The Gem Of Ohio's Iconic Hocking Hills Is A Scenic Trail Showing Off The Best Of The Park

If you are looking for a place to experience the wilder side of Ohio, a good place to begin is Hocking Hills State Park, with its towering trees, waterfalls, and stunning fall foliage. Ranked as the number one state park in Ohio on Tripadvisor, there really is no better hiking destination around. Here, you'll find plenty of forested park land to explore, but if you only have time for one route, you might want to make your way to the area known as Old Man's Cave to hike the beloved Grandma Gatewood Trail. This hike is the perfect introduction to Hocking Hills because it leads travelers through multiple sections of the park, by some of its most iconic landmarks.

Grandma Gatewood Trail is a part of several major state and national hiking systems, including Ohio's thru-hiking favorite the Buckeye Trail and the American Discovery Trail, a coast-to-coast adventure across the U.S. You don't have to commit to a long backpacking journey to enjoy this picturesque section of trail, however. It takes most hikers four hours or less to walk the Grandma Gatewood Trail.

This hiking trail gets its name from a historic hiker, Ohio's Emma Rowena Gatewood, who was among the first known thru-hikers. She is known for her work to protect the famous east coast Appalachian Trail, and her work to establish the Buckeye Trail. While Gatewood herself hiked thousands of miles in her lifetime, you can honor her legacy without committing to weeks of backpacking by walking this short stretch of trail. It is only 6 miles long, and generally considered a challenge, but it's not one of those hikes that only experienced hikers should ever attempt. Expect breathtaking waterfalls, forest views, and striking natural sights every step of the way.

If you love searching the lush woods and being rewarded by the sound of the thundering of the water pouring over the falls and feeling the cool spray of mist thrown into the air by the impact, you are in luck. The first stop along the way is Upper Old Man's Cave Falls. About 20 feet high, it pours into a gorge, resulting in a brilliant almost aquamarine pool. It may not be as popular, but the Lower Old Man's Cave Falls is also lovely, and actually slightly taller than its upstream counterpart.

Keep your eyes peeled for a small sign that reads "Broken Falls this way." If you choose to follow the sign, you'll find yourself climbing a set of close to 100 steps. At the end of it, you'll find a narrow stream of water gushing out over a rock wall to meet a plunge pool at the base. There, when the sunlight hits it right, the mist sometimes creates a rainbow.

To reach the next waterfalls, you'll have to navigate more treacherous and rocky terrain than you've encountered along the trail before, but that is part of its appeal. If you're up for the challenge, walking between mighty boulders and towering green cliffs is exactly what makes a trip to Hocking Hills State Park so memorable. Whispering Falls is a thin stream of water, but the distance that it falls off the side of the stone cliff makes it an exciting sight, and you are able to walk right up to the spot where it hits the ground. Then, the final stop is Cedar Falls. Here, the water emerges from within a gap in the cliff and pours down the slanted rock face to splash into the wide stream below.

While there are plenty of gorgeous natural settings to explore in Hocking Hills State Park, a lot of travelers make the journey here specifically for the park's most spectacular cavern: Ash Cave. Accessible along the Grandma Gatewood Memorial Hiking Trail, at Ash Cave, hikers walk in the shadow of massive slabs of brown stone with a curved cutout at the top, letting in sunlight. The scale of this place is staggering. This natural amphitheater is 100 feet high and 700 feet long. Often, water is rushing down into the cave, meaning that you will hear this waterfall echoing off the stone the entire time you explore the space. This is particularly striking in the winter, or after the water freezes in mid-fall.

On summer weekend afternoons you certainly won't be the only hiker at Ash Cave. While the space is too large to really consider crowded, it won't be the serene nature experience that you might be hoping for. Consider spending your time at a different cave along Grandma Gatewood Memorial Hiking Trail: Whispering Cave. You will have to walk across a narrow wooden bridge with netting on either side to protect you in case you slip. This similar geological wonder has a lower sloping ceiling, but it's still a fascinating place to visit, and you're likely to have a much more private experience no matter when you choose to go.