Hocking Hills State Park is a sprawling, picturesque state park situated in Logan, Ohio, in the Southeastern portion of the Buckeye state. The park is popular with both locals and tourists, featuring numerous caves and waterfalls, lofty cliffs, and Hemlock-adorned gorges, all of which are accessible via the park’s extensive hiking trails. The park features a variety of other activities, including canoeing, swimming, ziplining, fishing, and rock climbing.
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Hocking hills is gorgeous year-round. The Winter features the falls at their strongest, while snowfall frequently envelops the park in a lovely blanket, only adding to the park’s allure. The spring brings about the blooming of wildflowers which proliferate along the forest floor. The summer season highlights the park’s beauty with the accompanied warmth and brightness of the ever-present sunshine. In the fall, the park’s trees turn orange, red, and brown, and there is foliage all around, almost New England-esque in its beauty.
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Things to do and see
Old Man’s Cave
Upper Falls at Old Man’s Cave, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio.
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Named for early pioneer and Hermit Richard Rowe, who lived in the large recess cave of the gorge, Old man’s cave is today the most popular hiking destination in Hocking Hills state park. Named for early pioneer and Hermit Richard Rowe, who lived in the large recess cave of the gorge, Old man’s cave is today the most popular hiking destination in Hocking Hills state park. The cave is divided into five primary sections, upper falls, upper gorge, middle falls, lower falls, and lower gorge. The stunning gorge runs for half a mile and impressively cuts through the 150-foot thickness of Blackhand sandstone which makes up the rock’s surface. The falls are small but impressive; formed by the nearby creek, they cascade down the sandstone into a large, lovely turquoise-colored pool that features the gorge’s cliffs as a backdrop.
Ash Cave
Ash Cave waterfall pano. Ash Cave is the largest, most impressive recess cave in the state of Ohio and can be found in Hocking Hills state park. 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.
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Photo by depositphotos.com
One of the most impressive sites at Hocking Hills is the ash cave which is notable for being the largest recess cave in the state of Ohio. Visitors meander through a slender gorge lined with hemlock, towering beech, and several other hardwood trees to get to ash cave. After passing through the gorge, visitors are greeted by a startling overhanding ledge and enormous cave shelter. The cave, in the shape of a horseshoe, is a staggering 700 feet from end to end, 100 feet deep from the deepest cave wall to the entrance, while the overhanging rim reaches 90 feet above the ground. Ash cave received its name from an enormous pile of ashes, reportedly 100 feet long, 30 feet wide, and three feet deep, discovered by early settlers and presumed to have been left by native peoples.