Trails & Ales Redux! Hocking Hills State Park / Rock House Pub

History

The unique landscape of Hocking Hills State Park was forged over millions of years through geological processes. Its foundation is Blackhand Sandstone, a rock formation laid down more than 300 million years ago when the area was covered by a shallow sea. The dramatic gorges, recess caves, and cliffs that define the park were primarily carved during the last Ice Age, which ended about 10,000 years ago. Though glaciers did not reach the park itself, glacial meltwater torrents found cracks in the hard capstone layer of the sandstone. This water then eroded the softer, middle layer, creating the park's characteristic features, including recessed caves like Ash Cave and the winding gorges seen at Old Man's Cave.

The region has a rich human history, with evidence suggesting that Native American tribes inhabited the Hocking Hills as early as 7,000 years ago. The Adena culture and later the Fort Ancient peoples used the rock overhangs and recesses as shelters. By the 18th century, tribes such as the Wyandot, Delaware, and Shawnee frequented the region. The park's name originates from the Wyandot word "Hockhocking," meaning "bottle river," a reference to the bottle-shaped gorge near present-day Lancaster. After the Treaty of Greenville in 1795 opened the land to settlement, pioneer families moved into the area, with Richard Rowe, a hermit in the 19th century, famously lending his name to Old Man's Cave.

The area's beauty began attracting visitors in the late 1860s, long before its official state park designation. The state of Ohio made its first land purchase in 1924 to protect the area's natural features, acquiring the land surrounding Old Man's Cave. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, more land was added, and the Civilian Conservation Corps built many of the trails, bridges, and shelters still in use today. After the creation of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 1949, management of the park was transferred, and the addition of facilities like a dining lodge and cabins in 1972 helped cement its status as a major recreational destination.

In recent years, Hocking Hills has solidified its reputation as a premier destination for travelers in the Midwest, drawing millions of visitors annually. The park's stunning natural features, combined with extensive marketing efforts from organizations like the Hocking Hills Tourism Association, have fueled its rise in popularity. The region's economy, once reliant on manufacturing and oil and gas, has blossomed due to the tourism industry, supporting local businesses, generating tax revenue, and creating jobs. As a testament to its appeal, Hocking Hills has received accolades from publications such as U.S. News and World Report and Forbes, further cementing its status as a must-visit location.

Maps of Hocking Hills

Because I don't love any individual map of Hocking Hills, here is one map of the park (as a PDF). Here is a second map of the park (as a JPG). I have also uploaded a third map to the photos section of this event, below.

Summary

For this event, we will hike the the Grandma Gatewood and Ash Cave Rim Trails from Cedar Falls to Ash Cave and back. Round trip, this hike will be about 5 miles.

After the hike, we will head over to Rock House Pub for food and drinks.

The hike will be at least moderately strenuous. It's probably comparable to Mohican's Hog Hollow Trail (which GOhio! hiked in September), Clear Creek Metro Park, or Christmas Rocks State Nature Preserve. I think it's certainly a bit more strenuous than either Highbanks Metro Park or Deer Creek State Park (although Deer Creek has its moments).

Where we'll meet

We will meet in the Cedar Falls parking lot. You can use the map pin I've provided here, or you can type "Cedar Falls Trailhead Parking" into your Google Maps and it should come right up.

GPS

While the Hocking Hills Lodge does have free Wi-Fi, cell service at Hocking Hills is spotty at best, if not generally non-existent. I recommend downloading an offline map in Maps just in case.

With that caveat, I've always been able to get around Hocking Hills with my GPS (I have Verizon).

Restrooms and water fountains

Cedar Falls, which is again where we'll be starting, has restrooms. While it also has water fountains, I suspect very strongly that these fountains will be shut off for the winter when we are there.

Ash Cave, which will be the halfway point of our hike, has latrines. It also has an all-season (winter) water fountain that in theory should be working during our hike.

I'd recommend bringing some of your own water anyway just in case, at least for after the hike.

After the hike

Rock House Pub is a separate lounge facility within the Hocking Hills Lodge and Conference Center. Its weekend hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The Pub serves drinks, food, and pizza that I find comparable to Marco's. The Lodge also has a separate coffee shop called Cafe '22 that's open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Lodge is about ten minutes away from Cedar Falls. It has a large common seating area with big comfy seats, tables, multiple fireplaces, and outdoor gas fire pits and seating.