I don't like looking at places before I go to them, because I like to be surprised. Hocking Hills was a great surprise! I remember seeing pictures of it on someone's Facebook page years ago, and then had to quickly click away and not look at them, because the glance of it convinced me I wanted to go.
As a result, I didn't know which hikes we should go on. We drove to the Visitor Center, and even though the internet said it was open, it was not. I was disappointed, but then like magic, a lovely ranger opened the doors a half hour early and invited us in.
She gave us exactly what we wanted - a physical map and suggestions of the best hikes. Glorious! This is why I love visitor centers and knowledgeable rangers.
Old Man's Cave
This hike starts right from the Visitor Center. It was so amazing. Every turn - a new waterfall, a new cliff, turns in the river, caves you can climb into and lie down! It was breathtakingly beautiful. If you can only go on one hike, go on this one.
Cedar Falls
It is possible to hike here from Old Man's Cave, but it's also possible to drive to a parking lot and hike directly there, which is what we did. Everything is very well marked, but we often did not have cell service. Physical map to the rescue! This is only a half mile and leads to... you guessed it, a gorgeous waterfall.
Ash Cave
Again, we drove and parked at this trailhead. This one looked like a movie set, it was so dramatic. The waterfall and scene was so pretty, and also really easy to get to, so it was super popular.
Cantwell Cliffs
The guide told us that this one required you to be careful, because there were cliffs you could fall off of, and she wasn't being dramatic! It went right along sheer cliffs where you could die. It was all I could do to not hold my kids' hands and lead them away from it like a gentle shepherd. Instead I yelled at them for getting too close and apologized as soon as they were out of danger. But - I wasn't afraid for me at all! It was exhilarating!
These four hikes were great, and when I go back, I'll go on the other three. This is a gorgeous place, and I loved it.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Logan, Ohio, which was nice and close to the park. We ate at the Hungry Buffalo, which was super kitchy-cute and had great food.
Columbus Zoo & Aquarium
This is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas, but some things are closed except for in the summer, plus all of the bird things were closed for avian flu. However! There were so many things open that we spent five hours here seeing it all! And we did see it all - gorillas, elephants, fruit bats, rhinoceros, and animals we've never seen before. We loved watching the seals swim, the manatees eat heads of lettuce, and we loved touching the sting rays. They came up to you like they were dogs and you would pet them. I didn't ever think a sting ray would come up to be petted on purpose. What do you know?!
We stayed the night before at the Hilton Garden Inn in Dublin, Ohio, which was just 11 miles from the zoo. The night before Kris found an awesome place for dinner - Pins. It was a happening place! It's full of arcade games, and they're all free. For money, you can play ping pong or go mini bowling. You can eat there or order in food. It was such a cool, entertaining place.
Hiking with my family is my favorite thing to do, and we had a great time ... even on the cliffs. Totally a great place - way to go Ohio!
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment