The History of the Caves in the Hocking Hills

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orange-n-brown 365
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The History of the Caves in the Hocking Hills

Post by orange-n-brown 365 »

Ash Cave

Ash Cave, located in the Hocking Hills State Park, is named for large amounts of ashes that early settlers discovered in the cave. These settlers believed that Native Americans used Ash Cave for shelter and that the resultant ashes were from the campfires. Ash Cave was also used by early Hocking Hills settlers as a temporary church.

Ash Cave is also the largest recess cave in Ohio and measures nearly 700 feet from end to end, by 100 feet deep from front to rear, and 90 feet high from floor to roof. The horseshoe-shaped Ash Cave is in the southern portion of the Hocking Hills State Park and those hiking to the cave approach through a tree-lined gorge and valley floor rich with native wildflowers. A tributary of the East Fork of Queer Creek, which created Ash Cave, still flows over the rim forming a pool below.

Visitors to Ash Cave will note that the cave is not only enormous size but also possesses incredible acoustic qualities. Ash Cave offers Picnic facilities, as do many Hocking Hills State Park tourist attractions. In addition, the trail to Ash cave is handicap accessible.


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Re: The history of the caves in the Hocking hills

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Old Man's Cave
Old Man's Cave is one of Ohio's most popular natural attractions in Ohio, and is one of the six major areas of the Hocking Hills State Park. The cave is a natural formation that has been carved into a gorge by the flow of the Salt Creek and melting glaciers. While the cave is relatively small, the gorge runs for about a half mile, and reaches a depth of roughly 150 feet at the deepest point. The area is marked by five distinct areas: Upper Falls, Upper Gorge, Middle Falls, Lower Falls and Lower Gorge.

Archaeologists have been able to document that Native Americans visited the Hocking Hills region for thousands of years before settlers of European descent came to Southeast Ohio. It was in 1795 when brothers Nathaniel and Pat Rayon built a cabin near what would later be known as Old Man's Cave. The brothers are believed to be buried within or very nearby the cave.

The cave was given its name in the 1800s after Richard Rowe and his family moved from Tennessee to Ohio in the late 1700s. Rowe eventually became a hermit, and lived in the cave. He was known to travel along the Scioto River with his two dogs in search of wild game. It was during one of these trips that he came across the Hocking Hills region. Legend has it that Rowe's final resting place is within the cave itself.

In 1924, the State of Ohio purchased 146 acres of land in Hocking Hills, which included Old Man's Cave. The parks was owned and operated by the Ohio Department of Forestry at that time. Then, in 1949, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Division of Parks assumed control of the cave.

For those interested in hiking through the gorge, Grandma Gatewood Trail runs five miles from Old Man's Cave to Ash Cave. Along the way, you can enjoy fantastic rock formations with names like the Devil's Bathtub and Sphinx Head. You can also visit Cedar Falls and other five major areas of Hocking Hills State Park - Ash Cave, Conkle's Hollow, Cantwell Cliffs and Rock House.

Old Man's Cave is located just off State Route 664 across from the parking lot at Hocking Hills State Park.


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Re: The history of the caves in the Hocking hills

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Rock House

Rock House, located in the Hocking Hills State park, is one of Ohio's most popular natural history attractions. In addition, Rock House is unique to the Hocking Hills area in that it is the the only true cave in the Hocking Hills State Park.

Rock House, the product of erosion, is situated midway up a 150 foot cliff of Black Hand sandstone. Rock House is approximately 25 feet high, 200 feet long, and 20 to 30 feet wide. Visitors to Rock house will notice 7 window-like openings that allow sunlight into the cave and several large sandstone columns that support the cave's roof.

Rock House is named so for two reasons. The first reason is that the cave resembles a house and the second reason is that archaeological evidence shows that various groups have used the cave as shelter. Native Americans inhabited the cave and constructed small ovens in the rock walls and dug water troughs in the cave's floor. Supposedly, during the 1800s, robbers, bandits, and bootleggers hid in the Rock House, leading many local residents to refer to it as "Robbers' Roost."

Prior to the establishment of the Hocking Hills State Park, Rock House had long been a local attraction. There are a number of dated carvings in the rock which attest to this long-standing popularity. In 1835, Logan, Ohio businessman F.F. Rempel built a 16-room hotel a short distance away from Rock House. The hotel included a ballroom, livery stable, and even a U.S. post office.


