Field Notes Ohio

Ohio's parks, forests and wildlife areas with camping, the ancient mounds beside them, and the Buckeye Trail that links them. Stories, trails, wildlife, and where to eat and fuel up nearby. Book campsites on ReserveOhio.
Try:
The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop around Ohio, with all 26 sections.
›
Mounds & Earthworks43 ancient sites, including the Great Serpent Mound and the Newark Earthworks.
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Historic Sites39 places, from Fort Steuben and Zoar to Camp Chase and the Rankin House, from the frontier to the Civil War.
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Road Trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail.
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Lake Erie Beaches20 public beaches from Conneaut to Toledo and the islands, with a map.
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Oddities & Roadside Attractions19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops, plus a Mothman just over the line.
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Caves & Caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters, with a map.
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Waterfalls34 falls from the Cuyahoga Valley to the Hocking Hills, with trail notes and a map.
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Explore Ohio

One map for every park, mound, historic site, beach, cave, waterfall and oddity in the app.

Lake ErieWest Virginia27 places277 places77 places73 places35 places519 places1913 places1319 places1916 places168 places810 places1010 places109 places98 places820 places204 places43 places3Barkcamp State Park4 places47 places77 places76 places69 places917 places173 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places2Forked Run State Park3 places32 places26 places610 places103 places32 places2

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117 parks in 7 regions

Ash Cave

Logan · Hocking County
Recess cave (sandstone)

Visiting information you can trust

Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
Official page
Location confidence
Verified entrance or visitor center
ODNR parking-area coordinates
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
Tickets or admission info

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

Ohio's largest recess cave, a horseshoe of sandstone 700 feet across with a seasonal waterfall, reached by an accessible gorge trail.

Type
A recess cave: an open alcove weathered out of sandstone, not a limestone cavern
Size
About 700 feet across, 100 feet deep from the back wall to the front edge, and 90 feet high at the rim
Trail
The gorge trail is a paved quarter-mile path that is accessible to wheelchairs; an upper rim trail is about a half mile and more strenuous
Season
Open daily all year; the waterfall flows seasonally
Also
On the Buckeye Trail and the Grandma Gatewood Trail
Shelter
Reservable day-use shelter at the trailhead

The story

Ash Cave was formed like the region's other recess caves: the middle layer of Blackhand sandstone weathered and eroded, while the harder upper and lower layers stayed intact. The trail approaches through a narrow gorge lined with hemlock and beech that opens suddenly onto the great overhang, and a small stream drops over the rim into a plunge pool.

It is named for a huge pile of ashes early settlers found under the shelter, recorded as 100 feet long, 30 feet wide and 3 feet deep. The source is unknown, but the ashes are widely believed to be from Native American campfires built up over hundreds of years, and some accounts say the fires were used for smelting or making saltpeter, though that is a guess. Like Old Man's Cave and Rock Bridge, it was already a big attraction by the late 1800s, and Civilian Conservation Corps workers of Company 526 improved several Hocking Hills sites in the 1930s.

A recess cave is an open alcove; it is not an underground cavern. Trail closures happen, so check ODNR before you go.

Stay on the marked trails and official tours. Caves are fragile and can be dangerous, and entering any cave or crevice that is closed, unmarked or not open to the public is unsafe and unauthorized.

Visiting

Status
Open year-round; check current conditions
Season and hours
Open daily during park hours. Check ODNR for trail closures and conditions.
Cost
Free.
Phone
See ODNR Hocking Hills State Park
Please note
Stay on the trails; the rim and cliffs are dangerous.
Address
Ash Cave trailhead, Hocking Hills State Park, Logan, OH 43138
More information →DirectionsShow on the map

Seasons, tours and access can change. Confirm with the operator or park before a long drive; where a closure alert applies, check current conditions.

Parks nearby

Hocking Hills State Park
Inside this park · Ash Cave is one of the park's areas.
Open
Hocking State Forest
About 3 miles · A state forest with quiet hiking.
Open
Lake Logan State Park
About 15 miles · A lake park to the north.
Open

Road trips

Hocking Hills Scenic Byway
A road trip that passes near this stop
Open

Buckeye Trail

Old Man's Cave Section
Near the Buckeye Trail
Open

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