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Old Man's Cave

The most popular trail in Hocking Hills State Park and the starting point for the six-mile Grandma Gatewood Trail. Named after Richard Rowe, a hermit who lived in the massive recess cave from roughly 1796 until his death — he's buried beneath the ledge.

Highlights

Upper Falls, Devil's Bathtub, Sphinx Head, Turtle Rock, Eagle Rock, Old Man's Cave recess, Lower Falls, CCC stonework

The Trail

Old Man's Cave is actually five distinct areas linked along Old Man's Creek: Upper Falls, Upper Gorge, Middle Falls (including Devil's Bathtub), the cave itself, and Lower Falls with the Lower Gorge. The trail is a one-way loop with two exit options — Exit 1 (1.0 mile) ends at the Naturalist Cabin near Old Man's Cave, while Exit 2 (1.5 miles) continues past the cave to Lower Falls via a steep winding stairway before climbing back to the Visitor Center.

The gorge is carved through Black Hand sandstone — a coarse-grained formation approximately 340 million years old, deposited when this region lay beneath a shallow inland sea. The sandstone here is about 130 feet thick, and the signature features were created by differential erosion: water infiltrates the porous middle layer, dissolves cementing minerals, and carries away loosened sand grains over millennia.

Devil's Bathtub is a smooth, cylindrical plunge pool carved by swirling water — you'll cross a rock bridge directly over it. Look for named formations along the way: Sphinx Head resembles an Egyptian profile, Turtle Rock has a dome-shaped shell, and Eagle Rock juts into the gorge like a raptor's beak. Much of the stone infrastructure — steps, bridges, tunnels — was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and remains in use today.

A 0.25-mile two-way spur trail branches to Broken Rock Falls, which sees significantly fewer visitors than the main route. From the A-Frame Bridge near the Naturalist Cabin, you can also access the Grandma Gatewood Trail heading south toward Cedar Falls (3 miles) and Ash Cave (6 miles total, one-way, no return shuttle except during the annual Winter Hike).

The trail crosses Queer Creek at several points — named not for any modern connotation but from an old Appalachian dialectal term meaning "strange" or "unusual," likely referring to the creek's winding course through the sandstone gorge.

Tips & What to Know

Arrive before 8 AM to beat the crowds — the 350-space lot fills by 10 AM on summer and fall weekends. Midweek visits (Tuesday–Thursday) are dramatically quieter. Cell service is essentially nonexistent in the gorge, so download maps before you go. In winter, microspikes are mandatory — wet Black Hand sandstone is treacherously slippery even without ice. The most dangerous stretch is the 30 feet of unguarded cliff edge between the Upper Falls bridge and the staircase descending into the gorge.

Getting There

Address: SR-664 South, Logan, OH 43138
GPS: 39.4372, −82.5397
Parking: 350+ spaces (largest lot in the park — fills by 10 AM weekends)

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