Hocking Hills State Park

The rock here is Black Hand sandstone, and it weathers unevenly - softer middle layers erode faster than the harder bands above and below, so streams undercut the cliffs into recess caves, large hollowed amphitheatres that are open at the front rather than true caves. Old Man's Cave is the best known, a gorge with a series of them and a stream running through, with tunnels and stone bridges built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Ash Cave is a single enormous recess about two hundred metres wide with a seasonal waterfall over the lip. Cedar Falls and Rock House are the other main sites. Winter turns the falls into ice columns and draws a specific crowd.

Highlights

• Recess caves - hollowed amphitheatres, not true caves.
• Old Man's Cave gorge - with CCC tunnels and stone bridges.
• Ash Cave - a recess about two hundred metres wide.
• Ice columns in winter - the frozen falls.

When to go

April to October; January and February for ice. A full day.

Good to know

Sites are separate with their own lots, all of which fill by mid-morning at weekends. Trails are wet, rooted and slippery year round. Falls are seasonal and thin in late summer. The ledges are unfenced in places, and falls are a real danger.

Nearby

Logan is north; Wayne National Forest is south.

Key facts