Hocking Hills State Park

07/25/08

Hocking Hills is beautiful but a warning about where we stayed.

by plipps

My family of five spent four days at Hocking Hills and loved it. We hiked at Old Mans Cave, Cedar Fall, Conkle Hollow, Ash Cave, Cantwell Cliffs. My husband and three teenagers went on the zip line and loved it. We went horse back riding and fishing at Rose lake and Lake Logan. I can not believe how beautiful this park is so close to our home. I do have a warning about where we stayed. We stayed in a beautiful cabin called Crocodile Cliff. We were very respectful of the cabin and planned on coming back. When I returned home the real estate company Paniccia Real Estate wrongly accused us of causing damage. The e-mail pictures of the damage was clearly old rips. We were lucky because my daughter took pictures of outside area of the cabin the morning we arrived. We arrived the same time the cleaning people were there and stayed just a few minutes and then left so the cleaning could get done. My daughter took pictures that morning and she captured a picture clearly showing the damage was already done before we even stayed there. The whole thing was very odd and I do not want anyone else to experience what we did. Do not rent anything from Paniccia Real Estate. Please visit Hocking Hills it is well worth it just stay somewhere else. Thank you.

• Pros: Beautiful Scenery
• Cons: Problem with the Real Estate Company

An hour southeast of Columbus, this state park is a one-stop shopping area for outdoor recreation.

by Contributor

Overview
There's a large camping site with more than 150 plots. In addition, 40 air-conditioned cabins and an outdoor pool are available. While it's not whitewater rafting, the canoe livery offers trips by raft or canoe that range from two hours to two days.

The Experience
The beauty of the park lies in its cliffs, caves and waterfalls. Rock climbers and rappelers can enjoy 99 acres of land. Hunting and fishing are also allowed. Ash Cave, in the southernmost corner of the Hills, is the largest, most spectacular recessed cave in Ohio. The Hills contain numerous waterfalls; the best of these, Cedar Falls, is in one of the most remote and wild areas. A must-see is Old Man's Cave on Route 664.

04/02/05

Outdoor Haven

by deebetts

This park is great to get away from the realities of everday life. I would go once a week if I could. There are tons of options for overnite stays from cheap tent camping to more pricey cabins. Get together a group of friends and go!!!

10/16/04

beauty so close to the city

by christina1012

It's hard to believe such beauty exists so close to the city but within 45 minutes outside of Columbus there is. I make the yearly trek to Old Man's Cave in October to take in some amazing geological magnificience. The enormous caves, breathtaking waterfalls and historic rock formations will impress any age. My only recommendation is that if you're the slightest bit nervous about your little ones wandering off I wouldn't take them. Some of the walking trails are perilously close to cliff edges and I myself would be too skittish about taking any child under 3, but there were plenty of little ones there so maybe I'm just too "mom-like". There isn't a bad time to go to this beautiful park but fall and winter seem to be the most scenic. Definately a gem of a park in the midst of suburbia.

• Pros: free, light crowds, easy to find

09/08/02

Hocking Hills-Hiking the Fall Foliage

by quack

There's nothing more exhilerating than walking through the wildest part of Ohio and taking in the fall colors all at once. Lots of times when you go on Tuesday through Thursday during the day, you can almost hike the trails alone. It's definately worth the drive from Columbus or Cincinnati to see the hills change over from summer to fall. And even if you don't want to get out of the car, you can drive through the different parts of the park and still feel refreshed.

• Pros: Free, park nature programs, hiking trails
• Cons: crowded on Saturday

09/04/02

Don't miss the Devil's Bathtub!

by ndcullen

This is a state park you can't afford not to see. Fun for the whole family, members of any age. I go multiple times every year. Don't miss the Winter Hike every January. The Devil's Bathtub is great to see after a good rain. Take your time and see everything. If you can, stay in a cabin and make a weekend out of it. If you can't, it's still a good day trip. Just go, enjoy and respect mother nature.

• Pros: free, beautiful, good family activity
• Cons: bring your own food, bathrooms not great

08/24/02

daytripping

by hetty

it's one of the most beautiful places around. I never knew a place like that existed in Ohio. My friend and I hiked twenty miles in one day and still didn't see everything. Wow.

• Pros: well kept trails, beautiful scenery, cheap
• Cons: need better trail map, litter in places

08/09/02

One of Ohio's Jewels

by Shawn_king

Hocking Hills State Park is beautiful. In the Fall is a really good time to go and see all the fall colors from the trees. Old Man's Cave is a nice hike for anyone of any age. Truly an Ohio treasure, and to be so close to the city, Columbus.....

• Pros: beauty, nature, awesome

08/02/02

vacation land USA

by cbankswilliams

Been there for five years on vacation and still found something new each year (and I have been to Europe, Canada and Mexico, as well as 40 of the 51 states)

• Pros: free entry
• Cons: nasty latrines