With 9 State Park and Nature Preserves, 3 State Forests, a National Forest, local and metro parks, plus a large section of the Buckeye Trail, you simply will not run out of places to hike. Trails range from extremely rugged to as easy as the preverbial ‘walk in the park’. Discover majestic views as you hike scenic mountain trails or kayak in the quiet lakes and rivers. For a fresh perspective, take flight and zip line through a forest. Some of the largest and most exciting ziplines in the mid west can be found in the Hocking Hills.
The hiking trails at Hocking Hills are impressive. While exploring, we would suggest stopping by Hocking Hills State Park and seeing Old Man’s Cave. The Old Man’s Cave area can be divided into five principal sections found along the valley of Old Man’s Creek. They are: Upper Falls, Upper Gorge, Middle Falls, Lower Falls and Lower Gorge. Along the length of the trail the magnificent gorge cuts through the entire 150-foot thickness of the Blackhand sandstone. Carved by the creek, the gorge serves as an avenue for visitors to peer into the earth’s subsurface. The full distance of the gorge is approximately one half mile. In the southernmost reaches of Hocking Hills is Ash Cave, which is perhaps the most spectacular feature of the entire park. Ash Cave is the largest recess cave in the state.
During the Spring, Summer, and Fall months the campgrounds are bustling with activity. Many of the area State Parks offer camping as well as a wide variety of privately owned campgrounds that may be less crowded.