Hocking Hills! Part 1 . . . but keep it on the downlow!

“The goal is to die with memories not dreams”

Hocking Hills State Park (OH) has continually come up in conversation with other midwest travelers. Then pictures of the area backed up what others were saying and heightened our interest. When a window opened up on the calendar, we made plans to go, and our subsequent visit to the park exceeded our expectations. Now we're ready to go again.

Hocking Hills State Park is located in southeast Ohio, about an hour from Columbus. The area's topography is in stark contrast to the wide open lands found throughout much of Ohio. Here, you'll find towering cliffs, water-sculpted sandstone, waterfalls, deep gorges, and thick forests. The park also offers excellent camping and a nature center that captures the unique features of this area.

The destination was estimated at approximately five hours of travel time, so we chose a more relaxed pace and added a couple of stops

Indian Lake State Park (OH)

in Ohio before reaching Hocking Hills. We took a more scenic route through northern Indiana, away from the four lanes, and first made our way to another Ohio State Park at Indian Lake. This is a lovely park on a big lake in northwest Ohio that is a haven for fishing. Indian Lake camping is largely a flat area near the lake with nice-sized lots, fairly level lots, and pleasant lake views. The park population for our spring dates was down, so we had quite a few lots between us and our nearest neighbor. Upon entering the park, we were informed that you could go online and immediately book a site if you didn't previously have a reservation.

Indian Lake SP

The campground had suffered some heavy rain in the days leading up to our visit, so we had to dodge a few puddles and the Canadian geese, but we found the area pleasant, quiet, and relaxing. There are several large open spaces for activities. We so enjoy Ohio State Parks, and Indian Lake was another fine example of a great park system.

Our next stop was the historic German neighborhood on the south side of downtown Columbus. The travel blogs and brochures highlighted this area for its small community feel and classic German-influenced shops and restaurants. We snaked off the interstate exit and immediately found the roads quite narrow. We couldn't turn at every corner due to parked cars and narrow streets, so with our small Class C RV (25 ft), we carefully threaded through the neighborhood. The houses were delightful, and the brick street was nostalgic. We came upon a number of restaurants and shops, but now our problem was parking. It was a two-person job just to work our way through the busy village, let alone get a feel for the hot spots or even find a place to park. We finally gave up and headed back to the interstate. Don't even think of it in a Class A or full-sized C. If this area might be of interest to you, plan ahead for where you will park and how you'll get around. While I had planned out a couple of shops in the historic German section of town, we couldn't negotiate our way there in a convenient manner. Next time around, we'll spot a parking area and then Uber to the highlights. It's a quaint part of town that's been revitalized.

It's a comfortable drive from Columbus to Logan along US 33. Logan is the closest city of any size to Hocking Hills. You'll find fuel and food here before heading into the hills and hollers of southeast Ohio.

We overshot the Hocking Hills State Park campground entrance and had to circle back, but it gave us an opportunity to see the layout of the Visitor Center nearby. With our camping reservations in tact, we headed up a steep grade to reach the camping area.

The campground area was well organized and reflected the excellence of the Ohio State Park system. Our site was reasonably level, which we tweaked by rolling onto our teardrop levelers. We found the sites of ample size and, with the population again low (I'm sure it's packed in the summertime), we had empty sites on either side of us.

The park map shows a trail toward the Visitor Center from the campground, but we never found it. We even asked a park employee and doubled back, but never saw the trail head. Instead, we drove to the Visitor Center just past the campground entrance, parked our WonderRL by LTV at the far end of the lot, and headed inside for some ranger directions. Our thought was to take the direct path to Old Man's Cave, one of the park's featured attractions. The ranger, however, strongly encouraged us to start back further at the Upper Falls to take in the full effect of the gorge. This was the best advice we could have received. So we headed all the way back across the parking lot, crossed a small footbridge, and began on the Grandma Gatewood Trail. My pictures are below, but they don't do justice to the beauty of the gorge. I am so glad we did the longer trail.

All of these photos are from the relatively short Grandma Gatewood Trail. We didn't even go the full length of the gorge; there is so much to take in.

Hocking Hills State Park is a gem. You'll find in the literature references to six areas of the park. Be aware that the attractions are not all connected by trails. Those that are can still include a hefty hike of 2 1/2 to 7 miles. Other park areas are not connected by trails. So, before you leave for the day, make a transportation plan. Most of the attractions are a short drive from the Visitor Center. They're all worth it, but just be aware. With so much to see and pictures to share, I'm breaking this report into two parts to take it all in. We know from our special visit to Hocking Hills that we will return again as we travel Along the Pooka Trail.