These are the best hikes in Hocking Hills to find frozen wonderlands
Suggesting a hike in the Hocking Hills winter might seem like a crazy idea to your less-adventurous friends, but we beg to differ.
But you, like many Hocking Hills hiking enthusiasts, enjoy the head-clearing, crisp, cool air, and the peaceful and serene trails. You know that snow and ice add a gorgeous display of brightness against the bare-branched trees and that frozen waterfalls are a breathtaking miracle of winter.
If you’re looking for frozen wonderlands in Hocking Hills, look no further.
Cedar Falls for a wall of ice
In the spring Cedar Falls is the go-to for your more traditional cascading waterfall. With so many rock layers, you’ll see the water flowing over many different levels and layers of stone.
In the winter this hike leads to the most famous frozen waterfall in Hocking Hills. That’s right: Spring’s flowing water trails freeze to create what looks like a sculpture of ice and stone.
Old Man’s Cave for giant icicles
All that dripping water over the high cliffs of Old Man’s Cave? Yep, even the drippiest drips freeze.
Be careful where you stand, you don’t want to find yourself underneath one of these when they break.
Ash Cave for a safer stroll
Heading out with folks who may be worried about a strenuous hike? Take a stroll through the Hocking Hills on Ash Cave’s half-mile, handicap-accessible wooden walkway.
Sometimes the trails can get icy, so for those less-experienced trekkers (or if you simply don’t have the right boots!), this short hike will be a safe bet, and you’ll still get to see the largest recess cave in Ohio — and that means huge columns of ice. Sometimes in the process the dripped water from above starts to form a mound of ice below.
Tons of tiny frozen falls
With so many layers of sandstone and endless walls of rocks between gorges and cliffs in the Hocking Hills region, any precipitation in the winter — be it a trickle or a stream — will freeze.
This means for most of the hikes in the area, wherever you look you’ll see pretty patches and trails of ice and snow, often in the shapes of what had been flowing water.
Take the trail hike from Old Man’s Cave to Cedar Falls and you’ll find Whispering Falls. This 100-foot fall will feel like the mother of all the baby frozen falls you’ll find along the way.
Winter wonderlands everywhere!
Trust us, you won’t regret leaving your cozy abode or Hocking Hills cabin after you see these awe-inspiring winter sites. Once you bundle up and take that first step, it’s all downhill (OK, sometimes uphill) from there. Toast your friends with a hot toddy or hot cocoa afterwards — it will be a well-deserved warm up.
