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

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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

Boch Hollow State Nature Preserve

Logan · Hocking County · Southeast Ohio
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
600acres
—trail miles
—established
Boch Hollow trailhead, 7000 Beech Camp Rd, Logan (ODNR/Hocking Hills tourism coordinates) Directions →Official source →

The story of this land

Boch Hollow lies in northern Hocking County at the edge of the Hocking Hills region. It protects a wide range of habitats: streamside corridors, mature wooded hills, ridges, sandstone outcrops, seeps, ponds and old fields. Its most notable plant is running buffalo clover, a federally endangered species, and Boch Hollow has the largest population of it in Ohio.

Seven miles of trail, including the Buckeye Trail, wind through it. Off-trail areas, including Robinson Falls, need a written permit. Uniquely among Ohio's preserves, Boch Hollow also serves as an outdoor classroom for Appalachian Ohio ecology, with programs mainly for local schoolchildren. Acreage differs by source, from about 570 to 700 acres.

Things to do in the park

  • Hike the Buckeye Trail and the preserve's seven miles of trail
  • Look for spring and summer wildflowers
  • Watch birds
  • Ask about environmental education programs

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Boch Hollow State Nature Preserve.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Lake Logan State Park nearby
  • Hocking Hills State Park and its gorges
  • Logan for food and lodging

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
ODNR park finder (search this park)
Location confidence
Verified entrance or visitor center
Boch Hollow trailhead, 7000 Beech Camp Rd, Logan (ODNR/Hocking Hills tourism coordinates)
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Hunting or permits
Hunting is not permitted in state nature preserves.

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.

Hiking trails

Seven miles of trails including the Buckeye Trail; dogs are not permitted.

Wildlife you might see

  • Federally endangered running buffalo clover, the largest population in Ohio
  • Spring and summer wildflowers
  • Birds across woodland, wetland and old-field habitat

Birding

Boch Hollow State Nature Preserve's unglaciated hill-country forest is classic Appalachian warbler habitat — listen for these species in the canopy and understory during the late-spring dawn chorus.

  • Kentucky Warbler
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • Blue-headed Vireo
  • Hooded Warbler
  • Wild Turkey
  • Red-eyed Vireo
  • Louisiana Waterthrush
  • Eastern Towhee
  • Yellow-throated Vireo
  • Broad-winged Hawk
  • Indigo Bunting
  • Warbling Vireo

March–April and October–November for migrating waterfowl and raptors; June–July for nesting grassland and marsh birds. For a full, current checklist, search this park's name on eBird's Hotspot Explorer.

Fishing

  • Fishing is not a feature of the preserve.

Hunting

Hunting is not permitted in state nature preserves.

The Clover That Almost Vanished

Running buffalo clover once grew along the paths that bison wore through the eastern woods. When the bison went, the clover nearly went with them, and it was long thought extinct. It is a federally endangered plant now, and at Boch Hollow it holds on in the largest population in Ohio.

Hikers on the Buckeye Trail walk right through it without knowing, which is why the preserve asks visitors to stay on the trail.

Behind the legend

The endangered status and the size of the population are stated on the Hocking Hills tourism page for the preserve, quoting ODNR. The link to bison trails is the plant's well-known natural history rather than something the sources say about Boch Hollow.

If you go

Stay on the trail, come in spring for the wildflowers and pair the visit with the education programs if you are with a group.

Waterfalls near Boch Hollow State Nature Preserve

Falls inside or within reach of this park. Stay behind railings and on marked trails; wet rock is slick in every season.

Robinson Falls

Logan · Hocking County
A tucked away canyon waterfall, also called Corkscrew Falls, that can only be visited with a free access permit from the state.
12 ftEasy walk
Inside this park

Rockbridge Falls

Rockbridge · Hocking County
A little known seasonal waterfall that drops beneath Ohio's longest natural stone bridge, away from Hocking Hills' crowds.
40 ftEasy walk
About 6 miles from this park

Conkle's Hollow Falls

Rockbridge · Hocking County
A narrow waterfall at the head of a gorge with cliffs nearly 200 feet high, reached on a mostly flat, partly paved trail.
20 to 25 ftEasy walkAccessible overlookLegend
About 15 miles from this park

Cedar Falls

Logan · Hocking County
Hocking Hills' broadest waterfall, a wide sandstone cascade with the biggest year round flow of any falls in the park.
50 ftModerate hikeLegend
About 16 miles from this park

Ash Cave Falls

South Bloomingville · Hocking County
Ohio's largest recess cave, with a thin seasonal waterfall spilling 90 feet from its rim.
90 ftEasy walkAccessible overlook
About 18 miles from this park

The Buckeye Trail at Boch Hollow State Nature Preserve

Ohio's 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop passes through or beside this park. Tap a section for its route, camping, water and resupply.

9 New Straitsville Section

61 miles · Morgan, Athens, Hocking, Perry
Seven miles of trail including the Buckeye Trail
4 parksTrail towns

Camping is not allowed in the preserve. Off-trail areas such as Robinson Falls need a written permit. Hocking Hills State Park has camping nearby.

Restaurants nearby

58 West
Brewery and distillery in historic downtown Logan. Closed Tuesdays
Directions
TheFeed
Excellent burgers, open daily
Directions

Gas stations nearby

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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