Background
HOCKING HILLS: Land of Ahhhs
Stand beside a crystal clear waterfall. Hike a craggy cave. Wander along a lush woodland trail. Or shop for antiques and fine art treasures at boutiques and galleries.
Ahhh. It’s what just about everyone who visits the Hocking Hills has to say. You’ll say it too. The moment you enter this breathtaking natural area of Ohio, you’ll feel the stress of the work-a-day world fade away. You’ll marvel at some of the nation’s most spectacular natural beauty. You’ll be astonished by the amazing array of places to stay and things to do… and by how remarkably affordable your unforgettable experience will be.
This site is the official website of The Hocking Hills Tourism Association, a non-profit organization made up of local businesses and individuals dedicated to making your visit to the Hocking Hills interesting and enjoyable.
- Behind the Hills
- Ohio State Parks
- Vacation Rentals: Cabins, Chalets, Bed and Breakfast
- Outdoor Recreation
- A Walk Back In Time
- A Little Background
- A Brief History of the Hocking Hills
Ohio State Parks
The Hocking Hills region is located in southeast Ohio. Rivers and streams snake through deep gorges enveloped by soaring rock faces. Dense forests offer respite to an unbelievable array of flora and fauna...and for world-weary travelers. Tens of thousands of acres of state parks and state and national forest offer world-class hiking and adventure, as well as quiet spots to simply get away from it all.
Vacation Rentals: Cabins, Chalets, Bed and Breakfast
Rent a cabin tucked deep in the woods, for a just a night or for a full week. Some are simple, yet comfy. Others boast amenities and décor that rival the finest hotels. One-of-a-kind country inns, bed and breakfasts and hotels offer an amazing selection of places to stay. Many offer wonderful inclusive getaway packages and special midweek or off-season pricing. A wealth of campgrounds offer beautiful natural surroundings for tent or RV campers.
Simply hit on the accommodations button on this site and click around to discover the diversity. We’re certain you’ll find the perfect spot to meet your fancy – and your budget.
Outdoor Recreation
The sites and activities of the Hocking Hills are equally diverse. Whether you’re an adventure hound who thrills at clinging to a steep rock face, or someone who prefers a quiet place to sit and unwind, the Hocking Hills will fast become your special place.From canoeing and fishing to bird watching and hiking, the Hocking Hills offers tremendous natural and outdoor activities. But there are also fine restaurants, as well as plenty of casual dining. Unique shops, boutiques and galleries filled with antiques, books, gifts, crafts and fine art, and loads of other bric-a-brac offer travelers unique opportunities to take home something as special as the memories.
A Walk Back In Time
The Hocking Hills is steeped in a rich history. Visitors can stand inside caves and walk the trails that were home to Native Americans, frontiersmen, canal workers, miners and bootleggers. Their indelible mark is left on the area in the historical trails, sites and attractions that are scattered throughout the region. History is celebrated at many seasonal celebrations, festivals and events that tell the story of the Hocking Hills.
A Little Background
The Hocking Hills is an area of some 11,000 square acres, southeast of Columbus, Ohio that is primarily defined by the Hocking River watershed. It begins in Lancaster, Ohio and essentially follows the Hocking River through Logan and Athens to its confluence with the Ohio River. This is hilly terrain, mostly forest and farms, but also offers many scenic and natural points of interest. For many, the heart of the Hocking Hills is Logan, Ohio, which is home to the Hocking Hills State Parks and the Hocking Hills Tourism Association.
The Hocking Hills State Park is located about 10 miles west of Logan and is comprised of seven areas, including:
- Old Man’s Cave
- Cedar Falls
- Ash Cave
- Conkle’s Hollow
- Rock House
- Cantwell Cliffs
- Lake Logan
These parks are open to visitors from daylight to dark every day of the year, and there is no cost for admission. Each park has a parking area, picnic area, and restroom facilities. The parks provide 2,300 acres of hiking, waterfalls, caves, rock formations and unusual natural beauty. In addition, 9,000 acres of State Forest surround the parks and are also available for hiking and exploring.
