Hocking Hills is a nature lover’s wonderland.  The area is located approximately one hour southeast of Columbus Ohio.  Comprised of State and Region parks, the Hocking Hills area is nestled within thousands of acres of state forest land.   The main attractions are all the wonderful caves, hiking trails, huge trees and waterfalls within the lush state and region parks.  Hiking, rock-climbing, canoeing, antiquing and camping are just a few of the many activities the area has to offer.

Being outside in nature has its challenges when traveling with a loved one with a physical disability.  Terrain, weather and accessibility are all things that need some extra planning.   I find our trips are more enjoyable when I plan ahead and have an idea of what to expect. Hockinghills.com is a good place to start.   Also, if you have some time to wait for snail mail, order one of the free Visitor’s Guides.  With information from these resources, I was able to call ahead and ask questions that helped with planning our itinerary. 

The area is very large and there is so much to see and do.  Our 4-day weekend only scratches the surface of what Hocking Hills has to offer.   Here are the highlights from our trip.

WELCOME

We stopped in at the Hocking Hills Visitor Center in Logan.   Even after some pre-planning, I still had some questions and wondered if there was anything else we should enjoy in the area.  The friendly staff was more than happy to answer my questions.  They also offered brochures and maps for me to take. 

Next to the Visitor Center is the Pencil Sharpener “museum”.  Even though it’s more like a shed versus a museum, it’s still worth the stop.  The place was jam-packed with hundreds of curious trinkets from cartoon characters to vehicles.  Caitlin’s favorites were the cats of course!

PARKS AND TRAILS

Ash Cave Trail for the Physically Challenged – This is a beautiful paved trail with the destination being the amazing Ash Cave.   It is fully accessible for wheelchairs, walkers, strollers and anything else that rolls.  At the end of the trail, you will be overwhelmed by the enormous wall of rock that curves overhead. 

The ground is sandy under the cave and by the waterfall.   We parked Caitlin’s trailer at the edge of the sand and walked her further in to explore the crevices of the rock wall.  She sat in the cool sand playing with her plush cat “Zippy”. 

Then we wandered to a small pond under a sprinkling waterfall.  Dakota cooled off and splashed in the water.

Old Man’s Cave – Even before you get into the park, there is a lot of natural beauty to take in from the entrance and parking lot.  The Gorge Overlook Trail is breathtaking with its steep, rocky walls among the towering trees.  People walking in the valley far below were small in comparison.   

The trails in this part of the park are not marked as accessible but we decided to give them a try anyway.  The WIKE trailer rolled pretty well on the hard packed gravel and dirt.  I don’t know how far we went but we just kept going because it was wide and smooth enough. 

We encountered a wooden bridge over the valley.  And further along was an area with steps.  They were spread out far enough to maneuver the trailer down.   We eventually got to an area where the path was too narrow.  I decided to explore a little on my own and then we turned around and made our way back.

Lake Hope State Park – Campground Nature Center.  The vibe here was more quiet and peaceful than the popular Ash Cave and Old Man’s Cave.  The Nature Center had interesting exhibits.  They were offering a hummingbird feeding event for kids.   We got a feeder from the staff and placed it outside with the others.  We had to sit very quietly for the hummingbirds to come around but Caitlin and Dakota were not interested in being quiet for too long! 

Lake Logan State Park – The only reason we went here is to locate a geocache.  I’ll let you find out for yourself where it is!

RV CAMPING

There are a lot of options for accommodations in the area from cabin rentals to bed and breakfasts to camping to smaller hotel chains.  We chose to stay in our RV at the KOA Holiday Logan/Hocking Hills.  This KOA has a lot of amenities that you can read about on their site.   We didn’t spend a ton of time at the RV park.   The roadways in the park are crushed and packed gravel.  Our site had a rock patio enclosed with a wooden wall.  The park was clean and quiet.

SHOPPING

Arts and Antiquing are plentiful in this area.  There was a small building nearby with three quaint shops.  When we arrived, I jumped out of the truck to scope out the stores.  The aisles were narrow and chock-full of merchandise.  I was unsure how this was going to play out because Caitlin likes to touch things and doesn’t handle items very gently.  Still we made the most of it and decided to make a quick visit.  Parking is right off of the main road and there are not very many spots.

• Wind Chime Shop – We spent some time here making noise and tangling up some of the wind chimes.  I’m sure we were not the only ones to do that.  If you are a fan of Franklin D.  Roosevelt then this is the place for you!  The walls were covered in what must be the largest collection of photographs of our 32nd president.
• Candle Shop – We watched as the candle maker demonstrated how to make a candle.  They offered an unbelievable variety of scents!
• Christmas Treasures – Everything in this store was delicate and pretty to look at.  I was happy to get out of there without breaking anything.

FOOD AND DRINK

We had most of our meals in the RV and packed lunches for our long days out in the parks.  We did make it to two bars in the area.  Both of them were dog friendly so we could take Dakota with us.

• Brewery 33 – Enjoyed some craft beer in the outdoor eating area.
• Hocking Hills Winery – Enjoyed a wine flight and appetizer on the back patio.

MORE TIPS

Generally speaking, the terrain in the Hocking Hills area is very hilly.  We found that many pathways had moderate to steep inclines that required more effort to push a transport chair.  Accessible bathrooms were not available in the areas of the park that we visited.  Most were outhouse style facilities, some nicer than others.   We visited the area in September over Labor Day weekend.  The parks were busy.   I highly recommend NOT coming on a holiday weekend.  

Overall, we had a great time exploring the Hocking Hills area!