Hocking Hills State Park is a
state park in the
Hocking Hills
The Hocking Hills is a deeply dissected area of the Allegheny Plateau in Ohio, primarily in Hocking County, that features cliffs, gorges, rock shelters, and waterfalls. The relatively extreme topography in this area is due to the Blackhand Sand ...
region of
Hocking County, Ohio
Hocking County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,050. Its county seat is Logan. The county was organized on March 1, 1818, from land given by Athens, Fairfield, and Ross counties. Its na ...
, United States. In some areas the park adjoins the
Hocking State Forest. Within the park are over of hiking trails, rock formations, waterfalls, and recess caves. The trails are open from dawn to dusk, all year round, including holidays.
The park contains seven separate hiking areas: Ash Cave, Cantwell Cliffs, Cedar Falls, Conkle's Hollow (nature preserve), Old Man's Cave, Rock House and Hemlock Bridge Trail to Whispering Cave.
History
The name Hocking Hills
Hocking County was named after the Hockhocking River. Hockhocking, in the
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
tongue, signifies a bottle. In
Shawnee
The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...
, Wea-tha-Kagh-Qua-sepe, meant bottle river. The Hockhocking River had a waterfall of nearly 20 feet located about 6 or 7 miles northwest of Lancaster. Above the falls, the creek was very narrow and straight, forming the "bottle" neck.
The Hockhocking enters the county from Good Hope Township in the northwest and then flows southwest, touches Marion Township, continues through Falls and Green Townships, and exits the county through northwestern Starr Township. The river is then in Athens County.
![Oldmanscave5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Oldmanscave5.jpg)
History of the Park
More than 330 million years ago, the Hocking Hills State Park area was relatively level and was covered by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. For millions of years, the ocean's currents deposited immense amounts of sand and gravel. After millions of years, the ocean receded, and the sandy layers bonded with silica to form the Black Hand Sandstone that underlies the area. It formed like a sandwich, with a hard top and bottom and a soft middle layer. When the Appalachian Mountains arose, form and feature were cast upon the area and created Hocking Hills State Park.
Hocking Hills State Park was hemmed in by the ancient north-flowing
Teays River
The Teays River
(pronounced taze) was a major preglacial river that drained much of the present Ohio River watershed, but took a more northerly downstream course. Traces of the Teays across northern Ohio and Indiana are represented by a network ...
to the west, and the then north-flowing Hocking to the east. The landscape remained fairly static for millions of years. Any changes were minuscule, and were slow to develop. When the Wisconsin Glacier began melting back to the north about 10,000 years ago, the landscape would undergo dramatic changes. The glacier stopped in northern Hocking County, so the area suffered indescribable flooding. The ancient Teays River was buried under tons of glacial silt, and the direction of the Hocking River was reversed.
When the glacial torrents found cracks in the hard capstone, the water poured through to flush out the soft middle layer. This left long tunnels where the gorges are today. Eventually, the weight of the tops caused them to come crashing down. The "slump rocks" in the gorges today are what's left of the hard top layer. In just a few centuries, the rushing waters of the glacier carved the soft middle layer of sandstone into the myriad dimples and wrinkles that decorate the cliffs and grottos today.
Early settlers in
Muskingum County found an ancient black human handprint on a cliff that is part of this same sandstone formation. That is the same "Black Hand Sandstone" that is seen in six areas of the Hocking Hills State Park.
The Adena culture is believed to be one of the first inhabitants of the area of Hocking Hills. In the 18th century, the
Native American Tribes of Delaware,
Wyandot
Wyandot may refer to:
Native American ethnography
* Wyandot people, also known as the Huron
* Wyandot language
Wyandot (sometimes spelled Wandat) is the Iroquoian language traditionally spoken by the people known variously as Wyandot or Wya ...
, and
Shawnee
The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...
travelled through and lived in the area. In 1818, Hocking County was created in Ohio. A powder mill was built in the area in the 1830s and in 1840 Hocking Canal was completed, allowing for more settlers to travel there. After local popular hiking areas were threatened by the accessibility of more traffic, the State Forest Law was passed in 1915 allowing the state to purchase the first parcel of land in Hocking Hills around Old Man's Cave.