A Brief History of the Hocking Hills
The history of the Hocking Hills is as fascinating as the caves are beautiful. Here, in these sandstones and shales, one can read Ohio’s history from the rocks. The scenic features of the Hocking Hills are carved in the blackhand sandstone. Millions of years of uplift and stream erosion created the awesome beauty.
The bedrock and sandstone cliffs reveal a time more than 350 million years ago, when the rivers to the east flowed into a shallow sea covering all of Ohio. Over time, the land rose and small streams cut through the rock leaving the spectacular cliffs and waterfalls of today.
Although the glaciers never reached the park areas, their influence is still seen here in the form of the vegetation growing in the gorges. The glaciers changed the climate of all Ohio to a moist, cool environment. Upon their retreat, this condition persisted only in a few places such as the deep gorges of Hocking County. Therefore, the towering eastern hemlocks, the Canada yew and the yellow and black birch tell of a cool period 10,000 years ago.
The hollows and caves of the Hocking Hills have long attracted the people of Ohio. Evidence of the ancient Adena culture illustrates man first inhabited the recesses more than 7,000 years ago.
In the mid 1700’s several Indian tribes traveled through or lived in the Hocking Hills including the Wyandot, Delaware and Shawnee. Their name for the river from which the area gets its name was Hockhocking or "bottle river." The name comes from the bottle-shaped valley of the Hocking River whose formation is due to its one-time blockage by glacial ice.
These early Hocking Hills inhabitants found the area rich in fertile farmland and a great hunting land. The area provided plenty of buffalo, elk, deer, wild turkey and small animals for hunting and farming.
Hocking County was organized in 1818. The city of Logan was established by Thomas Worthington in 1816 and named for the Mingo Chief, James John Logan, who was well known at first for his friendship with the whites and later for his bitter animosity toward them following the murder of his entire by a frontier trapper named Greathouse.
The Hocking Hills area quickly began to develop in 1835 when a powder mill was built near Rock House and Falls Mill, a gristmill, was constructed at Cedar Falls.
The Hocking River provided sufficient water power for the purpose of operating grist and sawmills particularly at the falls above Logan. The town of Logan really erupted after the opening of the Hocking Canal, a branch of the Ohio-Erie Canal, in 1838. The canal opened Logan to trade throughout the state.
The arrival of the Columbus and Hocking Valley Railroad in 1869 led to the decline of the Hocking Canal, but helped assure the Hocking Hills area as a major shipping point of coal and industrial products.
Due to the rich mineral resources of the Hocking Valley, several industries prospered. The discovery of immense quantities of coal led to the flourishing mining industry. Towns appeared and vanished quickly as mines opened and closed.
It was soon found that iron ore could be extracted from the sandstone bedrock of the area. At its height, during the Civil War, Ohio was the leading producer of iron for implements and weapons. No less than forty-six furnaces were firing in Ohio’s six-county Hanging Rock Iron Region. The clay soils of the Hocking Valley helped Ohio become a leader in clay products. The firebrick industry of the valley manufactured such products as clay tile, building and paving bricks and clay sewer pipe. Evidence of the industry can be seen in the many brick houses and abandoned kilns of the area.
Even today, clay is still an important industry in the region. Logan Clay Products, established in 1905, stands alone and is one of only three clay-pipe manufactures in the country. Visitors can tour a historic kiln from the 1920s.
In 1924, the first land purchase by the state was made to preserve the scenic features. Today, the Hocking Hills is home to seven state parks, two state forests and a national forest.
This parcel of 146 acres included Old Man’s Cave. One of the Hocking Hills’ top attractions, the cave areas were well-known as scenic attractions as early as 1870.
While many see the caves of the Hocking Hills as the beautiful work of Mother Nature, the caves were also hideouts for early bank robbers and criminals and home to others.
Visitors love the story of the old hermit Richard Rowe who called the caves home. The Eastern Mountain Man was known for his recluse lifestyle of hunting and trapping. And many say the ghost of the old hermit still haunts his namesake, Old Man’s Cave.
