Hocking Hills! (Part 2) . . . But keep it on the Downlow!

Adventure is worthwhile. -Amelia Earhart

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The first post on Hocking Hills! Part 1 centered on the journey there, the Hocking Hills campground, and the natural attraction closest to our campsite, Old Man's Cave.

In Part 2, I'm posting photographs and descriptions of other attractions inside Hocking Hills State Park. While these pictures may give a general idea of the types of formations you may see, don't be misled; there is so much to see and experience at every turn in one of Ohio's most unique state parks.

After our first day seeing Old Man's Cave, much of the gorge, and visiting the nature center, we made a side trip to Nelsonville and Athens in search of knitting supplies for a project my wife was starting. I had read that Nelsonville was an interesting town with a Victorian theme in the architecture of its homes and businesses. I either need to improve my reading comprehension skills or offer an award to the Nelsonville marketing department, as we found the town devoid of any level of Victorian styling worth portraying as a community theme. We came across one home with limited gingerbread but otherwise found the town lacking any appeal worth a visit. As we continued our hunt for supplies, we traveled on to Athens and largely hit the retail zone on the outside of town. I can't comment further on the community of Athens itself.

Upon our return to the Hocking Hills, we took advantage of the state park's many attractions by stopping at Cedar Falls and Ash Cave. These sites, like Old Man's Cave and Conkle's Hollow, are fairly easy walks. The designated walkways are relatively level, with some steps along the main paths, but there are alternative, more challenging routes, often found above the gorge.

The photos above are from Cedar Falls (the fantail falls) and Ash Cave, with its large semi-circular opening and long drop falls.

On another day of hiking, we drove further from the Visitor Center and campground area to take in Conkle's Hollow and The Rock House. Conkle's Hollow has a paved walkway through much of the gorge. There are steep cliff walls on each side and a meandering stream through the center. Toward the back of the hollow, the pathway gets more difficult if you choose to thread the path all the way to the narrow falls at the back end of the walk. There are some beautiful rock formations throughout this walk, and the sheer face of the walls is impressive. Again, a more challenging path takes you around the rim of the gorge.

Here are a few photographs from Conkle's Hollow.

Our final destination was the Rock House. This was the most difficult of the five trails that we covered. There is an initial climb up to the level of the picnic pavilion from the parking lot, and a few yards beyond that, the trail begins its descent. Some of the sections of the trail are steep, and in a few areas, steep stone steps make the trip a heart pumper. While the summer trail schedule is one way to handle the crowds, our springtime visit afforded us the opportunity to pick our direction. We chose to descend to the Rock House, then return the same way, and not continue down to the bottom of the gorge. It was enough of a workout for us. The inclines, narrowness, and sharp turns make this trail doable for most hikers, but certainly more of a challenge than the other trails we walked this week. The Rock House is an unusual formation and worth the hike. Here are a few pictures from that trek.

We left some of the park for a return visit. We want to see Cantwell Cliffs, Whispering Cave, and Lower Old Man's Cave, as well as some of the upper trails around several of the gorges. The sites we've already seen are certainly worth another look. We would also like to take in the John Glenn Astronomy Park, located nearby the Visitor Center. (Read times and details before scheduling a visit.)

There are a few eateries around the Hocking Hills Park area. I noticed signs for pizza and subs nearby, but we didn't sample them. We did stop in at Grandma Faye's convenience store and buy some fresh sandwiches and chips for a picnic. They have a small sandwich shop there, plus many supplies for camp visitors. It's located south of the Visitor Center and just beyond John Glenn Astronomy Park.

Hocking Hills had some of the most distinctive formations we had seen during our first year as RVers. In the Smokies, you can see interesting formations, but you have to hike for miles to see as many sites as there are compacted into Hocking Hills State Park. Plan early. My daughter is trying to get fall dates (six months away) but is finding they are sold out. We have found spring RV travel to be the easiest to book and have the lightest crowds, but whatever the season, Hocking Hills is worth the trip. Just don't tell anyone. Keep it on the downlow to keep the crowds down. We plan to return next spring and may see you then as we travel Along the Pooka Trail.