The first time we ever visited Hocking Hills was in January and while this could have turned out to have been a bad experience (weather/planning-wise), luckily for us, it wasn’t! We had a wonderful time and our only regret was that we hadn’t explored this area sooner. We had excellent weather mid-January and the trails were not extremely muddy nor had it gotten cold enough yet to freeze the rain/snow on the trails and cover them in ice. I hadn’t realized while planning that this can definitely be a serious issue when visiting in the winter. We had dressed warmly in layers with warm coats, hats, gloves and hiking boots, but did not have crampons (ice spikes that can be inserted over shoe), as these are a must for trails in the winter if you want to walk. We had come at just the right time-ice was covering the trails the following weekend. Please remember to dress appropriately and bring a backpack with plenty of water, snacks, a safety kit and a camera. Walking sticks might be a good idea too. We will be more prepared the next time we visit in winter.
Hocking Hills is beautiful year-round but it’s something special to see the rocks and greenery lightly snow covered as you walk through the hushed forest trails. We happened to be there over a three day weekend and covered a lot in that time. On our first full day, we hiked Ash Cave- an easy, mostly paved hike back to a huge rock covered cave, pictures truly can’t describe how high and beautiful this area is. This hike is good for kids and anyone that may have difficulty walking to a point, then there are stairs on the other side that lead out, or you can simply turn around after getting some great shots and walk back to the parking area. There is a sandy bottom, boulders and even a tall, light flowing waterfall. When we visited, a couple were getting their engagement photos taken. Next, we hiked the Cedar Falls gorge trail. It was fairly easy to moderate in areas, it was busier and we made friends with several people on the hike down. It is simply serene when you walk the gorge area and the waterfall at the end is beautiful. Here our new friends took our picture and we offered to take theirs too. That night we ate at Millstone BBQ, a highly recommended restaurant and it was very good BBQ, meats and sides-large servings, friendly staff and close to our hotel. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express for this visit, it is a nice, efficient hotel that is convenient to restaurants, the lake and the state parks. They also offer breakfast and a pool to enjoy after a long day of hiking.
On our second day, we began at Old Man’s Cave. Wow! I didn’t know what to expect, but this place is insanely picturesque. There is so much going on and to look at here; stairs that wind up and over the stream, tunnels, old man’s cave, bridges, the devil’s bathtub, icicles hanging from the rocks to name a few things. We took our time to explore the whole gorge trail, it’s fabulous. It’s moderate in some areas and a steady climb out at the end. There is a nature/visitor center at the trails end but it was closed while we were there-these are favorites of ours so we will definitely make time to get back here soon. We felt like pizza on Saturday night and after looking at reviews we decided on Pizza Crossing in downtown Logan. I’m so glad we did-it was perfect and quite possibly the best pizza we’ve eaten in Ohio-so far. We’ve returned several times since this visit and each time we eat here at least once. After eating, we walked the cute downtown area, then back to the hotel for a swim and a good nights rest.
On our third and last day here, we hiked Rock House. We personally felt that this was the hardest hike we did all weekend. We did accomplish it and are happy that we did it, it’s different than the other hikes but beautiful as well, especially once you are in the rock house. The formations are stunning and there is great history here too. After our hike we visited the Antiques Market on 33 and ate lunch at the diner there, it was good and the shops are really cute! It was time to head home but we have plans to visit this area again (in all seasons!).
