Photo Courtesy David Swain VIEW PHOTO GALLERY
Facilities and Activities:
| General | Land, acres | 2331 | | | Water, acres | 17 | | | Nearby State Forest, acres | 9238 | | Day-Use | Fishing | yes | | | Hiking Trail, miles | 24 | | | Picnicking | yes | | | Picnic Shelters, # | 4 | | | Rappelling/Rock Climbing | yes | | | Nature Programs | yes | | Camping | Primative, # | 13 | | | Electric Sites, # | 159 | | | Flush Toilets | yes | | | Dumpstation | yes | | | Showers | yes | | | Camper Cabins, # | 3 | | | Group Camp, capacity | 80 | | | Youth Group Camp, capacity | 160 | | | Campground Pool | yes | | Winter | Ice Fishing | yes | | Accommodations | Family Cottages, # | 40 | | | Game Room | yes | | | Outdoor Swimming Pool | yes | | | Restaurant | yes |
State Park Location Maps:
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State Park Photo Gallery:
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State Park Event Calendar:
volunteer positions open
Photo Courtesy David Swain VIEW PHOTO GALLERY
Nearby Parks: Hocking State Forest Lake Logan State Park Tar Hollow State Forest Tarlton State Park Shallenberger State Nature Reserve Lake Hope State Park Zaleski State Forest Ross County Lake State Wildlife Area Waterloo State Forest A W Marion State Park
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| State Park Overview: |
 | Hocking Hills provides a variety of recreational opportunities in a splendid natural setting. Towering cliffs, waterfalls and deep hemlock-shaded gorges lure the hiker and naturalist and serve as a backdrop to popular facilities and accommodation. |
| Nature of the Area: |
| The natural history of this region is as fascinating as the caves are beautiful. Here, in these sandstones and shales, one can read Ohio's history from the rocks. The scenic features of the six areas of the Hocking Hills State Park complex are carved in the Blackhand sandstone. This bedrock was deposited more than 350 million years ago as a delta in the warm shallow sea which covered Ohio at that time. Subsequent millions of years of uplift and stream erosion created the awesome beauty seen today.
The sandstone varies in composition and hardness from softer, loosely cemented middle zone to harder top and bottom layers. The recess caves at Ash Cave, Old Man's Cave and Cantwell Cliffs are all carved in the softer middle zone. Weathering and erosion widened cracks found in the middle layer of sandstone at the Rock House to create that unusual formation.
Other features of the rock include cross-bedding, honeycomb weathering and slump blocks. The first is noticeable as diagonal lines in the rock intersecting horizontal ones. It is actually the cross section of an ancient sand bar in the delta and was caused by changing ocean currents. Honeycomb weathering looks like the small holes in a beehive comb. They are formed by differential weathering which comes about when water, moving down through the permeable sandstone, washes out small pockets of loosely cemented sand grains. Finally, the huge slump blocks of rock littering the streams tumble from near by cliffs when cracks widen to the extent that the block is no longer supported by the main cliff.
Although the glaciers never reached the park areas, their influence is still seen here in the form of the vegetation growing in the gorges. The glaciers changed the climate of all Ohio to a moist, cool environment. Upon their retreat, this condition persisted only in a few places such as the deep gorges of Hocking County. Therefore, the towering eastern hemlocks, the Canada yew and the yellow and black birch tell of a cool period 10,000 years ago. |
| Reviews By Park Visitors: |
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The best kept secret in Ohio!
This is a beautiful park!! The best hiking in Ohio in my opinion. Book your reservations early for all the fall colors.
Written by ACKBelle
17-Apr-2008
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| Camping: |
| The family campground is situated on a wooded ridge and is open year-round on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are required for the group camp areas which allow tents only. There are also 30 walk-in family sites with pit latrines. |
| Trails: |
| There are miles of trail located throughout the park and adjacent state forest. These trails are beautiful as well as potentially dangerous: caution and common sense are advised. Young children should be closely supervised while in these areas. All park visitors must remain on the trails at all times. |
| Picnicking: |
| Picnic areas with tables, grills, latrines and drinking water are located at each of the recess caves. The picnic shelters at Old Man's Cave and Ash Cave may be reserved; the shelters at Rock House and Cantwell Cliffs are first-come, first-served. Contact the park office for details. |
| Swimming: |
| The swimming pool outside the dining lodge is free to cottage guests 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, Memorial Day to Labor Day, and open to the general public for a small daily fee. Special evening swims are often offered at an additional fee. Registered campers only may use the outdoor pool in the family campground. |