Hocking Honor Camp Reforestation
Hocking Hills' iconic and unusual hemlock forest of Hocking Hills was extensively established by the Civilian Conservation Corp and Division of Forestry in the 1930s. Additional planting and reforestry work took place during the 1950s by "prisoners from the Hocking Honor Camp." Inmates "worked on tree planting, cleaning plantations and pruning more established plantations.The prisoners earned five cents per hour for their labor if they had dependents, otherwise they earned half a cent per hour for their hard work." This unique model of using inmates to provide social good is striking. According to the Logan Daily News, Hocking Honor inmates "worked closely with the Hocking County area and the community, an idea that seems absurd today"
Tourist accommodations
There are about 200 campsites in the park, most equipped with
electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describ ...
. The campground is close to all of the hiking trails in the area and has flush toilets, shower houses with hot water, vending machines, a camp store, a pool, and other amenities. There are also many cabins and hotels in this area.
In 2017, over 2 million people visited Hocking Hills.
To handle the growing tourism, a summer shuttle service from downtown Logan began to lessen the overtaxing on the park's parking facilities. The
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is the Ohio state government agency charged with ensuring "a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all." ODNR regulates the oil and gas industry, the m ...
(ODNR) broke ground on a new visitors' center. The $6 million project opened in June 2019.
Attractions
![Ash Cave complex in Hocking Hills State Park](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Ash_Cave_complex_in_Hocking_Hills_State_Park.jpg)
The area is very popular with tourists and collectively is known as the
Hocking Hills
The Hocking Hills is a deeply dissected area of the Allegheny Plateau in Ohio, primarily in Hocking County, that features cliffs, gorges, rock shelters, and waterfalls. The relatively extreme topography in this area is due to the Blackhand Sand ...
Region. It features many private inns, campgrounds, cabins, restaurants, and other related businesses, including a recently developed
zipline
A zip-line, zip line, zip-wire, flying fox, or death slide is a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel, mounted on a slope. It is designed to enable cargo or a person propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bott ...
. Other attractions include:
*Nature Preserves and State Parks: Nearby are also other attractions of the Hocking Hills, including
Hocking State Forest,
Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve,
Lake Logan State Park, and
Rockbridge State Nature Preserve. The deep gorges and high cliffs result from the erosion-resistant Blackhand
Sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
, which extends well to the northeast of the Hocking Hills. Other open-space areas have been established within the range of the Blackhand, including
Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve.
* Lakes: Lake Logan in Hocking Hills State Park covers 400 acres, 320 acres of which is dry land, and is two miles long. The lake was built in 1955 for recreational purposes and offers visitors hiking, boating, picnicking and swimming.
* Canoeing and kayaking are popular activities in the Hocking Hills
* Boating: Canoeing, kayaking and rafting are all allowed on various places in the state park.
* Rock Climbing and Rappelling: Ninety-nine acres of forest land have been set aside for rock clim
bing and
rappelling
Abseiling ( ; ), also known as rappelling ( ; ), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling the person descending controls their own movement down the rope, in contrast to low ...
in
Hocking State Forest.
* Swimming: Lake Logan and Rose Lake offer swimming and beaches for visitors. There is also a swimming pool open to the public outside of the Hocking Hills State Park lodge.
* Hunting and fishing:
Hunting
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...
and
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
are permitted as regulated by the Division of Wildlife. With permits, visitors are allowed to hunt during hunting season. Fishing is permitted in Lake Logan, which can include a variety of fish such as bluegill, crappie, bass, saugeye and catfish.
![HockingHillsCedarFalls](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/HockingHillsCedarFalls.jpg)
* Bird Watching: Hocking Valley Birding Trail identifies opportunities for bird watchers to enjoy the avian life in Hocking Hills.
* Archery: The Hocking Hills State Park offers a free archery range.
* Air Tours: Hocking Hills Scenic Air Tours offers airplane rides with views of the State Park.
* Horseback Riding: Hocking Hills State Park provides horseback riding trails that share space with both hiking trails and hunting areas.
