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Awesome Ice Formations and Single Digit Temps at the Hocking Hills Winter Hike 2024

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1/20/2024 – 7 miles – Chris Grigsby

The 58th Annual Hocking Hills Winter Hike 2024 was quite the experience this year. The ice was beautiful on the cliffs and waterfalls. The temperature started off at 6F with a wind chill of -6F, and didn’t rise much above single digits all day. There were between 2-3 thousand hikers. Past events had as much as 10,000 people but the weather kept many away this year. 

Overview Path of the Hocking Hills Winter Hike 2024

Shawna and I spent the weekend in one of the State Park Cabins near the new lodge, and Wes camped in the State Park Campground in his Airstream. There were shuttles taking hikers from the lodge to and from the trail head, and also from the end of the one way hike back.

Hiking in conditions this cold can be very dangerous as exposed areas can begin freezing right away. Equipment is crucial and cannot be underestimated. You need to wear layers of specific materials. With ice, especially around cliffs and water, spikes on your boots are also necessary to avoid slipping. However, during this hike the trail crews have all of the treacherous areas cleared of ice for the most part. Due to the amount of people, they can’t risk someone getting hurt, which they do every year.

We woke up to a decent amount of snow
And it was bitter cold with a brutal wind chill.

The key to a hike like this is to dress in layers. I always wear a Smartwool base layer, including a wool shirt, wool tights, and wool socks. Depending on the temperature, I then sometimes add a second base layer, usually in fleece, depending on which outer layer I’m wearing. In this case, I only wore the first base layer, since I was going to wear my Patagonia down parka on the outside upper layer and Kuhl water resistant pants as my bottom. In between the wool base and the outer parka, I wore my Patagonia R1 Hoodie, my favorite versatile micro-grid fleece. For hands, I wore some REI ski gloves with an internal liner in them. In addition to my REI wool hat, I wore a REI balaclava and a Smartwool neck gaiter, which I could pull up over my cheeks and mouth. Waterproof hiking boots are a must to keep your feet dry, and my La Sportiva Ultra Raptor II GTX boots fit the occasion perfectly.

Smartwool top and bottoms are my personal favorite. The cap is also wool and made by REI.
Usually, I wear the running Smartwool socks, even in summer, however due to the frigid temps, I opted for the thicker, high top socks.

Another key to a hike like this is energy snacks and proper hydration. I carry plenty of high protein bars and energy gels as snacks. The Luna and Think bars are awesome and those Gu Gels are indispensable if you feel a slight drop in energy levels. For hydration, I carry water, and powdered electrolytes from LiquidIV, and chewable Salt Sticks (in the small bottle, these are also awesome). I opted for water bottles which I packed right up against my back (no problem with freezing). I also carried an insulated water bottle on my side pockets of my pack, which also kept that from freezing. Pro Tip: If you opt for a water bladder in your pack, make sure it’s up against your back, and blow air into the hose after you drink to push the water back into the bladder so it doesn’t freeze like it did for Wes.

The during hike energy and hydration supply.
Shawna made an awesome breakfast with bagels, cheesy eggs, and sausage patties.
The Patagonia R1 Hoodie and Kuhl pants.
The insulated bottle I carried.
After breakfast, Shawna drove Wes and I to the trailhead at the Old Man’s Cave Visitor Center.
Detail Path of the Old Man’s Cave Area – Hocking Hills Winter Hike 2024

We started out at the Old Man’s Cave parking area near Upper Falls. The trail wraps around the top of Upper Falls and descends into the gorge for a beautiful view of Upper Falls. Then we proceeded down stream in the gorge past Devil’s Bathtub, under the A-Frame bridge, to the opposite side of Old Man’s Cave. The trail is closed from here to Cedar Falls, but we crossed over the creek and up out of the gorge through Old Man’s Cave. After stopping for a quick warm up at the naturalists cabin, and talking to a few naturalists I know, we proceeded across the A-Frame bridge to the Gorge Overlook Trail. We took this trail all the way to Cedar Falls, crossing over the Rose Lake damn, where we had some hot chocolate.

Wes and I were dressed perfectly, my hands only got cold when I took off the heavy gloves to take a picture.
There were lots of rangers and trail crews making sure everyone was safe, and naturalists from all over the state helping to educate the masses. I saw many that I knew personally from my travels. Yes that’s a fire, of which they had a few of along the trail.
The hike starts at the trailhead just above Upper Falls near the Old Man’s Cave Visitor Center.
The falls were still flowing but there was lots of ice.
Upper Falls from the rim.
The ice was beautiful, and created huge icicles as it dripped from the cliff walls.
Upper Falls.
Just a small sample of the crowd, it’s only this bad at the beginning of the hike, as many don’t do the whole thing. That’s Old Man’s Cave from the opposite side of the gorge.
A view from inside Old Man’s Cave. For this hike they don’t allow you to do the full gorge trail down to Cedar Falls because of dangers from ice. They do this small portion of the gorge, then route you back up to the Gorge Overlook Trail. You can see the map at the beginning of this post (overview) and throughout the blog post (detail).
The Gorge Overlook Trail crosses the dam at Rose Lake. The fall colors are great from here, but it’s another kind of beauty today.
They had hot chocolate here.
Thanks to the volunteers for helping us out.
Detail Path of the Cedar Falls Area – Hocking Hills Winter Hike 2024

We arrived at Cedar Falls on the Gorge Overlook Trail near the top of the falls. The trail descended once again into the gorge for an up close view of Cedar Falls. Then we proceeded downstream until we came to the Cedar Falls Trail which leads back up to the picnic/parking area. They had a lunch of bean soup cooked over fires and hot chocolate. They also had a fire and more naturalists which I knew to talk to. We then proceed on the opposite side of the picnic area to the Ash Cave Trail.

Above Cedar Falls on the Gorge Overlook trail is a bridge over the creek. The site was one home to a gristmill in the early 1800s which ground corn and wheat. It is no longer there but there is a griding stone at the base of this sign. Sorry I didn’t get a picture of it.
We descended the stairs back into the gorge at Cedar Falls.
Some more crowd around Cedar Falls. Wes(far left) was admiring the ice.
I managed to get a shot of Cedar Falls without people.
Cedar Falls closeup.
From the falls the trail goes back down the gorge a little before turning back uphill at the Cedar Falls Trail.
The sun on the cliffs is awesome.
The crowds keep thinning more.
But at the top of Cedar Falls is the picnic area and a large crowd has gathered. It’s about 4 miles to this point in the hike.
Cool ice sculpture.
The crowd is after the hot bean soup and hot chocolate. Again done by volunteers, this time the boy scouts.
The naturalists had a couple tables displaying animal pelts and other interesting things. I thought this skull replica was cool. It was huge, possibly eagle or vulture..
They are doing some work here, possibly sewer line for the restroom.
The fire was nice as we ate our delicious bean soup, cornbread, and hot chocolate.
Here’s great view of the volunteers hard at work. They had a lot of soup and hot chocolate.
It was very warming and delicous.
Detail Path of the Ash Cave Area – Hocking Hills Winter Hike 2024

On the way to Ash Cave we passed the Ash Cave Fire Tower. We then proceeded south toward Ash Cave. When we arrived at Ash Cave, we descended some stairs into Ash Cave. This cave is impressive and the waterfall here was very high and had ice above and below creating a mountain of ice. Again there were naturalists I know hanging around another fire. We proceeded down the gorge trail and ended at the Ash Cave parking lot where there were donuts and busses which took us back to the trailhead and the campground where we started.

From Cedar Falls the hike continues south toward Ash Cave past this fire tower.
I have ice on my beard, but I’m warm and feel great.
We descended into Ash Cave.
We had to watch our footing along the whole hike but especially on these stairs.
We entered Ash Cave.
Ice builds up on the waterfall and a huge mound rises underneath.
Ash Cave can be awe inspiring. It is the largest recess cave east of the Mississippi.
You have to be careful under the ice (see the big blocks which have fallen. That is water with the sun behind it, not smoke.
The falls were mesmerizing.
I was fascinated by the angle of the sun through the waterfall.
Ash Cave from the other side. It was noticeably warmer here due to the lack of wind and the sun against the rock.
And the ice at the top of the falls.
A gust of wind came through and blew snow off of the trees and I was able to snap a quick shot.
More ice along the trail as it continues to Ash Cave parking lot.
Another cool ice sculpture at the Hocking Hills Winter Hike.
Rumer has it they had donuts at this food truck. Thanks to the Logan Lions.
After the hike that evening we went the lodge where Shawna was singing for a few hours. It was an awesome day.

The Hocking Hills State Park Winter Hike 2024 was a cold but beautiful and very rewarding hike. We felt like we had accomplished something big and the energy we received would last us for days afterward. I would recommend this yearly hike, however make sure to dress as I described above and be very conscious of the ice as it can be dangerous both slippery and potential to fall from above. They have patches for sale, which commemorate completing the hike. It was great seeing all of the people and meeting so many rangers, naturalists, trail crews, and other new friends along the way. See you next year.

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