| Old Man's Cave |
The most popular of all the Hocking areas is Old Man's Cave. Here at the
Upper Falls, the Grandma Gatewood Trail begins its six-mile course connecting three of the park's areas:
Old Man's Cave to Cedar Falls to Ash Cave. This same trail has been designated as part of Ohio's Buckeye
Trail as well as part of two national systems - the North Country Scenic Trail and America's Discovery Trail.
The Old Man's Cave area can be divided into five principal sections found along the valley of Old Man's Creek.
In order, they are: Upper FAlls, Upper Gorge, Middle Falls, Lower Falls and Lower Gorge. Along the length of
the trail the maginificent gorge cuts through the entire 150-foot thickness of the Blackhand sandstone.
Carved by the creek, the gorge serves as an avenue for visitors to peer into the earth's subsurface. The full
distance of the gorge is approximately one half mile.
During the next several months the hiking trails at Old Man's Cave are undergoing major improvements.
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| Ash Cave |
 In the southernmost reaches of Hocking Hills is Ash Cave - beyond doubt the most spectacular feature of the entire park. Ash Cave is the largest,
most impressive recess cave in the state.
The approach to Ash Cave is through a narrow gorge lined with stately hemlocks, massive beech trees and various other hardwoods. The valley
floor offers brilliant displays of wildflowers in the all seasons including large flowered trillium, Dutchman’s breeches, trout lily, Jack-in-the Pulpit
and jewelweed. The narrow gorge is approximately one-fourth mile in length and with astonishing suddenness gives way to the tremendous
overhanging ledge and cave shelter.
The horseshoe-shaped cave is massive; measuring 700 feet from end to end, 100 feet deep from the rear cave wall to its front edge with the rim
rising 90 feet high. A small tributary of the East Fork of Queer Creek cascades over the rim into a small plunge pool below. The cave was formed
like the others in this region; the middle layer of the Blackhand has been weathered or eroded while the more resistant upper and lower zones have
remained intact.
Picnic facilities are offered adjacent to the parking lot. The restrooms and trail leading to Ash Cave are wheelchair accessible.
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| Rock House |
 Rock House is unique in the Hocking Hills’ region, as it is the only true cave in the park. It is a tunnel-like corridor situated midway up a 150-foot
cliff of Blackhand sandstone.
This House of Rock has a ceiling 25 feet high while the main corridor is 200 feet long and 20 to 30 feet wide. The cavern was eroded out of the
middle zone of the Blackhand sandstone. The resistant upper zone forms the roof and the lower zone forms the floor. Water leaking through a
horizontal joint running parallel to the cliff face caused the hollowing of the corridor. This main joint or crack is very visible in the ceiling of the Rock
House. A small series of joints run north to south at right angles to the main joint. Enlargement of this series of joints formed the window-like
openings of Rock House.
Nature has hewn out of this cliff the Rock House complete with seven Gothic-arched windows and great sandstone columns which bear its massive
roof. As one might imagine, Rock house was used for shelter by past visitors. Hominy holes, small recesses in the rear wall of Rock House, served
as baking ovens for Native Americans using the cave. By building a fire in the small recesses, the rock became heated on all sides, and food could
be bakes in this crude manner. Further evidence of past use is the presence of chiseled out troughs or holding tanks found in the stone floor. When
rainfall is abundant, springs of water permeate through the porous sandstone and flow into these troughs fashioned by man and, when full, continue
across the floor and out of the windows. In this way, residents were able to maintain a small water supply in Rock House.
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| Cedar Falls |
If one were to venture down the Lower Gorge of Old Man’s Cave, you would eventually enter the picturesque valley of Queer Creek. At the point where Old Man’s Creek merges with Queer Creek, the trail takes an abrupt turn east and enters this new valley. The trail leading to Cedar Falls passes through the most austere area in Hocking Hills. This remote, primitive chasm is laden with hemlock and bound by steep rock walls and their accompanying grottos and waterfalls. It is a wild and lonely but spectacularly beautiful place.
Cedar Falls itself is the greatest waterfall in terms of volume in the Hocking region. Queer Creek tumbles over the face of the Blackhand displaying the awesome force of water power.
A well kept picnic area and latrines are located within a short walk from the falls.
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| Cantwell Cliffs |
Cantwell Cliffs is located in the northern section of Hocking Hills. Those who travel to this park will not be disappointed. Many visitors proclaim the Cantwell area as the most picturesque in Hocking County.
The erosion caused by Buck Run accounts for the deep valley, steep cliffs and rock shelter under the cliff. Approaching the rock shelter, the trail winds its way through narrow passageways caused by large slump blocks that have fallen away from the main cliff. The most narrow passage has been sarcastically named Fat Woman’s Squeeze. Unique to the Cantwell region is the limited amount of cross-bedding in the middle zone of the Blackhand. Usually the middle zone is extremely cross-bedded but only slightly in the Cantwell area. Another feature is the number of concretions that occur on the cliff face.
Concretions occur where the cementing agent, iron oxide, has been concentrated to such an extent that the sandstone has been discolored to a dark reddish-brown.
One can choose to follow the trails of the valley floor or the rim. A commanding view of the cliff and rock shelter is offered at Lookout Point on the east Rim Trail.
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| Conkle's Hollow |
 Conkle's Hollow, situated off S.R. 374 on Big Pine Road is a rugged, rocky gorge - considered one of the deepest in Ohio. The valley floor is a
veritable wilderness covered by a profusion of ferns and wildflowers while hemlock, birch and other hardwood tower overhead. The growth is so thick in places that little or no sunlight reaches the deep valley floor.
The trail leading up the narrow half-mile long ravine is surrounded by vertical cliffs rising over 200 feet above the mouth of the gorge. As the trail continues, the gorge narrows further to only a distance of 300 feet from cliff to cliff.
For the more adventurous hiker, the rim trail on top of the cliffs circles the gorge. These cliffs are the highest in the area and provide some of the
most outstanding scenery. Great caution should be exercised on this trail as it can be extremely dangerous in all seasons.
Conkles
Hollow is a state nature preserve operated by ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves.
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