Grandma Gatewood Trail in Hocking Hills, Ohio

There’s no underselling the Grandma Gatewood Trail: it’s quite possibly the most beautiful trail in all of Ohio. Wondering what it’s famous for? The 6-mile train runs north-to-south through Hocking Hills State park, the most popular part of Ohio for hiking.

A hike of the trail will take you past waterfalls at Old Man’s Cave, through a deep gorge towards Cedar Falls, and right past Ash Cave, the largest recess cave in Ohio.

It’s one of the single most beautiful trails in the Midwest. Here’s what you need to know about the legendary trail:

The trail is the best way to see Hocking Hills. If you were to pick a single trail to hike at Hocking Hills, the Grandma Gatewood Trail is what you would pick. It cuts north to south, through many of the most beautiful spots in Hocking Hills.

You can hike it in a day. The Grandma Gatewood Trail is 6 miles in length. If you have two cars, you can park one car at each end and complete the hike in about three hours. If you go out-and-back, it’s a 12-mile hike: It should take you between six and eight hours.

It’s part of two much longer trails. Though the Grandma Gatewood Trail is just 6 miles long, it’s part of Ohio’s famous Buckeye Trail, a 1,444-mile loop trail that traverses most regions of the state. The Grandma Gatewood stretch is one of the most beautiful parts of the entire Buckeye Trail. The Buckeye Trail is part of the American Discovery Trail, which is 6,800 miles long.

Grandma Gatewood trail map

Grandma Gatewood Trail hiking details

You can hike the trail in its full length: It’s a 6 mile one-way (a 12 mile out-and-back) hike. Most people don’t do the full trail, though, and instead take a shorter itinerary to see some of Hocking Hills’ main attractions.

The Grandma Gatewood Trail is interlinked with nearly a dozen other trails in Hocking Hills, so it’s easy to take shorter trips if you have a particular spot in mind. Here are the major attractions that the Grandma Gatewood Trail passes, and how to get to them:

Old Man’s Cave

This is the most popular region in Hocking Hills State Park and the Grandma Gatewood Trail runs right through it. Old Man’s Cave is the first region you’ll enter if you’re hiking on the Grandma Gatewood Trail from the north.

Start from the Old Man’s Cave parking lot, head south on the trail, and enjoy the hike! You can continue to Cedar Falls or return on the Gorge Exit Trail.

For more information on hiking Old Man’s Cave, go here.

Cedar Falls

If you continue on the Grandma Gatewood Trail from Old Man’s Cave, you’ll walk a couple of miles through a towering gorge before making it to Cedar Falls. Otherwise, you can get to Cedar Falls via a short loop from the parking area at the Cedar Falls Trailhead.

The Grandma Gatewood Trail doesn’t pass directly by Cedar Falls—you’ll need to take a short detour on the Cedar Falls Trail. Keep an eye out for the junction.

Ash Cave

Almost everyone who visits Hocking Hills will, at some point, make their way to Ash Cave. It’s the biggest recess cave in Ohio, at more than 700 feet deep and nearly 100 feet tall. Ash Cave is located at the south end of the Grandma Gatewood Trail. You can get to Ash Cave by hiking about a mile from the Ash Cave parking area, or by hiking south from Cedar Falls or Old Man’s Cave.

Who was Grandma Gatewood?

Her name was Emma Rowena Gatewood. Born in Ohio during the late 1800s, Emma got married at 19 and soon became a victim of domestic abuse. To escape the chaos that was her daily life, Emma started hiking.

It became her life’s passion almost immediately.

In 1955, Emma became the first woman to complete a solo thru-hike of the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail. She was 67 years old. Grandma Gatewood didn’t stop at just one: She would go on to hike the Appalachian Trail two more times, becoming the first person in history to thru-hike the trail three times.

By the age of 71, Emma had already established herself as one of the most prominent hikers of the twentieth century. And even then she continued her adventures, hiking more than 2,000 miles of the Oregon Trail in her early 70s.

After the Oregon Trail, Emma Gatewood brought her excursions back home, to Ohio. In January of 1967, she led a group of a few hundred hikers through a 6-mile trail in Hocking Hills State Park. By the time she led her last hike, on the year she died, 2,500 people showed up.

Emma Gatewood died of a heart attack in 1973. Her gravestone reads:

“Emma R. Gatewood – Grandma.”

That 6-mile stretch of trail in Hocking Hills was her favorite place in the world. In her memory, it was named the Grandma Gatewood Trail. The annual thru-hike of the trail continues each January, with thousands of people showing up each year.

Emma Gatewood’s legacy has had a long-lasting impact, and her affinity for packing light cemented her as one of the first pioneers of ultralight backpacking.

In fact, everyone who enjoys ultralight backpacking today can credit much of the sport’s popularity to Emma Gatewood’s adventures. Her incredible story and accomplishments have been profiled in the New York Times.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Grandma Gatewood?

Emma Rowena Gatewood, affectionately known as “Grandma Gatewood”, was an ultralight backpacking pioneer and the first woman to complete a solo thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

How long is the Grandma Gatewood Trail?

The Grandma Gatewood Trail is 6 miles long.

How long did it take Grandma Gatewood to hike the Appalachian Trail?

Emma Gatewood completed her first hike of the Appalachian Trail in 146 days.

Where is the Grandma Gatewood Trail?

The Grandma Gatewood Trail is located in Hocking Hills State Park. It’s 6 miles long, cutting from the north to the south through the main section of the park.

Places to stay

There are some fabulous cabins just minutes away from the Grandma Gatewood Trail. Here are some of the best accommodations if you’re looking to stay in the area.

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The Bottom Line

The Grandma Gatewood Trail is one of the most beautiful and inspiring trails in all of Ohio. It has a rich history, and the views along the way—gorges, waterfalls, and impossibly green forests—are well worth the trip.