A day in Hocking Hills- with kids

When I think of clifftop vistas, cascading waterfalls, and well-groomed hiking travels, my mind travels to the mountains of Virginia or Washington. Then I hear a small voice say, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home?” and I remember that I can have all of these in just a few hour’s drive- in the hills of southeast Ohio!

Hocking Hills State Park is the second-most visited place in all of Ohio, and my family traveled there a few months ago with our very young children, (5, 3, and 1 at the time) to once again prove that hiking IS for amateurs– as long as they have a mother’s hand to hold! Here’s my experience of spending one day in Hocking Hills with kids.

The Hocking Hills region is perfect for a day trip from Columbus and even Cincinnati, so pack a picnic lunch and enjoy some quiet family time. After peanut butter and jelly fingers were wiped, our first hike was the Rock House. I hadn’t been here since college and my husband had never been.

The Rock House

The Rock House hike may be where the saying, “ignorance is bliss” came from! This is a steep trail that is suspended on the side of a cliff. Mothers of little ones, this is not for the faint of heart!

The Rock House is the only true cave in the Hocking Hills region and it is located on the side of a 150-foot cliff. Stone stairs allow you to access the cave. Our little boys loved the echo their little voices could create, as well as the relative darkness to sneak around (not that they could ignore their hysterical mother yelling, “stay away from the edge!”).

We were happy not to find any bootleggers, robbers, or horse thieves in the cave, as local folklore suggests this cave used to be their home! You’ll only need to deal with mosquitoes and other tourists.

The total trail is about .5-miles but with steep hills, it may feel like more for little legs. Bring plenty of water on a hot day, you will need it!

Ash Cave

The kids needed a break and this mama needed a less-stressful trail, so our next stop was Ash Cave. Ash Cave is the largest recess cave east of the Mississippi and the grandeur of it is not overlooked by children or their parents.

Ash Cave gets its name from the piles of ashes that were sitting in the cave when it was discovered. It is presumed that Native Americans lived in this cave for some time and the ashes were built up from their frequent fires.

The Ash Cave trail is a .5- mile, fully paved, wheelchair and stroller accessible, hiking trail. I’ve been here in the middle of winter and the trail is open, just slippery. The trail begins as a gentle walk through a hemlock forest – past streams and rock walls, and then it opens to a massive cave with a rim of almost 700 feet wide and 90 feet high!

The floor of Ash Cave is sandy. I saw a little boy here with his trucks and diggers and I was so sad that we didn’t think to bring some toys for our construction-obsessed 3 yr old! This could be a great way to entertain your children while the adults take in the majesty of the cave.

Ash Cave has a waterfall, but we visited on a particularly dry week and it was more of a trickle. The boys really wanted to play in the waterhole, but they now ask that visitors do not swim or play as the area is not monitored.

Here are my 4 top tips for a day in Hocking Hills with kids:

1. Pack as much food, bug spray, water, etc as you think you will need, and then add more. The closest full-service store is a Walmart and it is over 30 minutes away from the region.
2. Stay on the trails! If you see the name Rim Trail be wary of taking small children because the cliffs are steep! We hiked many of these trails before having kids and I didn’t even like my husband being that close to the edge! Sadly, there are usually a few deaths in the park every year due to falls. For more info on the best Hocking Hills trails for kids check out this post.
3. Toilets are few and far between- and they are usually in the form of Portapotties or drop toilets. Bring plenty of hand sanitizer and wipes- potty training just got even ickier! 😉
4. Frozen fans, unite! Hocking Hills is beautiful in winter, too. We went this past January on an unseasonably warm day (50 degrees, yes!) and the kids kept asking if they would see Elsa because of the many ice formations.

The closest accommodation is in Logan, Ohio.

Have you been to Hocking Hills? ?What’s your favorite trail/area?? For more information – check out my post on the best trails for kids at Hocking Hills! Want to try a new trail that is just outside of the park? Try Rockstall Nature Preserve.

Looking for a kid-friendly place to stay? Check out the Hocking Hills Caboose! Here’s my review.

Hotels in Logan are limited. The Mainstay Suites looks like a nice option for families.

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