The Hocking Hills is a deeply dissected area of the

Allegheny Plateau The Allegheny Plateau ( ) is a large dissected plateau area of the Appalachian Mountains in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. It is divided into the unglacia ...

Appalachian Ohio Appalachian Ohio is a bioregion and political unit in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, characterized by the western foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau. The Appalachian Regional Commission defines th ...

, primarily in Hocking County, that features

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...

s, gorges,

rock shelter A rock shelter (also rockhouse, crepuscular cave, bluff shelter, or abri) is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff. In contrast to solutional caves (karst), which are often many miles long or wide, rock shelters are alm ...

s, and

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

s. The relatively extreme topography in this area is due to the Blackhand

Sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

(so named because of Native American graphics on the formation near

Newark, Ohio Newark ( ) is a city in Licking County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located east of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus at the junction of the forks of the Licking River (Ohio), Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 United ...

), a particular formation that is thick, hard and weather-resistant, and so forms high cliffs and narrow, deep gorges.

Component open-space areas

Most of the more scenic areas of the region are under state ownership, including: * Hocking Hills State Park (with five use areas: Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, Old Man's Cave, Rockhouse, and Cantwell Cliffs) * Hocking State Forest * Conkle's Hollow State Nature Preserve *Sheick Hollow State Nature Preserve (entry by permit only) *Little Rocky Hollow State Nature Preserve (entry by permit only) * Kessler Swamp State Nature Preserve * Lake Logan State Park *

Wayne National Forest The Wayne National Forest is located in the Appalachian part of the US state of Ohio, in the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. It is the first and only national forest in Ohio. Forest headquarters are located between The Plains and Nelsonville, ...

Rockbridge State Nature Preserve Rockbridge State Nature Preserve is a nature reserve featuring a natural bridge located in the unincorporated area, unincorporated community of Rockbridge, Ohio, Rockbridge in Hocking County, Ohio, Hocking County, Ohio, United States. It is pa ...

The core area also includes two privately owned preserves, Crane Hollow and Camp Oty-Okwa (owned by Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Ohio). The geological series that forms the Hocking Hills extends south and west, gradually diminishing but still forming impressive bluffs and gorges in: *Clear Creek Metro Park, part of the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District *Rising Park in Lancaster *Wahkeena Memorial State Nature Preserve in

Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio * Fairfield County, South Carolina {{Geodis, uscounty ...

*Christmas Rocks State Nature Preserve in Fairfield County *Rhododendron Cove State Nature Preserve in Fairfield County *Shallenberger State Nature Preserve in Fairfield County *Saltpetre Cave State Nature Preserve in Hocking County *Boch Hollow State Nature Preserve (exposure is along the westernmost edge only) in Hocking County *

Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve is located in Jackson County, Ohio, United States, just northwest of and outside the city of Jackson. It is owned and administered by the State Division of Natural Areas and Preserves and comprises . The ...

in Jackson County * Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve in

Licking County Licking County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. At the 2020 census, the population was 178,519. Its county seat is Newark. The county was formed on January 30, 1808, from portions of Fairfield County. It ...

*Liberty Wildlife Area in Jackson County The

Buckeye Trail The Buckeye Trail is a hiking trail and long-distance trail that loops around the state of Ohio. Part of it is on roads and part is on wooded trail. Road portions of the trail are gradually being relocated to separate trail. This trail p ...

, along with the

North Country Trail The North Country Trail (NCT, officially designated the North Country National Scenic Trail) is a long-distance hiking trail in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Northeastern United States, Northeastern United States. The trail exten ...

and the

American Discovery Trail The American Discovery Trail is a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The coastal tr ...

, passes through the Hocking Hills region. 300px, Hocking Hills area Also nearby are: * Lake Hope State Park * Zaleski State Forest * Camp Wyandot * Tar Hollow State Park * Tar Hollow State Forest *Camp Akita (UCC church camp)

Climate

The region has mild weather with an average rainfall of 40.3 inches per year and an average of about 175 sunny days per year. The average July high is 84.8 degrees Fahrenheit and the average January low is 19.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

History

The region was first settled by Christian Eby and was named from a shortened version of the Hockhocking River by the Shawnee Indian tribe. "Hockhocking", in the Delaware tongue, signifies a bottle. The Shawnee people thought that a very narrow and straight creek above the waterfall on the Hockhocking River resembled a bottle's neck. Other notable settlers were George Starkey and Moses Dolson. The first election on county matters was held in Eby's mill near Queer Creek. The first post office in the area was called the "Rockhouse" and was located in Herschel Badford's home.

Hocking County formation

Hocking County was formed on March 1, 1818, from Ross, Athens, Fairfield and Logan. The county's boundaries and townships have not been altered since 1851. Due to its natural surroundings, it has become a tourist attraction.

Outdoor activities

Visitors can experience Hocking Hills through outdoor activities year round, including farmers' markets, wine tastings and train rides. Activities include: * Athens Farmers Market * Earth, Water, Rock: Outdoor Adventures * Hocking Hills Canopy Tours (late March through the last weekend in November) * Happy Hills Fun Park * Hocking Hills Gem Mine * Hocking Hills Marina at Lake Logan * Hocking Hills Primal Trek * Hocking Hills Adventures * Ultimate Zipline Adventures * Hocking Valley Scenic Railway * Hunting at Hocking Hills Cabins * Shade Winery * Sharp Farms Pumpkins & Corn Maze * The Buckeye Trail * Touch the Earth Adventures * Valley Zipline Tours Walker Farm * Wayne National Forest * Nelsonville's Historic Public Square * Uncle Buck's Riding Stable and Dance Barn

Hiking trails

Hocking County offers miles of trails that vary in length and difficulty depending on location. Some trails are pet friendly. * Old Man's Cave: 1 mile * Ash Cave Gorge: ¼ mile, wheelchair accessible * Ash Cave Rim: mile * Cedar Falls: mile * Rock House: 1 mile * Cantwell Cliffs: various trails, around 3 miles * Conkle's Hollow: 1 mile, wheelchair accessible * Conkle's Hollow Rim: miles *

: Cedar Falls – Ash Cave: 3 miles, Old Man's Cave – Cedar Falls: 3 mile; also over 1,400 other miles around the state of Ohio, coincident with the

and the

in the Hocking Hills area.

Rare plants

The Hocking Hills area harbors a number of rare plants, including Huperzia porophila, the rock firmoss; Botrychium simplex, the least grape fern; Silene rotundifolia, the round-leaf catchfly, and Trichomanes boschianum, the

Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...

n filmy fern.

References

External links

Hocking Hills
at American Byways
Hocking Hills State Park

Hocking Hills Official Website

Hocking Hills Tourism Association

Hocking Hills Tourism WebsiteHocking Hills tourist information and mapsZipline in Hocking Hills
{{Authority control Mountains of Ohio .Hocking Hills Hills of the United States Allegheny Plateau Landmarks in Ohio