I feel like the numbers 2020 have forever scarred us all. However, thanks to the lock down I had more time on my hands to take up new hobbies. One of those hobbies was hiking. I have truly fallen in love with hiking any chance I get. I prefer to hike mountains but I’ll accept flat state parks with a gorgeous view. It not only provides me physical activity but it provides a mental break for me. I have come to the point where if I go too long without hiking my body and soul crave it immensely. I feel I get that similar sensation when I reach the top of a mountain and I am just sitting there reflecting on how far I had to go to get to the top and all of God’s marvelous creation below me, usually with a snack or two in hand.
In 2022 I went on 3 hiking trips and this year I hope to increase that number. The last trip I was able to take for the year was a quick weekend trip to Hocking Hills, Ohio. I wasn’t sure what type of hiking we would encounter but living in Indiana I had heard so much about Hocking Hills I knew I needed to check it out. The nice thing about Hocking Hills is that there is truly a trail for everyone, no matter your age or experience.
My gal pal and I decided to go the first weekend of November knowing it wouldn’t be too cold but in theory thinking there would be a small crowd. We could not have been more wrong, despite Hocking Hills being incredibly popular it was a random 75+ sunny day. The crowds were a lot larger than we anticipated but we still made the most of it. To help avoid some of those crowds (and children) I highly suggest getting there first thing in the morning to check out the popular trails and then as the day goes on head to the less popular trails for a more tranquil hiking experience.
It is helpful to stop in at the visitor center in the park. The employees are very helpful and actually give good recommendations for trails based on your experience level and the type of scenery you want to see most. I was hoping to give a great recommendation on all of the trails we hiked but (whether good or bad) there is very little cell phone service in Hocking Hills, meaning my All Trails app only logged 0.08 of our hike and resulting in me not able to save the trails we were on (side note that may have been a good indication it is time to upgrade to the paid app). I did not realize it was not still tracking at the time or I would have written down the trails. I can say that I know we did old man’s cave and Ash cave as 2 of the trails we went on that day.
Old man’s cave is a really cool trail because it has a nice variety of scenery and multiple points you can hop off and on for different trails. We hopped off one of the less traveled trails and it had quite a bit of a variety of terrain. The elevation wasn’t super crazy so if you aren’t used to hiking in high elevation it is a great park to start your hiking endeavors. We also explored the Cantwell Cliffs trail. This trail had a lot of tight spaces with steep inclines but the water falls and cliff formations were absolutely stunning. I wish the leaves would have still been on the trees when we went but I am excited to go back when it is green. I also cannot wait to explore more trails the next time I go and see if we can increase our mileage.
To save money my friend and I decided to use my equinox as a tent and embark on some car camping. Since neither of us had a tent and there was a chance of rain this seemed to be the best option. I ordered an air mattress made for an SUV (will link at the end of this post) and we packed sleeping bags and pillows, along with a holder for our ipad with a suction cup to stick to the back window. It did rain off and on so this was such a nice alternative as opposed to a tent with a rain tarp and hoping we assembled it all correctly. It was also nice because we felt a lot safer as we could lock ourselves in the car. I found a little private property in Altenbrauch farm that rents out campsites about 15 minutes from hocking hills, through the website hipcamp.
This campsite had fire pits set up at each camp ground and you can request wood ahead of time. They also provide a tent if you request it ahead of time. The downfall is that you probably would not want to spend more than a night or two here as there is only a cold solar powered shower and a portapotty. So if you are not into using one of those, taking a cold shower/going without or peeing in the woods probably is not the campsite for you. However, I do highly encourage you to use the hipcamp website or app as it is basically an air bnb for camping. We spent about $20 each for our campsite and the extra wood we purchased ahead of time from the host. I would probably bring my own wood next time to save money but I hadn’t even had my car for a month and I wasn’t willing to put wood in it.
If you have been debating if a trip to Hocking Hills is worth it I am here you tell you yes. You will not be disappointed. If you have to drive through or near Columbus to get to Hocking Hills you absolutely need to stop at Tase Cafe. They had the most phenomenal banana bread french toast. The mimosas were the perfect ratio of champagne and orange juice. Not to mention you can get your coffee spiked with bourbon. There isn’t a whole lot of seating but if it would have been a smidge warmer we would have taken advantage of the seating on the patio. It is tucked away on a side street in downtown Columbus. The staff are incredibly friendly and there is a wide variety of food on the menu. You will NOT be disappointed.
To shop my air mattress as well as some of my favorite hiking essentials follow my link here
Taia Jo 