| Fishing and Hunting: |
| A valid Ohio fishing license is required to fish in Rose Lake. Access is off State Route 374 via a 1/2-mile hiking trail. |
| History of the Area: |
| The hollows and caves of the park complex have long attracted the peoples of Ohio. Evidence of the ancient Adena culture illustrates man first inhabited the recesses more than 7,000 years ago.
In the mid 1700's several Indian tribes traveled through or lived here including the Wyandot, Delaware and Shawnee. Their name for the river from which the park gets its name was Hockhocking of "bottle river." The name comes from the bottle-shaped valley of the Hocking River whose formation is due to its one-time blockage by glacial ice.
After the Greenville Treaty of 1795, Numerous white settlers moved into the region and Hocking County was organized in 1818. The area around the parks began to develop in 1835 when a powder mill was built near Rock House and a grist mill was constructed at Cedar Falls.
The cave areas were well-known as scenic attractions by 1870. In 1924, the first land purchase by the state was made to preserve the scenic features. This first parcel of 146 acres included Old Man's Cave. Subsequent purchases built acreage while the areas existed under the Department of Forestry as State Forest Parks. The Department of Natural Resources was created in 1949 and the new Division of Parks assumed control of the Hocking Hills State Parks assumed control of the Hocking Hills State Park complex which today includes the six park areas. A dining lodge and cottages were opened in 1972. These cottages, together with a campground, provide overnight facilities in one of the most beautiful areas of our state. |
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| Area Accommodations |
| | | Cottages and Cabins | |  | Tranquil Retreat Cabins - South Bloomingville, OH Let nature entertain you! Whether you are sitting in the Hot Tub, OR relaxing on one of our log beds, OR just listening to the rippling stream, Or exploring the small cave on the property, NATURE SURROUNDS YOU! Web Site: http://www.tranquilretreatcabins.com |
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| | | |  | Hocking Hills Dreamscape Hideaway - Logan, OH This is not your typical cabin in the woods and you ain?t gonna be roughing it. It?s a log home lovingly furnished to make you feel spoiled. From the moment you enter, you?ll realize that you?ve found your dreamscape. Beautiful, tranquil music playing the background (feel free to take the CD home with you), luxurious amenities all around you, a soothing, private hot tub overlooking the forest and a bottle of champagne chilling next to the flick-of-a-switch gas fireplace. Oh yes, you have arrived! And we promise you?ll wish you never had to leave. Web Site: http://www.dreamscapehideaway.com/ |
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| |  | Mesa Vista Lodge - Union Furnace, OH Mesa Vista Lodge offers 4200 sq. ft. of luxury living with 6 bedrooms, 4 full baths, 2 gas log fireplaces, massive kitchen/dining/great room with cathedral ceiling, 8-10 person hot tub and 2400 sq. ft. of covered walk-around porch. Web Site: http://www.mesavista-lodge.com/ |
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|  | Note to Park related businesses: List your vacation cabin, weekend getaway, log cabin rental, romantic cottage, vacation home, resort, hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, country inn, campground, RV park, horseback riding stable, canoe livery, river rafting, outfitting, sporting goods store, guide service, RV rental or any other park related activity, park related attraction or park related service on Google or StateParks.com. (more).... |
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| Local Visitor Information Web Sites |
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| Related Links: |
 | Hocking Hills - Ohio has 73 state parks that offer a variety of outdoor experiences. |  | Hocking Hills Area - The Hocking Hills Internet Guide - Hocking Hills Internet Guide - Southeastern Ohio's Scenic Wonderland. Old Man's Cave, Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, Conkle's Hollow, Rock House, Rockbridge, Cantwell Cliff, Lake Hope, Lake Logan. |  | Cantwell Cliffs, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio - NatureDesign.com - "Cantwell Cliffs, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio" Trail Down Into Cantwell Cliffs, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio. Subscribe to my free Email Newsletter. Comments? E-mail: ... |  | 2001 Annual Winter Hike - Hocking Hills State Park - Enter Search Term: Hocking Hills State Park 36th Annual Winter Hike January 20, 2001 Click on pictures for larger views. Play the Video ? RealVideo or Quicktime. Hocking Hills State Park in... |  | Hocking Hills State Park - Barefoot Hikers of Central Ohio - Places to Hike Barefoot. Hocking Hills State Park. About the Trails. The Hocking Hills State Park is well known for it's beauty. Multiple trails running through... |  | Places to Hike Barefoot - Barefoot Hikers of Central Ohio. Places to Hike Barefoot. Trail Locations. Alum Creek State Park - north of Columbus, OH; 2.5 mile loop. Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve - east of Newark,... |  | Hocking Hills State Park - HOCKING HILLS STATE PARK, OHIO. I'm had a contest. Its over now, see below for winning photo. The winner of the drawing was the Weavers of Oregon, and will receive a free 8x10 of the winning... |  | Al Young - Odyssey 2000 Journal - Photos - ... OH, USA 201 07/22/00 Al cooking breakfast at camp, Hocking Hills State Park OH, USA 202 07/22/00 Al on top of Siep Mound, Hocking Hills State Park OH, USA 203 08/01/00 Ferry to Finland, Stockholm, ... |  | Image of This waterfall at Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio offers opportunities for the h - Center for Virtual Appalachia, |  | T-101: Hocking Hills Campout - Home] [ Troop Calendar] [ Camping Information] A Special Invitation to you SCOUTS and daring WEBELOS! Do you Dare? Don.t miss it! Troop 101. ?? Oakwood BSA Troop 101. Event:? .Hocking. ... |  | 2001 NANFA convention - ... This year's meeting will be held at Hocking Hills State Park near Logan, Ohio (about 1-? hrs. ... hemlock-shaded gorges, and scenic drives. Hocking Hills State Park, site of the 2001 NANFA Convention. ... |  | [Audiophile Asylum] Photo Gallery - Asylum Photo Gallery. ... late March 1996. Click to view or download a picture of a brook taken at Hocking Hills State Park in Southern Ohio. Click to view a vertical shot of the same location as above. ... |  | running online - Clubs ( Index ) - Running Online your online running partner. thousand of links, race listings and articles to help you with your training, injury prevention, and information to help you get land a college... |  | Delphos Boy Scout Troop 65 Calendar Details - TROOP 65. Delphos, Ohio. June 7-8-9, 2002 Silver Arrow Trail. July 14-20, 2002 Summer Camp. Aug. 2-3-4, 2002 Bear Wallow. Sept. ?, 2002 Clifton Gorge State Park. Sept. 20-21-22 Canal Days. Oct.... |  | CAS Speakers - CAS Guest Speakers. June 2002. Bill Kramer ; CAS member "2002 Solar Eclipse Plans" May 2002. Brainstorming Session. April 2002. Mark Watson ; CAS member "Changes in the Sky: Precession and... |  | Conkles Hollow - Conkles Hollow Dark Sky Site. About Conkles Hollow. Conkles Hollow is a small, secluded, nature preserve area in the Hocking Hills State Park. It is a 1 to 1-1/2 drive from most parts of... |  | images - Some of Our Favorites. Click on Thumbnail to see larger image. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio, USA. Shot with Kiev 88. A covered bridge in Ashtabula Ohio, USA. Shot with 8x10... |  | History - Thank You. What's it all about? flash plug-in required. History. Archives Packing Directions Schedule of Events. Soon after starting to teach American Sign Language back in 1980, I realized that... |  | Ohio Waterfalls - About Us. Quick Links to all Articles & Photos. United States Features. Southeast US Features Caribbean Features. International Features International Gallery. Caribbean Gallery. Southeastern US... |  | Hocking Hills Campout 2001 - Oakwood Troop 101. Hocking Hills Campout 2001. [ Home] [ Up] [ Scout Rally at Carillon Park 2001] [ Hocking Hills Campout 2001 ] [ Troop Rally 2001] [ Pokagon 2002] [ Red River Gorge Campout... |  | Image of Old Mans Cave at Hocking Hills State Park in Southern Ohio attracts many visitors - Center for Virtual Appalachia, |  | Emergency Repair and Hiking Trail Redevelopment - Hocking Hills State Park Emergency Repairs & Hiking Trail Redevelopment. All Trails Are Open. Project Timeline. The Flood. Assessment. Temporary. Repairs. Upgrade. Access. Temporary.... |  | Hocking Hills State Park - Hocking Hills State Park: A Sparkling Gem Nestled in Southern Ohio Hills. This natural wonderland features fern-laden paths through caves and under waterfalls. It is a perfect setting for... |  | Webshots Community - Hocking Hills State Park-Old Mans Cave,South Central Ohio - HOME | DOWNLOAD WEBSHOTS - FREE. HELP | Community Home. My Photos. My Favorite Users. New Photos. Most Popular. Add dpwilgus to Your Favorite Users More albums by dpwilgus. VACATION 2001 TO WALT... |  | Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio - Photos (..)??????????????????????? Home (..) Photos (..)??????????????????????? Home (..) |  | Rock House, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio - NatureDesign.com - "View From Inside Rock House, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio" View From Inside Rock House Cave, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio. Subscribe to my free Email Newsletter. Comments? E-mail: ... |
| Area Attractions: |
| Conkles Hollow, a state nature preserve, features scenic geologic formations and rare and unique plants. It is located off S.R. 374, open during daylight hours only.
A rock climbing/rappelling area is available in the adjacent Hocking State Forest.
The Hocking Valley offers a variety of points of interest for visitors. Local attractions include craft and antique shops, museums, canoeing, horse back riding, a scenic railway, hiking trails and scenic drives. |
| Area Campgrounds | | Hocking Hills State Park 19852 State Route 664 S Logan, OH (740) 385-6841

