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.
Popular:
  • 117parks & forests
  • 64ancient mounds
  • 34waterfalls
  • 40historic sites
  • 33road trips

Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0

Explore by type

What are you in the mood for?

See every place →

Plan a trip

Explore Ohio

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

Lake ErieWest Virginia36 places368 places813 places135 places523 places2321 places2124 places2416 places1613 places134 places418 places182 places217 places1710 places1014 places142 places27 places76 places613 places133 places34 places414 places143 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places22 places22 places26 places64 places4

Tap a symbol for a preview, or search for a place. Open the key to show or hide categories.

Parks, forests & wildlife areas

Find a park

117 parks in 7 regions
The sandstone rim and hemlocks above Ash Cave

Ash Cave Falls

South Bloomingville · Hocking County
Seasonal plunge over the rim of the largest recess cave in Ohio
90 ftheight
Easywalk
Yesaccessible overlook

Ash Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0

Ohio's largest recess cave, with a thin seasonal waterfall spilling 90 feet from its rim.

Height
About 90 feet
Trail
About 0.5 mile round trip, paved
Accessibility
Lower gorge trail is wheelchair accessible
Managed by
ODNR Division of Parks and Watercraft
Best time
Late winter through spring, after rain or snowmelt
Cave rim
Horseshoe shaped, spans about 700 feet

When it flows

Runs best in late winter and spring after rain or snowmelt. Often thins to a light trickle or stops entirely by summer and fall.

The story

Ash Cave is the largest recess cave in Ohio, a horseshoe shaped overhang about 700 feet around, formed as groundwater and frost slowly undercut a softer layer within the Blackhand sandstone while the harder cap rock above stayed intact. The falls is simply the small creek above the cave dropping off that rim, so it depends entirely on recent rain or snowmelt to run with any force. Archaeological evidence shows people used the shelter as long as 7,000 years ago, and Shawnee, Delaware and Wyandot travelers passed through in the 1600s and 1700s on routes between villages in what is now West Virginia and central Ohio.

Early settlers named the cave for the huge piles of ash found on its floor, reportedly as much as three or four hundred bushels in 1837, most likely built up from centuries of campfires used by travelers sheltering there. The state of Ohio bought 146 acres here in 1924 to establish what became Hocking Hills State Park, and Civilian Conservation Corps crews, including Company 505, built trails, steps and stone masonry throughout the site in the 1930s. The cave's unusual acoustics, sometimes called a whispering gallery, have made it a site for outdoor meetings, weddings and concerts.

Stay behind railings and on marked trails. Wet rock at the top and base of a falls is slick in every season, and most Ohio falls do not allow swimming, wading or climbing. Flow depends on rain: many falls are a trickle in late summer and at their best after a wet spell, in spring, or frozen in a hard winter.

Visiting information you can trust

Check before driving — this site is seasonal, approximate, privately run, or otherwise uncertain. Confirm hours and access with the official source above.
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
Approximate — boundary or exact point not confirmed
Approximate location, use the address or trailhead
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures

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.

Getting to the falls

About a half mile round trip on a paved, wheelchair accessible path along the gorge floor to the cave and the base of the falls.

Status
Open to the public
Hours
Half hour before sunrise to half hour after sunset, daily
Cost
Free
Phone
(740) 385-6842
Managed by
Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Watercraft
Please note
Stay on the marked trail; No wading or swimming in the falls or creek; Leashed, non aggressive pets are permitted.
Address
27291 State Route 56, South Bloomingville, OH 43152
Official page →DirectionsShow on the map

The pin on the map is approximate; use the address or the park's own directions to find the trailhead.

Trails close for repairs, ice and high water. Check the official page before a long drive.

More falls nearby

Whispering Falls
About 2 miles · 100 to 105 ft
Open
Cedar Falls
About 2 miles · 50 ft
Open
Lower Falls at Old Man's Cave
About 3 miles · 25 ft
Open
Upper Falls at Old Man's Cave
About 3 miles · 15 ft
Open

Parks nearby

Hocking Hills State Park
The falls is inside this park
Open
Hocking State Forest
About 4 miles · Surrounds the state park units
Open
Lake Hope State Park
About 11 miles · State park to the south
Open
Boch Hollow State Nature Preserve
About 18 miles · Nature preserve to the north
Open

Caves

Ash Cave
Recess cave (sandstone)
Open

Road trips

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

Buckeye Trail

Old Man's Cave Section
On or near the Buckeye Trail
Open

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

Know a place that belongs here, or spotted something out of date? Email hello@fieldnotesohio.com.