Hocking Hills State Park: 1st Time Visitor Guide

I would never have guessed that there are so many things to do in Hocking Hills State Park, but after having gone there twice (so far), it’s always amazed me at how much of this area you can cover, even one day there. And so this post is going to show you that, specifically 8 places to see for first time visitors and which spots to prioritize

Quick info:

• Name: Hocking Hills State Park
• Location: Logan (1 hour from Columbus Ohio)
• Things to do: Hiking, camping, caving
• Fee: Free
• Hotels/lodging? Best hotels near Hocking Hills
• Nearby attractions: Top things to do near Hocking Hills

Best things to do:

1. Conkle’s Hollow
2. Upper falls
3. Old Man’s cave trail
4. Cedar Falls
5. Ash Cave
6. Chapel Cave and Twin Falls (one trail)
7. Rock House Trail.
8. Cantwell Cliffs

The first 5 places on this list are within the main part of Hocking Hills State Park which you can either drive to to reach or take one main trail which is a blue trail to explore. The last 3 on this list are attractions close to Hocking Hills State Park and part of the region which are also incredible spots to check out.

Conkle’s Hollow:

• Location: Conkle’s Hollow trailhead

Conkle’s Hollow is a short and very scenic trail through a gorge that has caves and beautiful rock formations. There is a large parking area next to the trailhead which takes you there and there’s 2 hikes available:

1. The first hike is a short 1 mile trail (in and out) that takes you inside a gorge with a waterfall at the end of it (better views)
2. The second hike is over 2 miles and takes you to the top and around the gorge area.

Upper falls:

• Location: Upper Falls is in the official Hocking Hills State Park entrance. Park your car in the very large parking lot and head to the northern most part of the blue trail. The waterfall is right there.

Upper Falls is an extremely scenic waterfall in Hocking Hills State Park. The water is light blue, and there are many photogenic spots to see it from. Just as well, one of the best ways to explore Hocking Hills State Park is by starting at the Upper Falls area which is a blue trail. You will walk down to the falls, and then if you wish continue on the same blue trail further into the park and into the next section of it which is Old Man’s Cave (the next attraction).

Old Man’s Cave:

• Location: Right by the Hocking Hills Visitor center. There is a blue trail that takes you into Old Man’s Cave. 

Old Man’s Cave is one of the most crowded and popular trails inside Hocking Hills State Park. You will walk through a narrow gorge, along a creek, see tunnels and see amazing sights. There is a main trail that takes you through most of the park and that is the Old Man’s Cave trail.

The good news however is that if you don’t want to do the full trail, you can do a shorter loop which is what I did there. You can start near the visitor center, and do the 1-2 mile loop hike down and into Old Man’s Cave. The views there are breathtaking and honestly, just being there for the first time truly shocked me.

Cedar Falls trail:

• Location: Cedar Falls trailhead

Cedar Falls is a small, but beautiful waterfall you can explore, with more gorges at this park. When I was there, it was pretty dry, but that didn’t take away from the overall beauty surrounding it. Walking back out to the parking lot also presents some beautiful areas you can stop and take pictures at. As far as the hike goes, if you’re doing the parking lot option (shorter one), it’s about a 20 minute walk altogether. I would recommend you take the time to stop and enjoy the sights because every spot in Hocking Hills State Park deserves it!

Ash Cave:

• Location: Ash Cave parking area.

If you Google the name of Hocking Hills State Park, there’s a good chance that the first image you’ll see is actually Ash Cave and it is a giant cave you have to hike down to which takes about 1.5 miles. The good news is that despite being the most beautiful area in the park (in my opinion), there aren’t that many people there because there is a longer hike to get down to the cave.

But if you do get there (and I highly recommend you do), you will be floored by the beauty there. Ash Cave is huge and there is a giant “beach” area underneath it, with a small trickling waterfall there. Ash Cave really impressed me in ways that are hard to describe and I have to admit, I have never seen anything like it until I entered this spot. I enjoyed Old Man’s Cave hike but Ash Cave was a lot better in my opinion. I did see the pictures before hand, but being there is a whole other experience.

Chapel Cave and Twin Falls trail:

• Location: Chapel Cave trailhead.

On my second visit to Hocking Hills State Park, this was one of the additional places I explored and I loved it. It is a short hike to 2 destinations, the first of which is a large cave (not as big as Ash Cave) and the second which is a 5-10 minute hike to 2 waterfalls. I recommend exploring both places and you will following an orange trail marker. Although the truth is that this trail is very easy to follow.

Rock House trail:

• Location: Rock House parking area.

There is a parking lot you will stop at and then hike down to the Rock House area which is a large cave with many openings in it. Other than that, you will be on a loop trail throughout this section and the hike is generally easy to do.

Cantwell Cliffs:

• Location: Cantwell Cliffs area.

Cantwell Cliffs is not within the park itself, but it’s part of the Hocking Hills region to my understanding and it’s basically a short hike through the same kind of amazing scenery you would see within Hocking Hills State Park itself. It mixes together the types of cliffs you would see in Rock House with a waterfall hike that looks like Twin Falls and it also includes stairs to make it easier to hike there.

How to do a day trip here:

1. Ash Cave should be the top hike to check out without question. Even if this is the only trail you do on your day trip, it’ll be the best thing you can do in Hocking Hills.
2. Second, Old Man’s Cave is the next best hike to see. If you can do this first, and Ash Cave second (or as your last hike so it’s the last best one, that’ll be better).
3. Third, there is one giant blue trail from the north part of the park which begins at Upper Falls (near Old Man’s Cave) goes there, and actually goes through every hike on this list, except for Conkle’s Hollow, meaning you can do 4 day hikes as one on this list.
4. See the other spots near Hocking Hills State Park after if you can (Chapel Cave, and Rock Garden).

Map:

Camping/Lodging info:

 

• Best hotels near Hocking Hills
• Camping spots in Hocking Hills

Photos:

Related:

• Cuyahoga Valley National Park 
• Daniel Boone National Forest
• Red River Gorge
• Big South Fork

With all of this mentioned, thank you for checking out this post on the best things to do in Hocking Hills State Park! I hope that whether you’re going there for a single day or longer that you take the time to explore the places I mentioned above and really enjoy this park the best way possible and if you have any questions about this park and what to do there, let me know below!