Hocking Hills
State Park
| Hocking Hills State Park at a Glance | |
| Date established: | Old Man's Cave purchased as part of Hocking Forest in 1924. Separated from Hocking State Forest in 1949 |
| Acreage (total): | 2,356 acres (954 hectares) |
| Water acreage (Rose Lake): | 17 acres (7 hectares) |
| Miles of trails: | The state park and the state forest combined offer about 76 miles (122 kilometers) of trails (with some of the horse trails routed on lightly-used township roads). State Park: 17 miles (27 kilometers, includes 5 miles - 8 kilometers - of the BENCAD Trail) |
| Trails open to bicycles: | 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) |
| Trails open to horses: | 2.5 miles (4.0 kilometers), with another 44 miles (70 kilometers) in the state forest. |
| Campsites: | 172, plus 40 cottages |
| RV-friendly campsites: | 80 (included in the above total) |
| Horse-friendly campsites: | Horse camp available in adjacent Hocking State Forest |
| Hunting: | No hunting (hunting is allowed in adjacent Hocking State Forest |
| Adjacent natural areas: | Hocking State Forest Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve |
| Nearby natural areas: | Lake Logan State Park (11 miles) Rockbridge State Nature Preserve (11 miles) Clear Creek Metro Park (14 miles) WahKeena State Nature Preserve (20 miles) Tar Hollow State Park (18 miles) Tar Hollow State Forest (20 miles) |
| Official state park website: | http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/hockinghills |
| Friends website: | http://www.friendsofhockinghills.org/aws/FHHSP/pt/sp/home_page |
This park owes its exceptionally scenic features to the Blackhand sandstone, a very thick, erosion-resistant rock. The most popular area of the park is Old Man’s Cave. The other sections are Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, Cantwell Cliffs and Rockhouse.
Old Man’s Cave can be traversed via a well-developed trail that starts at the top and descends through the gorge. You’ll see several waterfalls and huge rockhouses (which give this place its “cave” name). At one point below the lower falls, you can exit the gorge via a long set of steps that ascend through a tunnel in the rock. You can also continue on the Grandma Gatewood Trail, which is also the BENCAD Trail here, down to Ash Cave, a distance of 2.5 miles. The section of this trail between Old Man’s Cave and Cedar Falls (roughly half way to Ash Cave) features many scenic rock formations.
Although Old Man’s Cave, Cedar Falls and Ash Cave are contiguous, the other sections are not. It’s easiest to drive between them. Other attractions in the Hocking Hills also include Conkle’s Hollow State Nature Preserve, Rockbridge State Nature Preserve, Lake Logan State Park, and Clear Creek Metro Park.
Trails
The principal trail through Hocking Hills State Park is the BENCAD Trail. There are also shorter trails, and there are horse trails in Hocking State Forest. See Trails in the Hocking Hills for full trail information.
Directions
To reach Old Man’s Cave from Athens, take US-33 west 24.5 miles from OH-550 to OH-644 at Logan. Then take OH-644 south 10 miles to Old Man’s Cave. Warning: 644 is very winding! Total driving distance from downtown Athens: 37 miles.
Note: Stroll down below the Old Man's Cave map for a full park map.