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Re: The history of the caves in the Hocking hills

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Conkle's Hollow

Conkle's Hollow is on Ohio State Nature Preserve located in the Hocking Hills State Park. It is one of the most scenic natural history areas in Ohio. Conkle's Hollow's sheer sandstone cliffs, carved from Blackhand sandstone, rise nearly 200 feet above the valley floor. Conkle's Hollow was named for W.J. Conkle, an early visitor to the area, who in 1797 carved his name and the date into the Black Hand sandstone on the west wall of the gorge.

According to a local Hocking Hills legend, a group of Native Americans once hid stolen money in a small opening high up on the gorge's west wall. As the legend goes, they robbed a group of settlers traveling along the Ohio River of a large amount money. Then they journeyed to Conkle's Hollow to hide the stolen goods. To reach the opening high up the cliff wall, the they chopped down a tall hemlock tree and then climbed up, using it as a ladder, to hide the money. They then pushed the tree to the ground, so it could not be used again. In order to find the cache, they carved an arrow on the eastern wall of the gorge pointing to the secret hiding place. They had intended to use a second tree to reclaim the money, but a storm knocked the tree down before the natives could return for the money. According to legend, the money was never been found although many early settlers claimed to have seen the arrow carving.

Conkle's Hollow's valley floor is lushly covered by a profusion of native plants, wildflowers, and hardwood forests. While the growth is so thick in places that little or no sunlight reaches the deep valley floor, the Lower Gorge trail was recently redesigned to accommodate visitors of all abilities. The trail leading up the narrow, as little as 300 feet from cliff to cliff in some places, half-mile long ravine is surrounded by vertical cliffs rising over 200 feet above. Experienced hikers may also want to try the rim trail on top of the cliffs circling the gorge. The cliffs at the top of Conkle's Hollow are some of the highest in the Hocking Hills State Park and provide visitors with magnificent views.

Conkle's Hollow is approximately 12 miles south of Logan on State Rte 664, 1 mile north on State Rte 374, and 1/4 mile east on Big Pine Rd to the entrance. Visitors to Conkle's hollow will find access to parking, restrooms, and an extensive trail system.

When visiting Conkle's Hollow, please be sure to abide by the Nature Preserve Rules and Regulations that have been published by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.


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Re: The history of the caves in the Hocking hills

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Cantwell Cliffs

Cantwell Cliffs is one of the six major areas of the Hocking Hills State Park, and has been described as the most picturesque location in Hocking County. The cliffs are located about 17 miles from the Hocking Hills State Park's most popular attraction, Old Man’s Cave.

The cliffs stand approximately 150 feet high and overlook Buck Run. A waterfall from Buck Run also flows over a portion of the cliffs, and the erosion this has caused over the ages accounts for the deep valley, steep cliffs, and rock shelter under the cliff.

Visitors to Cantwell Cliffs may chose to follow either the trails of the valley floor or the rim. Hikers who choose the East Rim Trail will be rewarded by a scenic view of the cliff and rock shelter at Lookout Point. Hikers approaching the rock shelter will find that the trail winds its way through narrow passageways caused by large slump blocks that have fallen away from the main cliff.

Cantwell Cliffs is the least visited of the Hocking Hills State Park attractions, but many people believe this area contains some of the park's most beautiful features.

The other major natural attractions of Hocking Hills State Park are Old Man's Cave, Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, Conkle's Hollow and Rock House.


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Re: The history of the caves in the Hocking hills

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Cedar Falls

Cedar Falls, part of the Hocking Hills State Park, is one of Ohio's most popular natural history attractions. In addition, Cedar Falls is the largest waterfall, by water volume, in the Hocking Hills region. Cedar Falls is actually a misnomer in that the falls were named by early settlers who mistook the area's abundant hemlock trees for cedar trees and incorrectly named the falls.

Cedar Falls is located on Queer Creek and the trail leading to the falls passes through a chasm thick with hemlock and lined by steep rock walls, grottos, and waterfalls. Visitors to the falls have characterized the area as "wild and lonely but spectacularly beautiful." The water from Cedar Falls drops approximately fifty feet into a ravine at the bottom of the falls. In the mid 1800’s, early settlers constructed a grist mill at the top of the falls. The mill was positioned to take advantage of the power generated by the flow of water over the falls and the remains of the mill still stand today.

