7 Best Hikes for Fall Foliage in Hocking Hills (Ranked by Color, Crowds & Difficulty)

Old Man’s Cave is the most visited trail in Hocking Hills for a reason. The gorge puts you inside a 100-foot sandstone canyon while maple and birch color reflects off the walls above. The upper gorge trail follows the creek rim with color on both sides. The lower gorge — below the main waterfall — is shaded and holds color into late October after the ridge trails have passed peak.

The recess cave itself sits in the upper gorge. Looking out from inside the cave toward the gorge opening in mid-October is one of the better views in Ohio. The sandstone stays orange-tan year-round, but the maples and birches above the rim frame it in red and gold for about two weeks.

Practical notes: Parking fills before 9am on peak foliage weekends. Arrive by 8am or visit on a weekday. The gorge steps are slippery with wet leaves — waterproof shoes matter here. The lower gorge trail is the better fall color route; the upper gorge trail is better for views from above.

Conkle’s Hollow has the deepest gorge in Ohio — about 200 feet of sandstone walls — and the rim trail gives you the best wide-canopy fall foliage view in the park. The rim peaks earlier than the gorge, usually October 10–18, which means you can hit Conkle’s Hollow first when fall is building and come back to Old Man’s Cave a week later at full gorge peak.

The gorge floor trail is completely different — flat, easy, and accessible. It runs the length of the gorge to a waterfall at the back. In fall, the gorge floor gives you towering sandstone walls with color at the top and along the edges. The rim trail above is strenuous with some exposed sections; skip it if conditions are wet.

Practical notes: Less crowded than Old Man’s Cave. Parking is smaller but rarely fills before 10am. The rim trail is not recommended in rain or when leaves are wet on the path — it’s narrow and exposed in spots.

Cedar Falls is the best place in Hocking Hills to see a waterfall surrounded by fall color. The trail runs through a corridor of hardwoods that peak together in mid-October. When the maples are at full color and the falls are running after autumn rains, the combination is hard to beat.

The falls themselves are the largest by volume in the park. Flow depends on recent rain — after a wet September they can be loud and full. After a dry stretch, flow is lighter but the fall color around them is the same. The 2.5-mile round trip from the Cedar Falls parking area is well-maintained. You can also extend the hike by connecting to Old Man’s Cave via the Grandma Gatewood Trail for a 6-mile loop.

Practical notes: The Cedar Falls parking lot is separate from Old Man’s Cave and fills later. A good strategy: park at Cedar Falls early, hike to the falls, then take the connector trail to Old Man’s Cave and shuttle back. Check water flow after a dry stretch — the falls are still worth seeing but expectations should adjust.

Ash Cave is the largest recess cave in Ohio — 700 feet wide and 100 feet deep — and fall frames it in a way summer doesn’t. The maple canopy above the 90-foot rim turns first, and by mid-October the cave opening is surrounded by red and orange. The contrast between the dark cave interior and the bright fall color outside is striking.

The upper parking lot trail is paved, flat, and fully accessible — about 0.25 miles to the cave. It’s the easiest main-park trail by a wide margin. The lower trail adds about a mile through fall hardwoods along a creek and gives more time in the forest. Both are worth doing if you have the time.

Practical notes: Quieter than Old Man’s Cave on most days. Arrive early on peak weekends — the cave gets crowded around midday. The paved upper trail is genuinely accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. A good first stop before a longer hike at a more demanding trail.

Cantwell Cliffs is the most physically demanding trail in Hocking Hills State Park and one of the least visited. The cliffs rise sharply through oak and maple forest, and the trail involves some scrambling and narrow passages — including the famous “Fat Woman’s Squeeze,” a tight gap through the rock face. In October, the hardwood forest surrounding the cliffs turns well and the lower crowds make it feel like a completely different park.

The cliffs themselves peak slightly earlier than the gorge trails, around October 10–18, since the forest is more open and exposed. If you want fall color without sharing the trail with 200 other people, Cantwell Cliffs delivers.

Practical notes: Not suitable for young children or anyone with knee or mobility issues. Wear proper hiking footwear — the rock scrambles get slippery with wet leaves. The “Fat Woman’s Squeeze” is tighter in a full pack or heavy fall layers. The parking area is small and remote — arrive early and plan the drive accordingly.

Rock House is the only true cave in the Ohio state park system — a tunnel through a sandstone cliff with seven window-like openings in the rock face. Fall is worth timing specifically here because the oak forest surrounding Rock House peaks later than the other trails, often holding color into late October when everything else has passed. Looking out through the cave windows toward a hillside of bronze oak leaves is a view you won’t find anywhere else in the park.

The trail is short — about 0.6 miles round trip — but involves steps and some uneven rock. It’s a good add-on to another trail rather than a primary destination, but if you’re there in the last week of October, it’s one of the better late-season color stops.

Practical notes: Rock House is often underestimated. The cave interior is genuinely impressive — 25 feet high in places. It tends to be quieter than the gorge trails, especially on weekdays. A good choice for late October when other trails have passed peak.

The Moonville Rail Trail runs along an abandoned railroad grade through the Wayne National Forest to Moonville Tunnel — a 19th-century railroad tunnel built directly through a ridge in Vinton County. The trail is flat, converted from a former rail bed, and one of the most accessible fall foliage hikes in the Southern Region. The hardwood forest on both sides turns together in mid-October and the flat grade means anyone can do it.

Moonville Tunnel itself is worth the 1.5-mile walk in. The brick-lined tunnel cuts through solid rock and the view from inside — looking out at fall color framed by the tunnel opening — is one of the better photo spots in southern Ohio. The Moonville ghost town site nearby adds historical context. Almost nobody from the main park crowds ends up here.

Practical notes: The trailhead is in the Southern Region, about 12 minutes from Pool House Lodge and roughly 25 minutes south of Old Man’s Cave. It’s gravel and flat, genuinely accessible for most people. Pair it with a Lake Hope State Park visit for a full Southern Region fall day.