Adventures in Hocking Hills

A few friends asked about our recent family trip to Hocking Hills, so I thought I’d share the details of our trip in a blog post.

Several years ago, my husband Geoff and I rented an Airbnb in Athens, Ohio in April and spent the day exploring from the Hocking Hills State Park Visitors’ Center, hiking the 5ish mile loop between the visitor center and Cedar Falls, which brings you up along the ridge for half of the hike, and through the river gorge for the second half of the hike, depending which direction you go. Because the ridge’s scenery is a bit anticlimactic after the river gorge, some prefer to do the hike clockwise from the visitor’s center, but if you arrive early and have the park mostly to yourself, if you hike the river gorge portion first (counterclockwise from the visitor center) you’ll have the prettiest section all to yourself. On this trip, we also made a quick detour to Devil’s Bathtub, which can also be accessed from the visitor center parking lot.

My brother Matt visited Hocking Hills last fall, and saw some areas Geoff and I had not, such as Ash Cave and The Rock House, which he recommended we visit on our family trip.

A few tips for visiting:
This is a busy park, and several of the prime attractions, like the Rock House and Ash Cave have separate parking areas from the visitor center, so you will have to drive from place to place to see all of the different views. We didn’t have time to see everything, and would love to go back. Arriving early, like by 8 or 9 a.m. helps with the crowds, as does visiting on weekdays instead of weekends, and avoiding spring break dates and major holidays.

The river and waterfalls are largely dependent on rainfall–during our April visit, the water was amazing–the river was a magical greenish-blue and there were numerous waterfalls. In the fall, we had a much drier experience, although after a full day of rain, we got to see some water moving through the park.

The hiking is a little sketchy–mud, roots, big rock steps, steps that are worn away, etc. and lots of overhangs that would be dangerous for an unleashed pet or overly adventurous little kid. Because of the number of people and dogs, bringing a dog that is reactive to other dogs is probably not a good idea, and if your dog pulls on the leash, it could make navigating the tricky parts of the trail a bit dicey. There are a lot of stairs and bridges where you can’t really help but be close to other people and their dogs. I was glad to have my trekking poles with me. Be sure to check the trail map–some areas don’t allow dogs, and recommend no children.

Click here for a map of hiking trails and trailheads.

Lodgings: There are all kinds of options in the area–campgrounds, resorts, motels, and Airbnbs. Geoff and I stayed in an apartment in Athens that was about a 40-minute drive from the visitor center. It was great for the two of us, and I would stay again if in the area.
On this most recent trip, my family rented a larger airbnb that was about 30 minutes from the visitor center. It slept 9 (1 king, 3 queens or doubles, and one single in an open loft) and had 4 private bedrooms, a pool table, and an outdoor hot tub. I would stay there again, too. (The kitchen did not have enough plates, bowls, wine glasses or silverware for the amount of people it slept, though, so plan ahead on that front if you rent it!)