Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Whether it’s for a weekend or a week of roughing-it-easy, Hocking Hills, has to be on the list of areas to be considered. And it is a wonderful winter destination.
It’s a state park, a state forest, a county, and a geologic region that’s grown comfortably into a beautiful year-round, all-round getaway.
So far at least, the modernization and proliferation of accommodations hasn’t changed the character of the land much. If anything, there’s been a realization that it’s the rustic experience that visitors are seeking and the tourist facilities are playing off of that.
The narrow roads still buck and coil, the scenery is still natural and rural. The very best scenery is still there, set aside in state parks, preserves and forests. It’s relatively intact, though well-worn in places where decades of pounding feet have taken their toll.
There’s nothing else quite like it anywhere, really. And with the availability of comfortable accommodations the Hills have become a popular destination in all the seasons. Sure, spring wildflowers and fall color still cause visitation to surge, but there’s truly something special when winter coats the hills and hollows with a fresh blanket of snow. And, though Hocking may be situated in the southeast corner of the state, those deep hollows hold the frosty air like refrigerators, often making them among the coldest spots in Ohio. It’s no wonder, then, that hemlocks and other relics of Ohio’s long-gone Ice Age continue to thrive in those recesses.
The heart and soul of Hocking Hills is the state park, which even comes with its own lodging and dining. The park is actually a combination of different sites connected in many cases by Hocking State Forest lands. The sites carry such familiar names as Old Man’s Cave, Cedar Falls, Ash Cave, Rock House and Cantwell Cliffs. It’s all wonderfully scenic and wild, especially Conkles Hollow, which sports the single most scenic spot in Ohio.
Winter is a special season in the Hills. March can be especially interesting as a crossover month for Hocking. Mother Nature is on the verge of awakening. Spring is knocking at the door while Old Man Winter is trying to hold it shut. Snow comes with the chilled overnights and disappears with the morning sun. Calm nights become windy days. Sleeveless days become sweatshirt nights.
The wet snows of late winter are more highlights than blankets.
Every trunk, every rock, every limb takes on a line of snow, emphasizing each. But the white blanket that nature tossed overnight is, often as not, tossed off just as quickly once the March sun climbs.
All that melted snow collects into trickles. The trickles make their way into streams. The streams feed the waterfalls, making them flow rich and full.
Icicles – big icicles – are everywhere in Hocking Hills.
Old Man’s Cave can look more like the mouth of a monster – the icicles hanging from its upper rim looking like sharp teeth about to chop on those who enter.
Back in the tight crevices the icicles hang in bunches, looking more like long beards than teeth.
Winter visitors need to be exercise reasonable caution walking beneath these frozen stalactites. The icicles can thaw and weaken, especially in the crossover months.
Wintertime driving to the park areas is on mostly well-maintained roads. But venture off those roads and it’s likely to be dirt and stone, some icy and pitted with the ravages of winter. Visitors who venture on those roads quickly learn the value of front-wheel drive and find even more appreciation for four-wheel-drive.
Good traction can be an issue, too, for walkers on some of the winter trails. The combination of frigid temperatures in the gorges and meltwater cascading from above can leave trails treacherous and icy. Still, there are always trails that are passable no matter the conditions.
And when the trail adventures are over there just could be a hot tub and gourmet meal waiting.
Information on all aspects of Hocking Hills is readily available. For more information on the state park and natural attractions visit www.ohiodnr.gov. For information on accommodations visit www.explorehockinghills.com or call 1-800-HOCKING.
