News Release

COLUMBUS, OH -- The 34th annual Winter Hike at Hocking Hills State Park will be held this Saturday, January 16, and will highlight recent improvements to the park's trail system, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

Thousands of hikers are expected to participate in the hike, which winds nearly six miles from Old Man's Cave, passing by Rose Lake to Cedar Falls, then traveling to Ash Cave in the scenic Hocking Hills region. This year's hike will also descend down a newly-constructed wooden staircase at Cedar Falls.

Guided tours will depart continuously between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. from the Old Man's Cave parking lot. Park officials urge hikers to arrive by 10:30 a.m., to dress warmly and wear sturdy hiking boots. Transportation will be provided from Ash Cave back to Old Man's Cave following the hike. The hike will take approximately five hours.

"The winter months at Hocking Hills offers some of Ohio's most spectacular scenery, complete with giant icicles on the overhanging cliffs and frozen waterfalls," said Dan West, chief of the ODNR Division of Parks and Recreation. Lunch and refreshments will be available.

The new Cedar Falls staircase and part of this year's trail route are among improvements and repairs completed recently in response to extensive flood damages last January. Restoration of the trail system is still underway. Hocking Hills State Park is located in Hocking County approximately 12 miles southwest of Logan on State Route 664.