.

From Columbus, Ohio: Take U.S. 33 East through Lancaster to Logan, Ohio and exit onto State Route 664 South

From Cincinnati, Ohio: Take I-71 North towards Columbus. Watch for and take State Route 56 East through Mt. Sterling. Continue on State Route 56 East through Circleville and Laurelville to South Bloomingville, Ohio. In South Bloomingville take State Route 664 North approximately 4 miles to the park.

From Toledo, Ohio: Take I 75 South to Findlay, get on State Route 23 to Columbus. Take I-270 East towards Wheeling to U.S. 33 East (Lancaster Exit). Travel East to Logan, Exit 664 South.

From Logan, Ohio: Take 664 South approximately 12 miles to park area.

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