The Ultimate Guide to Hiking Trails in Hocking Hills

Hocking Hills State Park is filled with many of the most beautiful trails in Ohio. But navigating them, and picking a few to hike, can be confusing: There are dozens of options. In this article, we’ll break down the major hiking areas in Hocking Hills and the trails you’ll find in each.

Whether it’s a tucked-away waterfall or a towering gorge you’re after, you can find it on one of the trails below.

The Major Hiking Areas in Hocking Hills

Hocking Hills State Park is generally divided into seven major hiking areas:

These spots span the entire area of Hocking Hills, from isolated spots in the north—like Conkle’s Hollow and Rock House—to the main section of the park, which is where most of the attractions are located. But you’ll never have to travel too far. All of the major hiking areas are within a 25 minutes’ drive of each other, and most of them are closer than that.

Each of these seven hiking destinations contains great trails to explore. Below, we’ll break down each trail, area by area.

Old Man’s Cave

The most popular spot in the park, Old Man’s Cave is not actually a cave. Rather, it’s a natural gorge with some of the most beautiful trails in Hocking Hills. You’ll find spots like Upper Falls, Devil’s Bathtub, Sphinx Head, and Lower Falls at Old Man’s Cave.

Each trail at Old Man’s Cave, explained:

Grandma Gatewood Trail: This trail extends 6 miles through the entire state park. But, the stretch of this trail in Old Man’s Cave is only about a mile long. It starts at Upper Falls and takes you south past Devil’s Bathtub, Sphinx Head, and Lower Falls. It’s the most common route for hikers.

Upper Falls Loop Trail: This trail is a 0.6-mile loop. It’s short and sweet. You’ll walk by Upper Falls, head over an A-frame bridge, and then finish your quick hike back in the parking lot.

Gorge Exit Trail: Take this 0.5-mile trail to get a great view of the Sphinx Rock Formation and Lower Falls. There are two ways to access the Gorge Exit Trail: You can cross over from the Grandma Gatewood Trail, or continue from the Upper Falls Loop Trail.

Gorge Overlook Trail: This trail starts northeast of the other trails at Old Man’s Cave. The Gorge Overlook Trail is not quite as popular, since it doesn’t pass by the iconic spots at Old Man’s Cave. Instead, it stays above the gorge and heads down towards Rose Lake. If you want a longer hike, you can take this trail, loop around Rose Lake, and head back to Old Man’s Cave to finish your trek.

Ash Cave

This area features the biggest recess cave in all of Ohio, and it’s a very popular spot to visit. Many hikers extend their trip from Ash Cave by hiking up to Cedar Falls. Whatever you do, this is one of the most beautiful trail systems in all of Ohio.

Each trail at Ash Cave, explained:

Ash Cave Loop: This loop is made up of two trails—the Ash Gorge Trail and the Ash Rim Trail. For all intents and purposes, they function as a smooth loop. You’ll start on the Ash Gorge Trail, which is mostly paved and guides you through a narrow gorge beneath the humongous shadow of Ash Cave. Then, you pass the cave and start climbing towards the rim. This section will give you an excellent view of the gorge below.

This is a one-way loop. You’ll start out on the Ash Gorge Trail, and finish on the Ash Rim Trail. The park does this to minimize traffic and congestion on the trails. The trailhead for this loop is just off Highway 56.

Grandma Gatewood Trail: You’ll notice that the Grandma Gatewood trail shows up on most Ash Cave trail maps. That can be a bit deceiving: In the Ash Cave area, the Grandma Gatewood Trail merges with the Ash Gorge Trail. It’s the same path for that stretch. To extend your hike, continue on the Grandma Gatewood Trail towards Cedar Falls or Old Man’s Cave.

Cedar Falls

Set between Old Man’s Cave and Ash Cave, Cedar Falls is an excellent spot for waterfall-lovers. It’s a popular mid-way point for hikers doing longer trips. But, Cedar Falls is worth a visit all on its own.

Each trail at Cedar Falls, explained:

Cedar Falls Trail: This is the only trail that will take you to Cedar Falls. It’s a short, 0.9-mile loop. You’ll start in the smaller Cedar Falls parking lot, head to Cedar Falls, and finish the trail in the bigger parking lot—roughly 500 feet to the southeast of where you started. The Cedar Falls Trail takes between 20 and 40 minutes to finish, depending on how much time you spend at the falls.

Fun fact: This trail features a unique set of stairs called the Democracy Steps. Designed by architect Akio Hizume, they’re based off of the Fibonacci Sequence and are built to give hikers a relaxing and comfortable descent to the falls.

Grandma Gatewood Trail: The Grandma Gatewood trail runs 6 miles through Hocking Hills. But the stretch near Cedar Falls merges with the Cedar Falls trail for a short distance before turning west towards Old Man’s Cave.

Gorge Overlook Trail: When you’re about finished with the 0.9-mile Cedar Falls loop, you’ll come across a junction. If you take the trail on the left, you’ll be on the Gorge Overlook Trail headed towards Rose Lake. This is a fun, quiet trail to take if you want to add some mileage.

Conkle’s Hollow

Set a few minutes to the north of the rest of Hocking Hills, Conkle’s Hollow is the deepest gorge in Ohio. There are plenty of trail options here, and it’s one of the few places in Hocking Hills where you can get a birds-eye view of the area.

Each trail at Conkle’s Hollow, explained:

Gorge Trail: The Gorge Trail takes you straight through the deep valley in the gorge at Conkle’s Hollow. It’s the deepest gorge in Ohio. At the end, you’ll find a beautiful waterfall. The Gorge Trail is about 1.2 miles round-trip, and is paved for most of its length. This is the easier of the two trails at Conkle’s Hollow.

