Hocking Hills - the Itinerary & the Play by Ear

Hocking Hills State Park in Logan, Ohio is an extraordinarily popular spot for people to travel and spend weekends. There is something for everyone and you could research it forever with all of the numerous options available.

We are participating in the #1000hoursoutside challenge, which boils down to spending more time outside with your family, exploring and adventuring as E would say. Check it out here, it is "The entire purpose of 1000 Hours Outside is to attempt to match nature time with screen time. If kids can consume media through screens 1200 hours a year on average then the time is there and at least some of it can and should be shifted towards a more productive and healthy outcome!"

In January we were able to enjoy and spend 21 hours outside. Our goal for February is to beat out January hours with a total of 22 hours outside! Just this weekend in Hocking Hills we were outside for around 16 hours so we are on our way to making our goal. If you have been reading along with me as I have started this blog I do creating and enjoy planning crafts and creating things, but I don't always go in an adventure outside with a plan. This weekend, for example, was unplanned fun. The only planned part of the weekend was trying to find waterfalls, after all that was E's hope for the weekend.

E's Goals

1. Go camping at the cabin

2. See waterfalls.

You could spent multiple weekends exploring all that the park has to offer. We’ve been to Hocking Hills in the past on family and couple trips but this time we focused on E’s adventuring to the waterfalls! I have a feeling this will be a long post, so if you don't have time to stick around here is a summary of our weekend, but if you stick around I promise the pictures will be scenic and beautiful!

1. Ash Cave *very cool*

2. Cedar Caves “most water” waterfall

3. Hocking Hills Campground - beautiful

4. Winter = ice: so be careful!

5. Stairs were more like slides

6. Being outside was just fun!

Where to stay: Hocking Hills State Campground (5 Stars)

Here is why: The cabins were LUXURIOUS, true glamping if you don't camp in a tent or have a camper. We will get a camper one of these one days #bucketlistdreams!! We have stayed at a variety of cabins and this was by far HAND hands down the best. We didn't want to leave and already have plans to return.

We started our trip by unloading the car into the cabin. Immediately after getting inside we put on our snow gear and went outside. We explored the campground and played around outside.

We found GIANT icicles.

We built a 30-second snowman.

Mommy even built a tunnel out of a giant pile of snow.

Most importantly, we threw snowballs. A few ice balls on accident, but a lot of snowballs.

E thinks he looks like a ninja when he is wearing his snow gear.

Even though this cabin had a television (a first for us!) we tried not using it for more than one show before bedtime. We always bring a few staple items camping that the boys love to read or play.

1. Play doh (1 can for each of them along with 2 play doh knives and various shape cut outs.)

2. Different card matching games

3. Doodle pads, pencils, and colored markers

4. Most importantly, buckets and a ball (You can do so much with just these three things!)

The next day!

Where: First adventure of the day was to Cedar Falls and one of the BEST waterfalls we saw all weekend. It was worth the half slide/half hike down to the bottom. B actually spent most of the stairs sliding on his butt while I dragged him down. It was icy and even Marcus agreed that for future hikes we will invest in Yaktracks for him and possibly the boys.

Cedar Falls wasn't even the iciest trail we experienced this weekend.

Tip: Stay on the trail! No matter how icy, we saw some people making dangerous decisions.

This rock was eroded due to water and E found a spider's home base.

Our first waterfall of the weekend!! Cedar Falls was gorgeous and while I am no professional photographer these pictures look good, the beautiful scenery was very photogenic. It was a beautiful sunny day and the scene itself shows you why you should come check it out. Cedar Falls, like most of the fall trails, was one way. It was around .5 miles in length and about 45 stairs.

Have I mentioned how baby wearing was one of the best decisions we newbie hikers made? The toddler carrier by LILLEbaby is a must have on long hiking days. B loves to explore, find rocks and sticks and all things nature, but after 30 minutes to 1 hour he will just sit down and no amount of snack bribery will move his butt when he is done for the moment. He gets second and third winds, but the carrier is key.

We made it to Cedar Falls and the boys enjoyed a snack and drink. This was our first trip with our new official hiking book bag and yes, we invested in a hiking book bag.

Are they even called book bags anymore... anyway here is what I want you to know.

Is it pricier than a regular sturdy book bag? Yes.

Is it waterproof? Not all of them are, look out for that.

Is it worth it? Yeah, it really it.

The key features that we went with is waterproof, two buckle straps (upper body and lower body), and cell phone pocket (we take pictures with our phone, it only makes sense!) Some other features we like, but didn't set out for is that the book bag we went through can also be a water pack. Score!

The boys were cordial at snack time and enjoyed seeing a waterfall in person, not just a video of one!

The hike back to the parking lot which is where this trail ended at was so much fun and actually a lot easier than the beginning of the trail. We saw a few more smaller waterfalls and were able to do some hiking through rocks which was new for the boys. They thought that was just the neatest!

The rocky stair exit went under some really interesting rock structures. The visitor center explained the different type of rock structures if you would like to learn more about them, but E had never hiked in crevices and rocky terrain like this and he did SO WELL with it. It was a lot of fun!

Next stop: A quick 2 mile trail or 7 minute drive to Ash Cave was our next stop on our list for waterfall sight seeing. We were bummed that we didn't get the chance to hike this entire trail because once you reached the top of the trail after the waterfall even adults were literally sliding down it like a giant slide because it was a cliff edge and a complete sheet of ice.

We still enjoyed the first short part of the hiking trail and spent a lot of time in the cave. E tried throwing rocks into the pool of water that was partially frozen trying to break the ice, B copied.

The views here were beautiful. The cave makes you feel so small.

I found a nice spot to sit and enjoyed watching the boys run around the sandy dirt terrain and find rocks to throw onto the ice. We also just talked about the waterfall. Where did it come from? Where is the water? Why isn't the "pool" bigger?" Does it get bigger? Why is it snowy?

While we were there we saw and heard TWO amazing things.

1. SEE - A rainbow

2. HEAR - icicles falling somewhere nearby

It reminds me of a quote that I have read recently in an outdoor mom book club. "Sometimes the most ordinary things can be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people." (Elizabeth Green)

We stopped for a late lunch after Ash Cave and spent the rest of our daylight hours outside the cabin exploring. We found swings. We heard a drone overhead. We even followed deer tracks until we came upon yellow snow. AND THEN... E learned what it means to see yellow snow and we quickly went in the other direction. Yuck!

Snowmen were built.

Tunnels were built... and destroyed.

We ended the day in front of the fire. It really is the best way to end such a fun and beautiful day outside. The boys really impressed me and were able to walk over 4 miles each day we were at Hocking Hills. Our average hiking range is about 2 miles and sometimes B can barely make it that long most times.

Day Two: Old Man's Cave

We discovered that Old Man's Cave down to the gorge and some of the beautiful scenery, waterfalls, and more was steep trail over a cliff and covered in ice. Uncomfortable with this daunting task we changed out plan and hiked part of the Old Man Outer Rim trail. It was GORGEOUS, see below!

The Old Man's Cave Upper Falls were beautiful. The colors of the pool were eye-catching. It really makes it stand out as well as the unique bridges and trails in the rock formations.

We went out early to see Old Man's Cave before the crowds, therefore the wetness on his mask turned into frost it was so cold! He thought that was so cool! Good thing we didn't stay out that long before taking a break inside. We were able to follow old man's shoe print along the paved parts of the trail!

We will be back again no questions asked, but we definitely would like to see it in different seasons. Maybe early spring or late summer for the changing of leaves. We cannot wait for that hike!