| Campbell Cove Camping 30775 Lake Logan Rd Logan, OH (740) 385-2994

| Caveman Retreat 18693 State Route 664 S Logan, OH (740) 385-9485

| Lake Logan Campground 28920 Lake Logan Rd Logan, OH (740) 385-2630

| Top of the Caves 26780 Chapel Ridge Rd Logan, OH (740) 385-6566

| Lost Hollow Campgrounds 16700 Harble Griffith Rd Logan, OH (740) 385-6320

| Scenic View Campgrounds 29150 Pattor Rd Logan, OH (740) 385-4295

| Inn the Woods 17250 Campbell Rd Nelsonville, OH (740) 753-0500

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| | Area Fishing Related Businesses | | John Bait & Tackle 351 Short St Logan, OH (740) 385-4772

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| | Area Resorts and Lodging | | Paniccia Real Estate Services 29043 Hide Away Hills Rd Sugar Grove, OH (740) 746-9999

| Hide-A-Way Hills Club Inc 29042 Hide Away Hills Rd Sugar Grove, OH (740) 746-9589

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| Directions: |
| From Cleveland, Ohio: Take I-71 South to Columbus. Take 270 East toward Wheeling, WV to U.S. 33 East (Lancaster Exit)Travel East to Logan, Exit on 664 South.
From Columbus, Ohio: Take U.S. 33 East through Lancaster to Logan, Ohio and exit onto State Route 664 South.
From Cincinnati, Ohio: Take I-71 North towards Columbus.Watch for and take State Route 56 East through Mt. Sterling. Continue on State Route 56 East through Circleville and Laurelville to South Bloomingville, Ohio.In South Bloomingville take State Route 664 North approximately 4 miles to the park.
From Toledo, Ohio: Take I ?75 South to Findlay, get on State Route 23 to Columbus. Take I-270 East towards Wheeling to U.S. 33 East (Lancaster Exit). Travel East tot Logan, Exit 664 South.From Logan, Ohio:Take 664 South approximately 12 miles to park area. |
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