Hocking Hills in January is a different park. Frozen waterfalls hang from the sandstone cliffs like cathedral pipes. The hemlocks stand sharp against snow-dusted rock. The summer crowds are gone — some trails you'll have entirely to yourself. It's the best-kept secret in the park calendar, and it's also the season that puts the most hikers in the emergency room.
The difference between a magical winter hike and a broken ankle is mostly gear. Here are the five trails that work well in winter conditions, the two you should skip until spring, and what you actually need on your feet to make any of this safe.
The non-negotiable: traction devices
Hiking boots alone are not enough. The Hocking Hills trails feature stone steps, wooden bridges, and slick sandstone ledges — all of which ice over in winter, and many of which remain icy long after the surrounding forest has thawed because the gorges hold cold air and shade.
You need one of these three:
- Microspikes (Kahtoola or similar) — the gold standard. Metal spikes on a rubber harness that slips over any boot. Excellent on ice, fine on rock, the best all-around choice. Typically $60–80.
- Traction cleats (Yaktrax Walkers or similar) — coil chains on rubber. Less aggressive than microspikes, lighter, fine on moderate ice. Budget-friendly at $20–30.
- Crampons — heavier and more aggressive than microspikes; overkill for Hocking Hills unless you're heading out during an extreme cold snap.
Every winter, multiple hikers are injured on Hocking Hills trails because they wore regular boots — or worse, sneakers — on icy stone steps. One of the most photographed slip-and-fall spots is the staircase descending into Old Man's Cave gorge. People slide down the stairs a dozen steps at a time. Sometimes they walk away bruised. Sometimes they don't walk away at all. If the forecast is below freezing, wear traction or stay home.
The five trails that work in winter
Ash Cave (paved lower trail)
The easiest winter hike in the park and often the most dramatic. The paved lower trail leads through a hemlock gorge to the largest recess cave in Ohio — a massive sandstone horseshoe with a 90-foot waterfall at its mouth. In winter, that waterfall freezes into a towering ice pillar. The trail is paved and nearly flat, making it usable even by visitors who can't handle ice-covered steps. Good for families, older visitors, and anyone easing into winter hiking.
Conkle's Hollow Gorge Trail
The flat one-mile loop at the base of Conkle's Hollow is one of the best winter hikes in the region. You walk through a narrow gorge — one of the deepest in Ohio — with 200-foot sandstone cliffs rising straight up on both sides. In winter, the seeps along the cliff walls produce sheets of ice, and the creek in the gorge often freezes completely. The trail itself is gravel and flat, which means even in icy conditions it's manageable with traction cleats. Note: no pets allowed at Conkle's Hollow — this is the only Hocking Hills area with that restriction.
Old Man's Cave (with microspikes)
The signature Hocking Hills hike transforms completely in winter. Upper Falls freezes. Lower Falls freezes. The Devil's Bathtub — the swirling pothole carved into the creek bed — often ices over. Broken Rock Falls, farther down the gorge, turns into a wall of icicles. The trail is stunning. It's also genuinely dangerous: stone steps, wooden bridges, narrow ledges, and slick sandstone are everywhere. Go with microspikes (not just cleats) and take your time. The gorge is deeply shaded, which means conditions can be icy even on sunny afternoons.
Whispering Cave via Hemlock Bridge Trail
The newest trail in the park, opened in 2017, and beautifully engineered for winter. The route starts at the Hocking Hills Lodge area, crosses the Hemlock Bridge (a 75-foot suspension bridge), and leads to Whispering Cave — a 300-foot-wide recess cave with a 105-foot waterfall. In winter, the waterfall reduces to a drizzle or freezes completely into icicles clinging to the cave's rim. The trail has stairs but is generally less icy than Old Man's Cave because it catches more sun. Cleats minimum; microspikes if conditions are bad.