Visitors to Cedar Falls will find that a picnic area and latrines are located within a short walk from the falls.


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Re: The history of the caves in the Hocking hills

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I have visited Hocking Hills on numerous occasions over the past 30 years or so and when I was younger my uncle and I would spend a few days hiking and camping along all of the many miles of trails that traverse the area. It is a beautiful place to vist and if you've never been there then you need to make arrangements to go. Most of the attractions are fairly easy to access, so even if you have problems hiking you can stiil see the sites. Also, if you ever get the chance make sure you go on the winter hike. To see everything covered in snow and all of the falls frozen over is a site to behold.


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Re: The history of the caves in the Hocking hills

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orange-n-brown 365 wrote:Conkle's Hollow

Conkle's Hollow is on Ohio State Nature Preserve located in the Hocking Hills State Park. It is one of the most scenic natural history areas in Ohio. Conkle's Hollow's sheer sandstone cliffs, carved from Blackhand sandstone, rise nearly 200 feet above the valley floor. Conkle's Hollow was named for W.J. Conkle, an early visitor to the area, who in 1797 carved his name and the date into the Black Hand sandstone on the west wall of the gorge.

According to a local Hocking Hills legend, a group of Native Americans once hid stolen money in a small opening high up on the gorge's west wall. As the legend goes, they robbed a group of settlers traveling along the Ohio River of a large amount money. Then they journeyed to Conkle's Hollow to hide the stolen goods. To reach the opening high up the cliff wall, the they chopped down a tall hemlock tree and then climbed up, using it as a ladder, to hide the money. They then pushed the tree to the ground, so it could not be used again. In order to find the cache, they carved an arrow on the eastern wall of the gorge pointing to the secret hiding place. They had intended to use a second tree to reclaim the money, but a storm knocked the tree down before the natives could return for the money. According to legend, the money was never been found although many early settlers claimed to have seen the arrow carving.

Conkle's Hollow's valley floor is lushly covered by a profusion of native plants, wildflowers, and hardwood forests. While the growth is so thick in places that little or no sunlight reaches the deep valley floor, the Lower Gorge trail was recently redesigned to accommodate visitors of all abilities. The trail leading up the narrow, as little as 300 feet from cliff to cliff in some places, half-mile long ravine is surrounded by vertical cliffs rising over 200 feet above. Experienced hikers may also want to try the rim trail on top of the cliffs circling the gorge. The cliffs at the top of Conkle's Hollow are some of the highest in the Hocking Hills State Park and provide visitors with magnificent views.

Conkle's Hollow is approximately 12 miles south of Logan on State Rte 664, 1 mile north on State Rte 374, and 1/4 mile east on Big Pine Rd to the entrance. Visitors to Conkle's hollow will find access to parking, restrooms, and an extensive trail system.

When visiting Conkle's Hollow, please be sure to abide by the Nature Preserve Rules and Regulations that have been published by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.


The rim trail at Conkle's Hollow so far has been my favorite trail of all I've hiked on. The views are breathtaking. Now that I've read about Cantwell Cliffs, I'd like to hike that one. BurgGrad77, we've never done the winter hike and am going to try to get it on my list this year, but I guarantee you the trails will be slick. We went hiking there in February (I think) and a lot of trails still had ice patches, especially when you drop down into the Old Man's Cave section.


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Re: The history of the caves in the Hocking hills

Post by orange-n-brown 365 »

my mom lived in that area as a little girl and they use to see bear tracks there :122246 it appears the Hocking Hills will be the senior picture area this year I lost my job thank goodness! the pressure is off now!


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Re: The history of the caves in the Hocking hills

Post by noreply66 »

The winter hike is tops when there is snow.


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Re: The History of the Caves in the Hocking Hills

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Good read


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Re: The History of the Caves in the Hocking Hills

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Man! Does that bring back some memories!

I was there several times with my aunt and uncle from Upper Arlington. It was one their favorite places to go. HHSP and Mammoth Caves were my favs....and still are!!

Thank you!


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