If you've done Old Man's Cave, Ash Cave, and Cedar Falls — and you're ready for something that feels less like a national park and more like backcountry — the area southeast of the main Hocking Hills corridor holds trails and back roads that most visitors never find. Wildcat Hollow in Wayne National Forest and the network of gravel roads through the Hocking State Forest offer fall hiking and driving with genuine solitude.
Wildcat Hollow Trail: Wayne National Forest
Located in the Athens District of Wayne National Forest, Wildcat Hollow is the most popular hiking trail on the district — but "popular" is relative. On a typical fall weekday, you might see a handful of other hikers all day. Compared to the state park trails, it feels like wilderness.
The trail offers two loop options:
Short Loop (5 miles): A moderate day hike through mixed hardwood forest, pine plantations, open meadows, and along stream bottoms. The terrain is rolling — no single climb is strenuous, but the cumulative elevation gain keeps it interesting. Good for a half-day outing when you want a real hike without committing to an all-day effort.
Long Loop (15 miles): A full backpacking loop along ridgetops and through creek valleys. The landscape alternates between dense deciduous forest, stands of white pine, rock outcrops, and quiet stream corridors. This is an overnight trip for most hikers — dispersed camping is allowed throughout the national forest (no designated sites, no permits required, no fees).
The trail is marked with white diamond blazes and is generally well-maintained, though sections can become muddy after rain and overgrown in summer. By fall, the vegetation has died back and the trail is easier to follow.
Water note: There are no potable water sources on the Wildcat Hollow trails. The Forest Service recommends against drinking even filtered water from streams within Wayne National Forest due to the possibility of mine runoff contamination. Carry all the water you need, or cache water at road crossings (Chapel Hill Road at 5.7 miles, Irish Ridge Road at 7.3 miles on the long loop).
Getting to Wildcat Hollow
The trailhead is off County Road 58 near Glouster, Ohio — roughly 30 minutes east of Logan and about 45 minutes from the Old Man's Cave area. From Athens, take OH-13 north for approximately 17 miles. The trailhead has a parking lot and a boot-brush station (help prevent the spread of invasive plants by cleaning your boots before and after hiking).
Fall Color on the Back Roads
The network of gravel and paved back roads through Hocking State Forest, Zaleski State Forest, and the surrounding townships offers some of the best low-commitment fall color viewing in the region. Unlike the main state park trails, these roads see almost no traffic. Roll the windows down, drive slowly, and stop wherever the color catches your eye.
A few routes worth exploring:
- Big Pine Road through Hocking State Forest — gravel road through dense canopy, particularly striking when the sugar maples are at peak.
- Gibisonville Road to Sheick Hollow — winding through one of the more remote sections of the state forest.
- SR 278 south from Nelsonville to Lake Hope — paved and scenic, passing through Zaleski and into the Lake Hope corridor.
These drives pair well with a Wildcat Hollow hike: drive the forest roads in the morning when the light is soft and fog lingers in the hollows, hike in the afternoon, and end up at Lake Hope for dinner at the lodge (if it's open — check seasonal hours).
Who These Trails Are For
Wildcat Hollow and the back-road alternatives are best suited for hikers who want a more immersive, less curated experience than the state park offers. There are no handrails, no paved paths, no informational kiosks. Navigation is by blaze and map. The reward is solitude, genuine wildness, and the feeling of being in the forest rather than moving through a managed attraction.