Rock House (lower trail)
Rock House is the only true cave (not recess cave) in Hocking Hills — a 200-foot corridor with natural window openings through the cliff face. In winter, pigeons roost inside for warmth, and light shafts through the windows onto ice-dusted stone floors. The approach trail has stone steps that ice over, so traction helps. Once you're inside the cave itself, it's dry and protected. Short but remarkable — a 30-minute hike that's genuinely different from anything else in the park.
The two to skip in winter
Conkle's Hollow Rim Trail
The Rim Trail is 2.5 miles of dirt path running along the top edge of Conkle's Hollow — 200 feet above the gorge floor, with no railings. In summer, it's a moderate hike with amazing overlooks. In winter, it's a death trap. The trail surface is dirt and rock that ices over unevenly, the drop-offs are vertical and unmarked, and the combination of wet leaves plus a thin ice layer has caused multiple serious falls over the years.
Come back for the Rim Trail in spring or fall. In January, take the Gorge Trail instead — same park, same rock formations, dramatically safer footing.
Cantwell Cliffs
Cantwell Cliffs is already the most physically demanding of the seven Hocking Hills areas. The loop involves stone steps, narrow passages (including the famous "Fat Woman's Squeeze" — a literal narrow gap through the rock you have to descend sideways through), and steep gorge-floor scrambling. In winter, every one of those elements becomes dangerous:
- Stone steps ice over unevenly.
- The narrow passage becomes slippery and claustrophobic.
- The gorge floor accumulates a sheet of ice that's hard to detect under leaf litter.
- The trail is the most remote of the seven — help is further away if something goes wrong.
Cantwell Cliffs is wonderful in October and May. In January, pick something else.
The Annual Winter Hike
Worth knowing about even if you're not a joiner: the ODNR Annual Winter Hike is one of the oldest continuously-running winter hiking events in the United States. It started in 1965 under Park Naturalist Norv Hall with about 60 participants. It now routinely draws over 3,000 hikers.
The hike is six miles, traditionally held on the third Saturday of January, and follows the Grandma Gatewood Trail from Upper Falls at Old Man's Cave through Cedar Falls to Ash Cave. At the halfway point — Cedar Falls — the local Kiwanis Club serves bean soup and cornbread (donation-supported). Shuttle service returns hikers from Ash Cave to the Old Man's Cave parking area.
This is not an easy walk. Park organizers are explicit: it's a six-mile winter hike with significant elevation change, icy stairs in places, and wet leaf litter for miles. If you're not fit enough to hike six miles in normal conditions, you won't enjoy the winter version.
The Winter Hike has been canceled only once in its 60-year history — for the Blizzard of 1978. Even then, about 70 hikers showed up anyway. 1977 saw temperatures of 19 below zero. The tradition is genuinely hardcore.
What to wear, what to bring
- Layered clothing. Base layer (moisture-wicking), mid layer (fleece or wool), shell (waterproof). You warm up fast when hiking and cool down fast when you stop.
- Waterproof boots. Your feet will get wet from snow melt. Wet cotton socks inside leather boots is how hypothermia starts.
- Traction device. See above. Non-negotiable on any gorge trail.
- Trekking poles. Substantially more stability on ice. Collapsible ones fit in a day pack.
- Hat and gloves. Exposed skin cools fast in gorge microclimates.
- Water. Dehydration happens in winter; you just don't feel thirsty as early.
- Headlamp. Dusk comes by 5:30 PM in January, and cell phone flashlights die fast in cold.
- Tell someone your plan. Cell service is spotty in the gorges. If something goes wrong, you need someone on the outside who knows when to worry.
The best winter hikes in Hocking Hills feel like you've been let into a secret. The worst ones feel like you're about to become a headline.
Base yourself right
Winter weekends reward staying in a cabin with a real fireplace and coming back to it after each hike. Most Hocking Hills cabins have wood-burning or gas fireplaces; book one, plan short outings, and come back to warm up between them. The shorter winter daylight makes this rhythm natural — hike in the morning, warm up over lunch, head out for a late-afternoon trail, come back to the fire by 5.
Short days, frozen waterfalls, empty trails. If you haven't done a winter Hocking Hills weekend, it's worth doing once. Just bring the spikes.