Hiking to Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills State park

Starting at either the visitor's center or the trail closest to the parking lot, the trail will take you down quite a few stairs into the gorge. At the Upper Falls, the Grandma Gatewood Trail begins its course connecting three of Hocking Hills' main attractions: Old man's Cave, Cedar Falls, and Ash Cave. It is open year-round, but its busiest season is summer. Each season has its pros and cons. 

Summer: The trees have grown all their leaves, so the forest will e a pretty emerald green. There are warmer temperatures, but it's perfect for camping out and having a fire in the woods.

Autumn: A beautiful time to go due to the fall foliage and its cool temperatures. The orange, red, brown, yellow hues of the leaves make the woods very romantic, so be sure to take your loved ones here. 

 Winter: The beautiful waterfalls will have turned the park into a frozen wonderland. There will be a lot of ice and snow to climb around, so you may need crampons or something to prevent slipping and falling.

Spring: The trees will be in bloom and the cool temperatures will make it a perfect time to go hiking so you can have almost the same scenery as summer, but without the heat.

The loop for Old Man's cave is about 1 mile, but takes approximately an hour to complete due to the crowds on the weekends and/or stops for pictures. 

If you continue the trail from Old Man's Cave to Cedar Falls, the loop will be about 6 miles total. Cedar Falls is about 3.5 miles from Old Man's cave, where if you do the loop from Old Man's to Cedar falls and back, you will cross over the Rose Lake spillway on the way back. (Swimming is NOT permitted here) 

 It's highly recommended to go here in the morning to avoid the crowds. If you stay the night in the campground and get here around 7 am, you'll be the only one around.