A full moon rises as the sun sets. That's the whole trick, and on Sunday, October 25, 2026 it means the Hunter's Moon — a supermoon this year — comes up over the eastern ridges of Hocking Hills within minutes of the 6:36 p.m. sunset. The complication is that state park trails close at dusk. So the hike is a sunset hike that ends at the trailhead as the moon appears, not a moonlit hike through the gorge. Done right, it's better.
The astronomy, briefly
The Hunter's Moon is the first full moon after the Harvest Moon. In 2026 it reaches full at 12:12 a.m. Eastern on Monday, October 26, so the evening of Sunday the 25th is the show. It's a supermoon — near its closest approach to Earth, a little bigger and brighter than average — and like all autumn full moons it has the shallow rising angle that keeps moonrise close to sunset for several nights running. Saturday the 24th and Monday the 26th are near-identical backups.
The rule you have to plan around
Hocking Hills State Park's trail areas close at dusk. That's not a suggestion; the lots are gated and rangers sweep. A full-moon hike through Old Man's Cave is not a thing you can do, and night hiking in the park is a guide to why you shouldn't try. What you can do is be on the trail for the last hour of light and be back at the car as the moon comes up — and because moonrise is at sunset, the timing works out on its own. For legal after-dark options, after-dark trails covers the places that stay open.
Three sunset-to-moonrise routes
Ash Cave loop, then the parking lot
Start at 5:30 p.m. Walk the flat half-mile in to the recess cave in warm side-light, take the rim return if you want the climb, and be at the lot by 6:20. The Ash Cave parking area sits in a relatively open bowl; walk to the east edge of the lot and the moon comes up over the tree line right around 6:40. This is the one for families and anyone who wants the moon more than the hike.
Conkle's Hollow rim, counterclockwise
Start at 4:45 p.m. The rim faces the setting sun on the western overlooks and the color goes gold, then orange, then the far wall lights up. Be off the rim and descending by 6:10 and at the car by 6:30. The trailhead lot is in the hollow, so you won't see the moonrise from there; drive the five minutes out to SR 374 and pull off at an east-facing gap. Read the October rim guide first: leaves hide the edge, and dusk on the rim is not the time to be near it.
John Glenn Astronomy Park
Not a trail — a short walk from the lot to the observing plaza a mile from the Old Man's Cave visitor center. The park was built with an open horizon for exactly this. Public programs run Friday and Saturday nights; Sunday the 25th may or may not have one scheduled, so check the JGAP guide for registration and hours before planning on it after dark. On the program night of Saturday the 24th, the nearly full moon through the park's big telescope is worth the trip on its own.
What you'll see
The moon at the horizon is orange and looks enormous — the color is the atmosphere, the size is the moon illusion, and both fade within fifteen minutes as it climbs. By 8 p.m. it's high, white, and bright enough to cast shadows and read by. On a ridge-top cabin deck with the lights off, the hollows below fill with silver and the color in the trees is still faintly visible. The Orionid meteors (peak around October 21) will be mostly washed out by the 25th; the fall meteor guide explains the earlier, darker nights.
Then the cabin
The walk ends at 6:30. The rest of the night is the moon from the deck, the fire, and the hot tub — which is why the cabin's orientation matters more than usual this weekend. East-facing decks on ridges get the whole show; creek-bottom cabins get it late. Cabins for the Hunter's Moon sorts them.
Book the deck that faces east
A ridge cabin with an east-facing deck turns the moonrise into the evening. October 23–26.
Find a cabin with a view →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hike Hocking Hills trails under the full moon?
Not in the state park — trail areas close at dusk and the lots are gated. Plan a golden-hour hike that ends at the trailhead by about 6:30 p.m. on October 25, 2026; the moon rises within minutes of the 6:36 sunset, so you'll see it come up from the lot or from an open pull-off.
Where is the best place to see the Hunter's Moon rise in Hocking Hills?
Anywhere with an open eastern horizon: the Ash Cave parking area, John Glenn Astronomy Park's observing plaza, an east-facing pull-off along SR 374 or SR 664, or a ridge-top cabin deck. The gorge trailheads in the hollows see it late.
Is the October 25, 2026 moon a supermoon?
Yes. The Hunter's Moon reaches full at 12:12 a.m. EDT on October 26 near the moon's closest approach to Earth, so it appears slightly larger and brighter than an average full moon. The 24th and 26th are nearly as full.