Our Hocking Hills vacation continues with more hiking and a surprise!
After an awesome start to our Hocking Hills vacation, we were ready to hit the trails after a surprise for the littlest Jones. When we went to Florida in November, the littlest Jones got to go on a zip line course and loved it. We found one in Logan for her to try out.
Hocking Hills Canopy Tours
While she is still too small for most adult zip line adventures, Hocking Hills Canopy Tours has a Dragonfly course made just for children. We booked a time online; I’m sure that this place is busy on the weekends. She had a blast going through the course that featured plenty of zip lines, bridges, and a tunnel. They have a continuous-belay system that keeps the child attached to the zip line at all times. The instructors were encouraging and gave her lots of tips for getting on and off the platforms successfully.
Hocking Hills State Park Trails
After the zipline experience, we headed back to the trails. The next one on our list was Cedar Falls. This is the largest waterfall in Hocking Hills State Park. Because of the dry conditions, we were able to get a closer look at the waterfall since much of the stream bed is dry right now. Like the other trails, there was plenty to look at one this half mile hike, bridges to cross, and boardwalks to walk across that kept us interested.
Conkle’s Hollow
Well, the littlest Jones was all into hiking so we decided to take full advantage of this and head to another trail. Conkle’s Hollow was one of the longer hikes on our Hocking Hills vacation at three quarters of a mile. We completed the lower trail. There is an upper trail that is two miles long with beautiful views, but because of the steep cliffs drop offs and uneven steps, we decided to skip this one.
The lower trail is wheel trail accessible and has interesting views as you look up at the tall stone walls. It is paved and winds through the forest along a stream where we saw small fish swimming. At the end of the paved trail, we continued to hike to a seasonal waterfall that was only a little further away on a trail. Conkle’s Hollow has picnic tables at the start of the trail, so we stopped here for a picnic lunch before driving over to the toughest hike of our Hocking Hills vacation.
Cantwell Cliffs
The name says it all. Cantwell Cliffs has some steep uneven terrain and is definitely the next part of the state park that needs to be invested in for some upkeep. The one mile loop trail is the most rural and rugged; this means it also was the least crowded. We started the hike down a steep set of stone stairs that lead to a gorge and the back around a rim trail. Because of the cliff dropoffs, we had a hand on the littlest Jones during this hike and would not suggest this hike for younger children. Cantwell Cliffs scenery was more forested but still beautiful. We felt a sense of accomplishment completing this hike as a family and it was a great way to end our Hocking Hills vacation. After this hike, we grabbed some pizza and enjoyed it while the littlest Jones enjoyed her final evening at the pool.
On Wednesday morning, we packed up and headed to West Virginia and Pennsylvania to visit with some family before heading back to Locust Grove. If you are even in the Logan area, we would highly recommend a stop at Hocking Hills State Park. Even if you only have time to get in one trail, it is an awesome experience.
Read more about our Hocking Hills vacation and other road trips.
