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.

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117 parks in 7 regions

Old Man's 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.

A gorge of waterfalls and recess caves where a hermit is said to have lived, with the park's visitor center.

Type: A recess cave in a sandstone gorge, not a limestone cavern
Size: The recess sits about 75 feet above the stream and is about 250 feet long
Trail: The gorge trail has stairs, uneven footing, slippery rock and mud; one hiking guide suggests allowing two to three hours for a loop of roughly 1.5 to 2 miles
Season: Open daily all year
Visitor center: At Old Man's Cave, with restrooms, a gift shop and exhibits
Also: Starts the Grandma Gatewood Trail toward Cedar Falls and Ash Cave, on the Buckeye Trail

The story

Old Man's Cave is named for Richard Rowe, a trader and hermit who came to the Ohio River valley around 1796 and lived in the recess with his hounds until his death in the early 1800s. Rowe is said to be buried beneath the ledge. The gorge cuts through about 150 feet of Blackhand sandstone, and the recess is one of several caves along the stream, with upper and lower falls and a swirling basin called the Devil's Bathtub.

The region was home to several Native American tribes in the mid-1700s. It was already a major attraction by the late 1800s, and the state began buying land in the Hocking Hills in 1924 to repair land damaged by farming and fires, and Civilian Conservation Corps workers improved several areas in the 1930s. Today it is the park's most visited area.

The gorge trail is stairs and uneven rock, and trail sections close for repairs from time to time.

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.