Field NotesOhio
Upper Falls in the Old Man's Cave gorge, Hocking Hills, with visitors on the rocks

An independent field guide · 365 places

The field guide to outdoor Ohio

Parks and forests, ancient mounds, caves, waterfalls and back roads, with the story behind each place and where to eat and fuel up nearby.
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Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Parks, forests & wildlife areas

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117 parks in 7 regions

Old Man's Cave Section

Hocking, Vinton · Southeast Ohio
Buckeye Trail Association
53miles
10 of 26clockwise
2counties

Gorges, waterfalls and forested paths through Hocking Hills and into rural Vinton County. The most famous section on the loop.

Passes Old Man's Cave, Cedar Falls and Ash Cave along the Grandma Gatewood Trail, then quieter woods in Hocking State Forest.

Highlights

  • Old Man's Cave, Cedar Falls and Ash Cave
  • Grandma Gatewood Trail
  • Hocking State Forest and its horse camp
  • Pretty Run Preserve

Parks on this section

Hocking Hills State Park
The most famous stretch of the trail
Open
Hocking State Forest
Quiet woodland after the gorges
Open
Lake Logan State Park
Listed on the ODNR trail overview map near the route
Open

Section map and alerts

Show this section on the mapDistances between stops in this section

The Buckeye Trail Association sells a detailed map for this section and posts current trail alerts.

Official Old Man's Cave Section page →This section on AllTrails →

Camping

  • Hocking Hills State Park Campground
  • Pretty Run Preserve (Point 26): primitive campsites kept by the Buckeye Trail Association; reservations required
  • Private fee camping such as Top O' the Caves and Campbell Cove

Campsites are run by different agencies and owners, and the rules and fees change, so confirm before you go.

Water

Water at state park visitor centers, modern campgrounds and trailheads; filter anything from creeks or falls.

Take the stops with you

Save the camps, resupply, lodging, trail towns and parks for this section as waypoints.

The file holds 6 waypoints and a stop-by-stop route line. Locations are approximate, often a town center, so use the stop notes to find the exact spot. Your maps app chooses the roads between stops, usually the fastest, so follow the byway signs where they differ. The GPX arrives in a zip file; unzip it and open the .gpx in a GPS or hiking app. The CSV imports into Google My Maps.

Resupply

Services cluster around the state park; Logan is the closest major town for a full resupply.

Food and fuel

Near Hocking Hills State Park
58 West
Brewery/restaurant in historic downtown Logan
Directions
TheFeed
Burgers and comfort food, highly rated
Directions
Harper's Gas and More
Closest station to Old Man's Cave / Ash Cave
Directions
Near Hocking State Forest
Chelle's 33 Diner
Diner breakfast and burgers; open Friday to Sunday only
Directions
Squatchalicious
Pulled pork and smash burgers; open Mon, Fri, Sat and Sun
Directions
Harper's Gas and More
Closest station to the Hocking Hills area
Directions
Near Lake Logan State Park
58 West
Brewery and distillery in historic downtown Logan. Closed Tuesdays
Directions
TheFeed
Excellent burgers, open daily
Directions
Murphy USA
On the road toward Hocking Hills
Directions

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.

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