Location: Hocking County Map
Area: 2,356 acres
Fees and permits
There are no entrance or day
use fees to enjoy Hocking Hills State Park or Hocking State Forest.
There are reservable picnic shelters and campsites available at
modest fees.
Hocking Hills State Park is located in Hocking County and Ohio state, in the eastern part of the country, 500 km west of Washington D.C. It is located at an elevation of 313 meters above sea level. The land around Hocking Hills State Park is flat. The highest point around is 325 meters above sea level, 1.1 km north-east of Hocking Hills State Park. The area around Hocking Hills State Park has a small population, with 9 people per square kilometer. The nearest bigger city is Logan, 16.8 km north of Hocking Hills State Park. In the region around the Hocking Hills State Park, valleys are remarkably common. Climate in the area is mild. The warmest month of August, at 22 ° C, and the coldest of January, at -4 ° C. The average rainfall is 1,403 millimeters per year. In July it gets 176 millimeters of rain, and in November, driest month, around 67 millimeter.
Old Man's Cave Campground (Hocking Hills State
Park Campground), 19852 State Route 664, Logan, OH 43138-9537 (Off
of State Route 664 near Old Man's Cave, 10 miles west of US-33 in
Logan), ☎ +1-866-644-6727. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 1PM. 146
reservable sites, 86 with 20-, 30-, or 50-amp electric hookups, 13
with no hookups, and 47 with full hookups. An additional 23 sites
have electric hookups and are reservable only in-person on the day
of arrival. Few sites are level for tents or RVs, and some sites are
small and right next to the road with little privacy, while others
are more spacious and private. Flush toilets and showers are
available from April to October. Fills almost every weekend and
holiday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Includes pool, playgrounds,
and basketball court. Hiking trails connect directly to Old Man's
Cave, Cedar Falls, and Rose Lake. $24/30/40 per night for
nonelectric/electric/full hookup site. +$1 for weekends, +$2 for
holidays.
Hocking Hills Family Hike-In Campground (Located on
State Route 374 1 mile south of State Route 664), ☎ +1-866-644-6727.
Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 1PM. A quieter and more secluded
campground on the edge of the park with 28 sites reservable 6 months
in advance and 5 sites that are reservable only in-person on the day
of arrival. Cars park in a lot at the end of the campground and are
not permitted on the access road, making this campground much
quieter for tenters. Water is available at the parking lot, and pit
toilets are located throughout the campground. Showers are included,
but are only available inside Old Man's Cave Campground. The park's
bicycle trails are located nearby, and there is a trail to the main
campground. $22 per night, +$1 weekends, +$2 holidays.
Adjacent commercial campgrounds
Top O' The Caves Campground,
26780 Chapel Ridge Rd, South Bloomingville, OH 43152 (Follow State
Route 374 2 1/2 miles south of State Route 664 or 3/4 mile south of
Cedar Falls and turn west on Chapel Ridge Road), ☎ +1-800-967-2434.
Check-in: 3PM-9PM, check-out: 2PM. At the edge of the park with tent
and RV sites. Connects directly to Cedar Falls and Ash Cave via the
Buckeye Trail. $25-60 per night
The park's depressions and caves have long attracted Ohioans.
Evidence of the ancient Adena culture indicates that humans began living
in these depressions more than 7,000 years ago.
By the mid-1700s,
several Indian tribes, including the Wyandotte, Delaware, and Shawnee,
passed through or resided here. The tribal name of the river from which
the park takes its name is Hocking, the "Bottle River." The name derives
from the Hocking River valley, which is shaped like a bottle.
After the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, many white settlers moved to the
area, and Hocking County was organized in 1818; development around the
park began in 1835 with the construction of a grist mill near the Rock
House and a grist mill at Cedar Falls.
The Cave area became known
as a scenic area by 1870, and in 1924 the first land purchase by the
state was made to protect the scenic features. This first parcel was 146
acres and included Old Man's Cave. Later, while the area existed under
the Department of Forestry as a state forest park, the acreage purchased
was expanded; in 1949, the Department of Natural Resources was created
and a new Parks Division took over management of the Hocking Hills State
Park complex, which today includes six park areas. The dining lodge and
cottages opened in 1972. These cottages, along with the campground,
provide lodging in one of the most beautiful areas of the state.