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GaliWalker 
Group: Members
Posts: 609
Joined: Feb. 2010
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Posted on: Jan. 28 2013, 11:35 am |
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Out of all the places I've visited so far in the northeast, Ohio's Hocking Hills State Park would be my choice for America's next National Park. Soaring cliffs and huge caves, balletic waterfalls, a natural bridge and the tallest trees in the state are just some of the attractions. Hocking Hills is one of my favorite places in my current neck of the woods.
It had been a while since my last visit, so on a frigid morning I loaded up the camera and hiking gear and made the 3.5hr drive, southwest from Pittsburgh. I knew that time management would be difficult, since I also wanted to hike a bit, but was ready to be flexible.
Old Man's Cave to Cedar Falls
It was 7:45am, when I reached the parking lot at the Old Man's Cave complex. The temperature was 9°F. Getting out of the warm car took some persuasion! However, as soon as I descended down into the narrow gorge my motivation level soared. Sandstone cliffs rose loomed high, on either side. Icy Old Man's Creek meandered beside me. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't frozen solid; the burbling sounds made for some lovely music. Icicles festooned the cliffs, some in banks like a layered keyboard, while snow crunched underfoot. I first made my way to the head of the gorge, past Devil's Bathtub, where pretty Upper Falls graces an amphitheater of sandstone cliffs. The waterfall was mostly frozen, but a bit of water was still flowing amidst a lacy curtain of ice. Taking photographs was a real challenge, since taking off the heavy gloves for any extended period of time, would leave me with numb fingers. My thinner gloves, which I use for photography, were useless.
Devil's Bathtub
Upper Falls
From Upper Falls I backtracked and then headed deeper into the gorge. My plan was to hike the 3mi to Cedar Falls, then evaluate if I had time to hike another 3mi further to Ash Cave. The longer trip would be dependent on how much time I 'lost' to photography. I immediately proceeded to lose a whole bunch of time at Old Man's Cave, an enormous gash in the cliffs. The scale was so grand – whenever I see it I'm reminded of the American West. The view of an ice bound landscape from inside the protection of the snow-free cave was otherworldly.
Looking at a frozen world
A little further down the gorge was Lower Falls. This is an extremely graceful waterfall when flowing, but was completely frozen for me. Accordingly, I didn't spend much time here, since I was a eager to walk amidst the beautiful hemlock and hardwood forest that calls the lower gorge home. The tallest tree in Ohio, a 149ft hemlock, also lives here.
Lower Falls
Somewhat icy and snowy hiking, beside Old Man's Creek took me to a lovely spot where the gorge opened up. Here, I left Old Man's Creek and took a left alongside equally pretty Queer Creek. Throughout the hike, I'd pass huge hanging icicles, which would be shimmering waterfalls in summer. In one or two cases, some still were.
Towering trees and hanging waterfalls
Hemlock needles
Eventually, I reached a frozen Cedar Falls. While winter is a beautiful, much quieter time in Hocking Hills, Cedar Falls suffers. In summer, this is the most photogenic waterfall I've ever seen, so it was a shame to see nothing but ice instead. Oh well, you can't have everything.
By now, since I had one more attraction to visit, it was too late for me to hike further to Ash Cave, so I turned around. I took the gorge overlook trail on the way back, which stayed atop the gorge. I got the occasional view down into the gorge, but for the most part it was put down you head and hike time. The hemlocks here were also not nearly as impressive as the ones below.
Stats: 6mi, ~700ft gain
Rock House
After my Old Man's Cave – Cedar Falls hike, I got back in the car and made the short 8mi drive to the Rock House parking lot. The Rock House is an amazing place: a 200ft long roomy hall, just inside and paralleling a 150ft tall cliff-face. Openings in the face of the cliff act as gothic windows and a door. The dark inside, with bands of sunshine and bright windows make the place great to experience, but a real challenge to photograph. My single previous attempt had been pathetic - this one was better, but not by much!
Stats: 0.5mi, 275ft gain
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'Gali'Walker => 'Mountain-pass' walker
Photos: http://galiwalker.zenfolio.com
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| Post Number: 2
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wildlifenate
Group: Members
Posts: 5848
Joined: Jul. 2004
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Posted on: Jan. 28 2013, 1:11 pm |
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I've been there a couple of times. Amazing place, and it was quite a surprise that such a place existed in Ohio of all places.
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The GPS Geek
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| Post Number: 3
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QCHIKER
Group: Members
Posts: 1741
Joined: Oct. 2009
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Posted on: Jan. 28 2013, 1:46 pm |
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Great pics. The Rock House looks really neat from your pics.
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| Post Number: 4
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hikingFF77
Group: Members
Posts: 5248
Joined: Aug. 2005
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Posted on: Jan. 28 2013, 4:25 pm |
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Wow, cool. Never knew that existed there.
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“I’m just hanging on while this world keeps spinning and it’s good to know it’s out of my control. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all this living is that it wouldn’t change a thing if I let go…”
Jimmy Buffett & Martina McGraw
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| Post Number: 5
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EastieTrekker
Group: Members
Posts: 1467
Joined: Mar. 2012
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Posted on: Jan. 28 2013, 4:54 pm |
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Beautiful photos as always, Gali. Thanks for sharing!
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I request all the possible consumer protection organizations, and fight with their injustice. 
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| Post Number: 6
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isawtman
Group: Members
Posts: 357
Joined: Aug. 2010
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Posted on: Jan. 28 2013, 5:24 pm |
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I might add that the Buckeye Trail/North Country Trail goes through that park
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| Post Number: 7
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| Post Number: 8
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city2outdoors
Group: Members
Posts: 18
Joined: Jan. 2013
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Posted on: Feb. 01 2013, 3:07 pm |
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Great Pictures! I liked the long exposure one the best.
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From the City to the Outdoors.
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