Of all the backyards I’ve explored, there’s nothing like returning to my roots and finding a hidden gem that I overlooked during my surly youth. I lived in small town Ohio up until I could fly the coop to the big ol’ city of Columbus. Regardless of how long I lived in Marietta, I hardly explored it or its surroundings. One such area is Hocking Hills. I’ve done some great Cabrewing on the waters, but sadly I never made my way to Old Man’s Cave and the other hikes in the area until now.
This time we made the hour drive from Marietta to Hocking Hills. We were greeted by helpful women at the tourist office, which was rather refreshing because they didn’t try to sell us anything, they just wanted to ensure we had fun. We could tell straight off that the hikes and sites in the area are very popular, because the parking lot was huge and the rest areas were well maintained and clean.
This time we made the hour drive from Marietta to Hocking Hills. We were greeted by helpful women at the tourist office, which was rather refreshing because they didn’t try to sell us anything, they just wanted to ensure we had fun. We could tell straight off that the hikes and sites in the area are very popular, because the parking lot was huge and the rest areas were well maintained and clean.
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Actually all the hiking trails were very well maintained. I did find it interesting and slightly lazy that people could drive to all the popular sites, instead of forcing people to hike the entire way to see the caves, waterfalls, and rock formations. Luckily the laziness of many ended up working out for us. Outside the main attractions, we had the trails to ourselves. It’s not that the trails were long or strenuous, but it seems many aren’t interested in walking them. It’s a shame because they were well kept, easy, and beautiful.
The trail time took about 2.5 hours total round trip. We did only the blue trail and looped back on the red after Cedar falls. We could have continued on to other sites, but we had plans to meet up with some family and friends.
Recap
1. Hocking Hills has a great network of hiking trails
2. They are relatively easy but you can also drive to all the main sites
Was it worth it? Definitely
I recommend this hike, or rather area for hikes, for everyone who happens to be in the region and is looking for some nice recreational time in the quiet woods. We were lucky with the weather, enjoying temperatures just perfectly balanced in the comfy-zone and sunrays lighting up a green roof over our heads, but i´m pretty sure that the hike we ended up doing and some of the other options, don´t loose any of their beauty when conditions are different. (Probably even less people when it´s rainy, which makes it seem you´re even further into nature.) Next time around, i´d probably start the hike in a clockwise direction, that way you´ll end up finishing with Old Man´s Cave - kinda like a grand finale at the end. - D.
Recap
1. Hocking Hills has a great network of hiking trails
2. They are relatively easy but you can also drive to all the main sites
Was it worth it? Definitely
I recommend this hike, or rather area for hikes, for everyone who happens to be in the region and is looking for some nice recreational time in the quiet woods. We were lucky with the weather, enjoying temperatures just perfectly balanced in the comfy-zone and sunrays lighting up a green roof over our heads, but i´m pretty sure that the hike we ended up doing and some of the other options, don´t loose any of their beauty when conditions are different. (Probably even less people when it´s rainy, which makes it seem you´re even further into nature.) Next time around, i´d probably start the hike in a clockwise direction, that way you´ll end up finishing with Old Man´s Cave - kinda like a grand finale at the end. - D.