Hocking Hills State Park: Best Hiking in the Midwest?

[@itchingtogo7362]

There’s a reason when after things started opening up from the pandemic, all state parks in Ohio opened EXCEPT Hocking. It was swarmed to the point that after 1 day, it was closed until better safety accommodations could be provided for the incredible number of folks who love that park. Proud to call that my favorite home state park. Thanks for sharing!!!

[@deborahstarry9829]

Where would you suggest overnight camping for quick access to the park for a 2 day trip?

[@itchingtogo7362]

@@deborahstarry9829 if you can’t get reservation at Hocking, I’d try Tar Hallow SP. Otherwise, there are numerous new campgrounds in the area.

[@PatchGirl68]

What a GEM of a State Park. Cool water falls, hooting owls surrounded by the beauty of Nature ! Thanks for sharing your adventure.❤

[@theparkjunkie]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@dawnsteisslinger353]

What an amazing state park. Going to see what I can do to add this to my Ohio trip. Thanks so much for all you do.🧡

[@theparkjunkie]

Yeah! Check out Shawnee SP as well, not quite this cool, but not as many people.

[@dawnsteisslinger353]

@@theparkjunkie Thank you!!🧡

[@SmokyMountainFamily]

One of my favorite hiking spots anywhere. Being in old man’s cave feels like a museum of the outdoors. Great stuff.

[@theparkjunkie]

Couldn't agree more brother!

[@forkintherode8236]

Love Hocking Hills. The blue blazes are for the Buckeye Trail, 1449 miles through Ohio.

[@ervinslens]

Absolutely gorgeous cinematography my friend, your filming and editing is simply flawless here. Love this upload!

[@theparkjunkie]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@RobertFairweatherMusic]

Looks a lot like Starved Rock SP here in Illinois. Good to see the people getting in tune with nature.

[@doingstuffseeingstuff]

Great video. Love the vibe man. Heading that way this weekend. Thanks for sharing.

[@timwolfers7880]

A similar park in PA is Ricketts Glen SP, in the northeast west of Scranton. Lots of waterfalls on a fairly long loop trail. I love the whimsical hiking music in the video 😊

[@theparkjunkie]

Thanks! I’ve actually been to RG, but it was a long time ago. I’ll be back next run thru that area!

[@LarryManiccia]

I visited Ricketts Glenn last fall. Stunning park for sure. Will return at some point in the future to take it all in again.

[@harlandeke]

Glad to see you back out where you belong brother. Thanks for the introduction to Hocking Hills...now I really wanna go there..lol.

[@theparkjunkie]

You should! Cool place, & the weekdays are way chill.

[@Zavijava1]

What a treasure, being from the left coast I never knew about this .exquisite! Thanks Todd

[@gaynel618]

What a nice trail, interesting rock and root formations, tunnels and bridges. Lovely waterfalls and a sizable visitor center. Very busy, but you got great shots as if you were alone on the trail. Thanks.

[@theparkjunkie]

Most of the crowds are contained to the Old Man's Cave loop, its short.

[@Heluvkatie]

🤩 amazing. I’m going to Hocking hills park in a couple weeks, I’ll have to take this trail. The scenery is amazing, the trees, waterfalls , and little crystals are truly beautiful. I’ve been to Hocking Hills State Park a few times but I barely remember it because I was so young, the last time I went I wasn’t very interested because I didn’t enjoy nature enough. Now I’m actually excited to go! I can’t wait ❤😂

[@angiemcpeek3530]

Hope you had fun! My family and I are going in October. It will be the first time for my parents, we’re all looking forward to it!

[@juanitabrown545]

Todd thanks for going out on another hike 🤠

[@jacquesafley5828]

Had no idea this was even here. Great hike, great beauty. Loved the tunnels in the trail. Wonderful adventure! Take care, be well. 👍😊❤️

[@luiscarloshernandezruiz1624]

I really appreciate your videos Todd. This place is very beautiful. It sure is. Thank you for sharing. