[GaliWalker]

It had been a while since I'd visited Ohio's Hocking Hills State Park, a perennial favorite of mine; long enough in fact, that I picked this extremely popular spot as my destination on Labor Day and knew I wasn't going to get any solitude. Hocking Hills is a 3hr drive away for me, but by leaving early I was able to get there at 6:40am and was the first car in the parking lot for the Old Man's Cave complex. I dropped into the incredible gorge and made my way up to its head and the Upper Falls. As expected there was barely any water in it, this late in the summer. One of the things I like in revisiting a spot that I've photographed multiple times before, is that it forces me to think about ever newer takes on the familiar. This time around it was easier than I'd expected. Without a lot of water in the waterfalls - the theme would continue for the rest of the day - I could focus on all of the other cool things that this amazing place is full of. For the Upper Falls glen, the textured cliffs that had created this natural amphitheater and little pools in the sandy banks jumped out at me. For now, I had the entire place to myself, so I took my time to soak in the peace and solitude.

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I had zipped by Devil's Bathtub, but on my back down the gorge, I took the time to take a few photos of this cool little spot. At this time I began to see the first other people and knew that I would need to search inside myself for patience and serenity, essential ingredients for photography (for me).

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I worked my way down the gorge, managing to keep finding compositions that I hadn't tried before. Most of these were courtesy of the crowds; I knew that there would be almost no chance of finding a people free Old Man's Cave that I could photograph, so why hurry to it, zipping by all of these other, albeit less in-your-face wonders?

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As expected Old Man's Cave was a zoo, so I just took a photograph of the lush green and glowing hemlock forest, basking in morning sunshine, from there. It was all good!

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The final attraction in the Old Man's Cave complex is the Lower Falls. This is a really pretty waterfall, set in yet another scenic glen. By the time I got there, kids were cavorting in the splash pool and posing beside the waterfall. I waited them out, hoping to get enough of a break in the action to be able to show off the place as it was meant to be seen: serene. Amazingly, after only a couple more parties I got around 5-10 minutes of people-free sightlines.

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12- Serenity

About a mile further downstream from the Old Man's Cave complex, on the Buckeye Trail, I reached the intersection with the Hemlock Bridge Trail. This was a brand new trail, which had been opened since my last visit, and led to a new attraction in the Park, called Whispering Cave. When I reached the cave I was floored! An enormous overhang, as large as Old Man's Cave, and completely people free at the time of my arrival, although the solitude would be fleeting. I was able to get in a few shots, and even one in which I could put myself in the photo for scale, before a few other hikers arrived.

13- Whispering Cave, with me for scale

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From Whispering Cave, I headed up the Hemlock Bridge Trail a short distance to an uninspiring viewpoint, and then retraced my steps back into the gorge and the Buckeye Trail. I took this one to Cedar Falls, which was a mere trickle, and a shadow of itself. There were about twenty people in the splash pool, ignoring all of the 'absolutely no wading' signs, so I took an obligatory picture and moved on. I climbed up out of the gorge to take the Gorge Overlook Trail back to my car.

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I still had an hour before I would have to hurry back home for some Labor Day Weekend festivities; just enough time for the Rock House. This is a magnificent cave, akin to a hallway, that nestles into the side of some huge cliffs. There are window openings on three sides, that let in shafts of sunlight into the otherwise dim passage and allow views of the forested outside. The cave was packed, so I made my way to two ends of the hallway to take a couple of selfies. And that was the end of yet another highly rewarding visit to Hocking Hills State Park.

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Stats: 8mi, 7.5hrs. Total trip time: 13.5hrs

[grannyhiker]

Hocking Hills is a wonderful place, even for those of us with the Columbia River Gorge in our back yard! My eldest son lives in SW Ohio and took me to Hocking Hills about 10 years ago. Never let it be said that Ohio is flat and uninteresting! Parts of it are, but even in those areas, you can find interesting and scenic bits.

[GaliWalker]

[olderthanIusedtobe]

I definitely prefer it here in the NW, but Ohio isn't so bad. My brother has done 2 stints just outside Dayton during his military career. They have a bunch of nearby Metro Parks that are quite nice. Lakes, rivers, creeks, canyons, some interesting rock formations. Hocking Hills is a bit of a drive from there but my brother had been hyping it up for quite a while before I finally got to visit there. I was impressed. Cuyahoga Valley NP is interesting as well.

[GaliWalker]

For me Hocking Hills is way more interesting than Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Don't get me wrong, I like Cuyahoga, but of the two, if you just want to showcase beauty, Hocking Hills should have been the National Park.

[olderthanIusedtobe]

Hocking Hills is definitely more spectacular and dramatic. I enjoyed both. Cuyahoga Valley is not the typical NP. Quite small and quaint.