One of my favorite hiking areas is located is south east Ohio, about 3 hours drive from Cleveland. I was first introduced to Hocking Hills about 23 years ago on a camping trip. I’ve gone back on my one half a dozen times.
In my opinion, the best time to see it is if you can catch the fall season where the leaves are changing color and the temperatures are in a perfect 50-70 degree F range. This past weekend the weather cooperated…its been about 2-3 years since I have had this good of an opportunity. I left Cleveland about 6am. The sunrise in Wayne county was brilliant.
| I found an abandoned map on a picnic table near the parking lot. I took a few photos with my phone, not sure why… |
My goal was to park at Cedar Falls and split out the Grandma Gatewood Trail. This 10-12 mile round trip trail connects Old Man’s Cave, Cedar Falls, and Ash Cave. During past hiking trips I have camped at the state park and started and finished at Old Man’s Cave. Usually, the last 2-3 miles from Cedar Falls back to OMC is crowded and my feet hurt a whole bunch. This time around I was giving myself an easy option to take a break and only go as far as I felt I wanted to.
I started off heading towards Ash Cave. It was an amazing Appalachian woodlands morning!
Along the way I passed the old fire watch tower. “Climb at your own risk”. This is one of the highest points in the county and offers 360degrees of breathtaking views. Worth the risk…
I returned to the trail and finished another mile, arriving at Ash cave sooner than I expected. The tourist traffic was starting to pickup, but the cave was still peaceful.
After taking in the views of Ash Cave, I returned the way I previously had traveled. Back at the car I had a small snack, then started out towards Old Man’s Cave. Cedar falls was super crowed by this point so I chose to skip it. The start of the trail near the falls was packed with day hikers, boy scout troops, and lost tourists. Yet, after a mile of walking, I found myself momentarily alone and at peace.
All in all, the day was a success. The woods and mountains have a strange way of resetting me. The stress of the city fades away and life just seems to make more sense. I left Logan, Ohio around 4pm for a 3 hour drive to Magnolia. The day had one last gift to give… Check out this sunset.
