In the few years I lived in Ohio, I never made it to Hocking HIlls State Park despite my colleagues and friends raving about it and camping there. And after visiting the park, I can see why there was so much hype about it! It’s a gorgeous park with over 25-miles of hiking trails, spectacular rock formations, beautiful waterfalls and amazing recess caves. There is a ton to see and I would highly recommend you dedicate at least one full day to the park. The park is definitely very busy during peak times, but I found that the further into the park you hike, the less people you will come across. With that said, I would still recommend visiting during an off-peak time, so you can really enjoy the park’s beauty.
I took the Gorge Overlook Loop via the Buckeye Trail which is 6.3 miles with a modest elevation gain of 429 feet and it will take you at least 2 hrs. 15 minutes (more if you take your time at the different sights along the way). I also added an out-and-back to Whispering Cave which adds another 1.0 mile, has a pretty good elevation gain of 300 feet, and it was definitely worth the extra time (probably another 30-minutes). It should also be noted that many of the trails in the park are one way.
The first area to explore is the Old Man’s Cave area which is broken up into five principal sections – Upper Falls, Upper Gorge, Middle Falls, Lower Falls and Lower Gorge. Old Man’s Cave got its name from the hermit, Richard Rowe, who lived in the large recess cave of the gorge. His family moved to the Ohio River Valley around 1796 from the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee to establish a trading post. Interesting note – Richard is actually buried beneath the ledge of the main recess cave and his two brothers are also buried in the same area.
Being so close to the parking lot, the Upper Falls area is one of the busiest parts of the park you will encounter.
Next you’ll come across The Devil’s Bathtub – a unique, tiered waterfall between the Upper Falls and Old Man’s Cave. The tub is situated in a weak layer of Black Hand Sandstone and is constantly enlarged by the swirling action of Old Man’s Creek. Although the pool is rumored to extend deep into the depths of Hades, it’s only a few feet deep!
Pictures: A couple of the incredible rock formations
As you make your way through the gorge, you will crisscross Old Man’s Creek. I found the new concrete Step Bridge pretty cool and fun to walk over. These steps are below the A-Frame Bridge that you’ll cross near the end of your hike.
Pictures: The New Step Bridge | Rock Formation
The area around Old Man’s Cave can be a bit confusing with the one way trails, entrances and exits. But I was able to navigate it, although I think I went out the entrance to get back to the main trail. I found the tunnel to get their uber cool and the cave to be jaw droppijng at how expansive and beautiful it was. The Middle Falls are right by the cave. From here I resumed my trek south to the lower falls.
Pictures: Middle Falls and Old Man’s Cave | Tunnel to the Old Man’s Cave
Pictures: Old Man’s Cave
I found that once I got past the Lower Falls, the crowds thinned out a quite a bit. Not that it was super crowded the day I was there, but relative to the Old Man’s Cave area, the rest of the hike had minimal people. From the Lower Falls, you head south and you will continue to see amazing rock formations.
Pictures: More amazing rock formations
At the southern end of the park, you have a choice, you can head west on the Hemlock Bridge Trail to the Whispering Cave Trail or continue east on the Buckeye Trail. I decided to check out Whispering Cave and I am so happy I did. Out and back is a mile and there is a bit of an elevation gain on this trail. It should be noted that the Hemlock Bridge Trail is ONE WAY and takes you all the way back to the Visitor Center after Whispering Cave. So before you decide to do this side excursion, read my note below – it’s after the pictures of Whispering Cave. Once on the Hemlock Bridge Trail you will cross a small foot suspension bridge. I personally think elements like these really make hiking fun and unique.
As you climb up towards Whispering Cave Trail you’ll pass some incredible Honeycomb Weathered Sandstone. There are many theories on what causes the honeycombs and currently it is considered to be polygenetic in origin; being the result of complex interaction of physical and chemical weathering processes, which include salt weathering and cyclic wetting and drying.
Eventually you will come to the Whispering Cave Trail – a short out-and-back trail to Whispering Cave.
Pictures: Entrance to Whispering Cave | View looking out of Whispering Cave | Inside Whispering Cave
So here is my note regarding taking the Hemlock Bridge Trail: Now, I realize this is wrong and I hopefully won’t get any hate mail for this, but as it was not too busy at the park and I passed people going in the wrong direction on the Hemlock Bridge Trail, I went back down the Hemlock Bridge Trail to the Buckeye Trail. I.e. I too went in the wrong direction on this short section (0.3 mile) of the Hemlock Bridge Trail. I was respectful and gave everyone going in the right direction, the right of way.
Along the southern section of the park, you will come across some amazing trees and see the magnificent gorge walls. Eventually you will reach Whispering Falls. Whispering Falls doesn’t consistently flow (as was the case when I was there) and is a narrow plume of water that shoots off the towering rock face into Queer Creek gorge below.
Pictures: One of the many trees growing on the rocks | The steep walls of the gorge
Pictures: Natural Tunnel formed by a giant block leaning against the cliff | More of the magnificent walls of the gorge
The trail along the southern portion of the park is spectacular and well worth the hike. There are small waterfalls and more amazing rock formations. Eventually you will reach Cedar Falls – another very popular spot as there is a parking lot nearby. Cedar Falls itself is the greatest waterfall in terms of volume in the Hocking region. Queer Creek tumbles over the face of the Blackhand sandstone displaying the awesome force of water power.
Pictures: Rock Formation | Small Waterfall
Pictures: More Rock Formations
From the base of the gorge, you proceed up a long flight of stairs and will see signs for the Suspension Bridge. It’s a cool bridge adorned with a decorative piece at the top – a representation of one of the park’s geological features known as “The Sphinx.” From here you will continue along a ridge – overlooking the gorge below – then up to Rose Lake.
Pictures: Suspension Bridge | Rose Lake
Going to Rose Lake is a little bit of a detour, but you don’t have a choice due to the valley and stream that runs from the lake to the cliff above Queer Gorge. Once you cross the Rose Lake Dam, you head back south to the rim of the gorge and follow it west, then eventually north back towards the Visitor Center. This part of the trail is wooded and has a vibe than the gorge below. One of my many finds were some mushrooms, not edible, but I am always fascinated by the beauty of mushrooms.
You finish up your hike crossing the A-Frame bridge with views of the gorge below. And for the life of me, I am not sure why I don’t have a picture of the bridge? I only have a picture from the bridge, looking down on the gorge below. Perhaps my phone battery was dying as I was tracking my entire hike on an app.
Date of visit: 13 September 2022