Rim Trail: This is one of the only trails in the Hocking Hills area that allows a birds-eye view of the entire area. It’s a 2-mile loop, and you’ll head uphill until you reach the small plateau above. While the views at the top are incredible, make sure to stay back from the cliff ledges. The trail isn’t well-suited for little ones or people who don’t have stable footing.

Cantwell Cliffs

If you want to see 150-tall walls and gorges without many crowds, visit Cantwell Cliffs. There are two trails here. They’ll take you above, below, and around the incredible sandstone cliffs.

Each trail at Cantwell Cliffs, explained:

Cantwell Rim Trail: The Rim Trail guides you on the ridge above the area, giving you great views of the sandstone cliffs. The loop is one-way, and finishes at 1.8 miles. If you’re hiking at Cantwell Cliffs, you’ll probably be taking the Cantwell Rim Trail–it’s the main one in the area.

Cantwell Gorge Trail: This is simply a short connector trail. About 0.2 miles into your hike on the Rim Trail, you’ll briefly merge with the Gorge Trail. You’ll then have the choice to stay on the Gorge Trail for another half-mile or to continue on the Rim Trail. It doesn’t matter which option you take: You’ll eventually end up back on the Rim Trail for the main portion of your hike.

Rock House

Rock House is the only true cave in Hocking Hills. It’s 200-feet long and has been used as a refuge for settlers and Native Americans alike over thousands of years. You can spend hours wandering the trails through the cave at Rock House.

Each trail at Rock House, explained:

Rock House Gorge Trail: The one-way Rock House Gorge Trail will take you up some stairs to the entrance of the cave. Explore the cave, then get back on the trail and wrap up your hike. This trail is 0.6 miles in total.

Rock House Rim Trail: This trail is a short connector trail, at just 0.2 miles. If you want to make your Rock House hike quicker, you can take the Rim Trail back to the parking lot after passing the cave instead of finishing your trek on the longer Gorge Trail.

Whispering Cave

Tucked away just off the Grandma Gatewood Trail is Whispering Cave: The second-largest recess cave in all of Ohio. The story goes that if you whisper at one end of the cave, you can be heard by hikers 300 feet away, on the other side. While this may be a slight stretch of the imagination, the cave is beautiful and well worth visiting.

Each trail at Whispering Cave, explained:

Whispering Cave via the Hemlock Bridge Trail parking lot: The Hemlock Bridge Trail opened up in 2017 and has been a fan favorite ever since. For a short hike to Whispering Cave, start from the Hemlock Bridge trailhead and hike about 0.7 miles. You’ll encounter a junction. Take the Whispering Cave Trail, which will be the trail on your right. After about a quarter-mile, you’ll arrive at the cave.

Whispering Cave via Old Man’s Cave: This is one of the most scenic hikes you can take in Hocking Hills. Start on the Grandma Gatewood Trail at Old Man’s Cave. Hike until you reach the junction with the Hemlock Bridge Trail. Take it, and then follow the signs for Whispering Cave at the next junction.

Whispering Cave via Cedar Falls: Starting at Cedar Falls, head north-northeast on the Grandma Gatewood trail until you reach the junction with the Hemlock Bridge Trail. It’ll be about 2 miles. Take the Hemlock Bridge Trail, then veer onto the Whispering Cave Trail at the next junction. You can also hike this way from Ash Cave, if you want to add a few miles onto your hike.

Other trails in Hocking Hills

Not every trail in Hocking Hills State Park is covered by the seven major areas. Here are the other trails you may want to consider:

Rose Lake Trail: The loop around Rose Lake—the only lake in Hocking Hills State Park—is 1.2 miles round-trip. It’s a fun hike on its own, but you can extend your trip to Cedar Falls or Old Man’s Cave if you want to add some mileage.

Airplane Rock Trail: This is a quiet and relatively hard-to-find trail just down the road from Conkle’s Hollow. Here’s how to find it: Drive east on Big Pine Road, past Conkle’s Hollow, until you cross over Big Pine Creek. Less than a minute after crossing the creek, you’ll see an orange gate on the side of the road with the words “Do Not Block”. That’s where the trailhead is located. The hike itself is beautiful. It is about 2 miles round-trip and you get a great view of the area.

Chapel Cave Trail: The cave you’ll find at the end of this trail does, remarkably, resemble a chapel–and this is one of the most underrated hikes in Hocking Hills. The trail is about 2 miles and begins at the north end of the Hocking Hills Climbing and Rappelling parking lot.

Balanced Rock Trail: Like the trail to Chapel Cave, this hike also begins in the Hocking Hills Climbing and Rappelling parking lot. After about a mile on the trail, you’ll wind up at Balanced Rock, a feat of geography that truly creates the illusion of a rock balancing on a pillar.

Places to Stay

Wondering where to stay when you visit Hocking Hills? Clear Falls has 15 cabins situated on a private, 500-acre wildlife preserve. It’s paradise in the wilderness—and just a few minutes’ walk from most of Hocking Hills’ most beautiful attractions. Find your cabin below.

Browse cabins by style:

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Hocking Hills Hiking Trails: The Bottom Line

It’s impossible to go wrong picking a trail in Hocking Hills. Each one is beautiful, and offers something different. And you don’t have to pick just one or two trails: Most of the trails on this list can be hiked in under two hours. Many of them can be hiked in under one.

Find trails that are in proximity to each other, drive to a trailhead, and enjoy a day of exploring some of the most stunning trails in the Midwest.