A Hill of a Place to Hide

The geography of Ohio offers plenty of variety to those seeking a walk in the park of a hike in the hills. From plains to river valleys or canal towpaths to rolling hills, Ohio has a little bit of it all. One of the more unique and well-visited parks is in the Hocking Hills in southeastern Ohio. Old Man's Cave (see right, click to enlarge) is a popular destination located about an hour southeast of Columbus and not far from Athens, Ohio.

Named after an old hermit Richard Rowe who lived here (see left, click to enlarge), the massive outcropping of Old Man's Cave is staggering in its size. Less a typical cave, the outcropping is easily a hundred feet high and nearly has deep. The history of the cave is that Rowe's family moved to the Ohio River to set up a trading post and Richard wandered northward on hunting trips to the gorge of the outcropping named for him. Legend says he is buried under the ledge but its exact location neither recorded nor marked.

Hiking the trails around the cave can be a family affair but not for the less able. There are narrow trails and low head-room tunnels, slippery moss-covered and wet rocks and inclines of various angles. (see left, click to enlarge)


Several bridges span the creek along the basin of the hills (see right, click either to enlarge). A moss ensconced stone bridge crosses at the base of Old Man's Cave and offers great vantage points of this part of the park. Farther up the creek the trail winds to an artistic concrete, pedestal style bridge that seems to channel Franklin Lloyd Wright in its design. Gaps between blocks and no true rails upon which to hold while crossing make this a rather interesting span.


It is hard to put into perspective the sheer magnitude of Old Man's Cave. It would be easy to lose perspective in landscape photographs. Seeing the size of people in the distance walking along the ridge of the cave begins to give a sense of scope (see left, click to enlarge). Walking another ridge which seems to be the floor of the valley leads to steps upward with contradictory signs noting "to lower falls." Sometimes you have to go up to go down, as peering out over the rock ledge you indeed see that what was thought to be the valley floor only descends a hundred feet or more to what may -- or may not be -- the floor of the valley.

A day, or two, can be spent wandering the hills. The suburban middle-class weekend escape movement in the 1990s spawned many chalet, cabins and other getaway retreats that dot the land around the park. Even the Ohio state parks system offer cabins in the region for overnight stays. A Google search will yield countless results for weekend cabin deals.

Beyond the cave, there are a series of other geographic and geologic sites to see. Cedar Falls (see left, click to enlarge) is another popular stop that can be accessed either by a long hike from the cave or a short drive and descent back to the basin floor. Misidentified Hemlock trees became the moniker for the falls, as early inhabits thought the trees to be Cedar. There are no Cedar trees in the area.

A grist mill once sat atop the bluff as the creek rambles over the rocks and drops some hundred feet below. A neat architecturally attractive bridge crosses the creek near the mill. The falls are a popular site for photography buffs, the entire park draws amateur and professional photographers alike. There is an annual contest with many different categories that offer some incredible results. There are literally hundreds of thousands of images that turn up on a Google Image search of "old mans cave"!

It's hard to fathom the power of nature, but Old Man's Cave shows both the natural and man-made interaction between weather and geography. Several markers explain the geologic action between earth, rock, water and wind but the most unique interaction is man made. In 1998 a massive storm system produced 100-year flood waters that bulldozed water and debris through the basin floor. Every man-made bridge that crossed the creek along the basin was destroyed. It took closed much of the park for several years while the area was cleared and rebuilt.

Symbolic to the destruction that nature causes, one of the steel-span foot bridges was salvaged to be used again. The force of the water and debris and bent both girders and hey have been re-used in sort of tribute to nature. What seems like a nice, new curved foot bridge across the creek is in actuality the bent girders from the storm that demolished the bridge (see left, click to enlarge). The signage that explains all of this playfully reminds the reader that nature will again someday wreak havoc through the valley.

Playing to the popularity of the park, a nice sized visitor's center (see right, click to enlarge) with ample parking and modern amenities precedes the descent into the cave. Serving as a nature center and museum, the center has explanations of the geography and the wildlife you are about to meet. There is also a gift shop and snack stand.

It may not be the only time you find yourself between a rock and hard place, but you'd be tough to find a more picturesque one.

- J.