Date: 08/30/2019 – Distance: 1.5 mi – Elapsed Time: 1 hr – Ascent: 253 ft – Descent: 253 ft – Difficulty: Medium
After grabbing some lunch back at base camp, I decided to drive to a couple of nearby parks which are still part of Hocking Hills State Park, but are a little too far away to hike to. The first one I visited was Rock House. Leaving the State Park Campground, go left on 664. Take it to 347 which goes right. Follow the brown and white signs to Rock House.
This trail begins at the top of a hill and descends into the woods.
Soon you come to a fork. To the left you can take the rim above Rock House and then go down and back across the cliff from the bottom. If you go straight then you begin descending stairs and it doesn’t take long to get to the cave.
It doesn’t take long to get to the cave. Facing the cave there is a waterfall to the left which was dry today.
To get into the cave you have to climb some rocks and through one of the few entrances.
This cave gets a lot of light and has a strange shape to it from the other recess caves I’ve seen in Hocking Hills. Its a couple hundred feet long and traverses along the cliff rather than being eroded from top and below like the others. It’s a more traditional cave. There are a few areas which are a little dark, so you have to watch your step.
I left the cave and continued along the cliff which was pretty neat.
There are a few other caves in this cliff, but weren’t accessible like the big one.
After crossing a bridge (This pic didn’t take), the cliff ends and the trail soon begins to head up the slope where it traverses along the rim above the cave and back to the trail which leads back to the trailhead. There also seems to be an entrance to the Rim Trail on the right from the first parking lot you pass when entering the park.
A little challenging climbing wise, but not too long.
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