We scheduled our trip to Hocking Hills later than usual this year, expecting that we might have an entirely different experience. We were right about that, but totally off the mark on what we expected to see. What an incredible trip this turned out to be! I can’t say it was the best of times, it was the worst of times…but it was close to the best! It’s at the end of day two, and I just had to lock down the experiences of the day while they are still fresh in my mind.
Ash Cave
This hike is usually first on our list. It starts out gently, and leads to an outcropping of rock you can walk under. It isn’t a cave in the usual sense, where you walk into a hole in rock, and it’s dark and cool inside. Maybe bats, maybe pigeons (who knows what else). No, this is a massive rock canopy. Massive? Well, you might have to assess that yourself.
After climbing into the upper reaches of the stratosphere, it levels off into an easy walk on a gentle downward path that is wheelchair accessible. How you get the wheelchair up there in the first place is anybody’s guess, but this hike is definitely one that we want to repeat. This was our third trip, and the first one in the fall.
There’s a waterfall there, but this trip? There was just a trickle. Here’s that short video:
It’s a very gentle 1/2 mile walk back to this area. Then, you can just walk back the way you came. Or, you can climb the stairs for a spectacular view. There’s no monetary charge, but you’ll face fees of leg strength, endurance, the very will to live, and the last vestiges of air in your lungs that you were saving for another excursion later.
Is it worth the cost to climb those stairs for a walk back along the top rim? Oh, totally worth it! We really enjoyed the view from up there!
Cantwell Cliffs
Well. Our story here begins in 2020, in the midst of Covid-19 lockdown year one, when nobody knew it was year one. We thought it was far behind us! Here we were, our first “Hocking experience” with many things closed and others enticing us. We got up early in the morning, and as good hikers, we headed to the Visitor’s Center. It seemed odd to us that it was 26 miles away, but, newbies that we were, we said okay and headed back up the road toward Columbus, Ohio.
“We headed to the Visitor’s Center”
When we got there, it was closed. We found the signs, but were pretty disappointed. Asking around, we discovered this was the old visitor’s center, and a new, large and beautiful one was built closer to the area. Okay. We enjoyed a good laugh, and headed back to the new one. That was the end of that adventure, with the rest of our visit quite enjoyable except for the many restaurant closures due to covid.
Today, we headed out for Cantwell Cliffs, where we’d never been before. We decided Siri on our phones may have been paid off by Ohio Governor Mike Dewine, because she led us on a merry chase down beautiful, previously unknown to us roads. It was well worth it, and then we saw the first sign for Cantwell Cliffs, 15 miles away. We drove for about a half-hour, and saw another sign: Cantwell Cliffs, 15 miles. Whaat?! Okay. on we journey. When we finally decided we had made a wrong turn, we pulled into the town of Laurelville, and turned around in a little parking lot of:
THE OLD VISITOR’S CENTER!!! We laughed and laughed, because what else can you do? As weird as this was once, to come back again two years later? And though closed for over two years, all the signs are still up? Laughing is all that is left!
We passed a few more “15 miles to Cantwell Cliffs” signs before we made it. Grayce lost count of my wrong turns, but wisely agreed to blame Siri instead. Siri made it out of the timeout chair eventually, and the Cantwell Cliffs adventure soon came about. Let me first say this: making the drive to Cantwell Cliffs is a reward in itself, even if you can’t do the strenuous climb.
The views here were spectacular. Was the difficulty rating justified? I think so, because I don’t know what readers will actually be thinking. It isn’t that it was too long, or even that special equipment would be needed. We saw many with walking sticks, but we were free-styling without the need of special assistance. Well, okay–there were a few times when that extended hand from a fellow hiker was more than welcome, but it was not beyond an average hiker’s abilities.
I definitely encourage you to give this one a go. I’m pretty sure this will be on my definite hike list every year!
Cedar Falls
This is a separate hike and has always a treat. Sure, at this time of year, the falls themselves are a bit underwhelming. The brochure says this particular scene has the most water flowing down, but this year, it was far smaller than we usually see in the summer. One person expressed surprise, “because we had a rainy summer.” We couldn’t recall information to verify that!
I know, I know. As you look at that waterfall, you’re thinking, “Come on! Why was that worth the hike?” Sorry, but there is no way I know of to capture the beauty, the smell of the leaves and the hemlock growing everywhere. The leaves falling all around you, and the florescent trees growing on all sides! Better experienced in person. My goal here is to grab your attention and your planner!
Conkle’s Hollow
Of all the places we hiked in Hocking Hills, this was the most challenging. In many places, the trail was lost to us due to the fallen leaves. But hey, we were walking around the ridge of a hollow, so as long as we stayed close to the edge of the 100 foot drop, we were fine, and could pick up the trail again quite soon. We could see the danger. There’s nothing safe about a lot of this hike, but it was great. My dear wife asked me not to tell people she cried a few times, but I was pretty proud of her. She insisted on completing it, claiming she’d never do that hike again, but I’m sure she will. We loved it, and the sights are breath-taking. There’s no way to really capture the power of what you’ll see here. Autumn was the right time to do this hike. No way would we try this one with ice present, but summer just won’t be spectacular enough!
Old Man’s Cave
This one is probably among the most popular, and it’s a comparatively easy hike. There are many features along the way to enjoy, and you’ll certainly want your camera ready.
It was colder today, and threatened rain the whole time, but we didn’t get wet. We had about reached our hiking limit, so we took a shorter trail, cutting off a number of features that we really enjoy, but oh, well…three days of hiking was pushing it for us. Let’s just say that when you go to Hocking Hills, this hike is definitely on the list of trails you should take!
Rock House
This feature is always a hit. Some that were hiking near us nearly walked past the cave without entering, because this is the only “true cave” that you can walk into. We really enjoy this one, but we had a good laugh on the way down the steep stone stairs after leaving the cave. The bridge was out, on a one-way trail. There was a really nice couple standing there, trying to figure out what to do. The wife wanted to take the work-around, which wasn’t too bad at all, but the husband wasn’t having any of that. Off my wife scrambled, down into the gully, and right back up the other side! Oh how proud I was, and the other wife and I laughed and headed down there ourselves. Reluctantly, the husband followed, muttering, “I was just messing with you.” Yes? I dunno. It seemed to be real reluctance to me!
Which hike was our favorite? What’s the best thing to see here? Sorry, we’re not going to play that game! It’s all so great, and it’s pretty much more than you can do in one visit. My hope is that will make you want to return again and again!
Very entertaining….