* Train Rides: The trains of the
Hocking Valley Scenic Railway
The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway is a non-profit, 501c3, volunteer-operated tourist railroad attraction that operates out of Nelsonville, Athens County, Ohio. It is also located near the popular Hocking Hills State Park in nearby Hocking Co ...
provide visitors a glimpse into the transportation and industrial history of the Hocking Hills area.
* Weddings: Some individuals have chosen to use the State Park as their outdoor wedding ceremony location.
* Canopy Tours: Nearby the State Park is Hocking Hills Canopy Tours, an outdoor
zipline
A zip-line, zip line, zip-wire, flying fox, or death slide is a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel, mounted on a slope. It is designed to enable cargo or a person propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bott ...
tour that offers three different rides: a SuperZip, Nightflight and traditional
canopy tour
A zip-line, zip line, zip-wire, flying fox, or death slide is a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel, mounted on a slope. It is designed to enable cargo or a person propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bo ...
. The Hocking Hills region was recently named the Canopy Tour Capital of the Midwest.
* Astronomy: The John Glenn Astronomy Park, named after astronaut and US Senator
John Glenn, opened in June 2018. During the day, visitors can study the position of the sun and orientation throughout the year. At night, visitors can see the planets and stars not being obstructed by
light pollution
Light pollution is the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive use of artificial Visible spectrum, lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term ''light pollution'' refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting, during the day ...
.
Flora
![HockingHillsUpperFalls](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/HockingHillsUpperFalls.jpg)
Several rare plants are known from this area, including plants that are outside their normal range.
Canadian yew,
bigleaf magnolia
''Magnolia macrophylla'', the bigleaf magnolia, is a deciduous magnolia native to the southeastern United States and eastern Mexico. This species boasts the largest simple leaf and single flower of any native plant in North America.
Classificat ...
, and many others are here.
Trails
There are numerous hiking trails, including several safe for pets, located throughout the state park. Some trails in Hocking Hills State Park include:
* Old Man's Cave: 1 mile
* Ash Cave Gorge: mile, wheelchair accessible
* Ash Cave Rim: mile
* Cedar Falls: mile
* Rock House: 1 mile
* Cantwell Cliffs: 1 mile
* Conkle's Hollow: 1 mile
* Conkle's Hollow Rim: 2 miles
*
Buckeye Trail
The Buckeye Trail is a hiking trail and long-distance trail that loops around the state of Ohio. Part of it is on roads and part is on wooded trail. Road portions of the trail are gradually being relocated to separate trail.
This trail p ...
: Cedar Falls – Ash Cave: 3 miles, Old Man's Cave – Cedar Falls: 3 miles
In popular culture
![Old Man's Cave (23067)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Old_Man%27s_Cave_%2823067%29.jpg)
Many of the adventures in
Jeff Smith's comic book series ''
Bone
A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...
'' take place in
Old Man's Cave, a place inspired by the Hocking Hills State Park, which Smith enjoyed since he was a child. The waterfalls of the park also influenced Smith's frequent use of water as a recurring visual element in ''Bone'', calling it "an age-old storytelling symbol".
Other public lands
![Rock House (23491)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Rock_House_%2823491%29.jpg)
As noted, Hocking Hills State Park is embedded within the Hocking State Forest. Crane Hollow Nature Preserve, a private preserve, fills in a large part of the non-public area. On the south side, Camp Oti-Okwa, owned by Big Brothers-Big Sisters, is also a sizeable protected area. There are three state nature preserves within the Forest, but only
Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve is open to the public. Also nearby are
Clear Creek Metro Park
Clear Creek Metro Park is a nature preserve located at 185 Clear Creek Road in Rockbridge, Ohio, just off U.S. Route 33. It is part of the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks system. It also contains the largest Ohio State Nature Preserve. ...
,
Lake Logan State Park, and
Rockbridge State Nature Preserve.
References
External links
Hocking Hills State Parkat Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Hocking Hillsat American Byways
at Hocking Hills Tourism
{{authority control
State parks of Ohio
State parks of the Appalachians
Protected areas established in 1924
Protected areas of Hocking County, Ohio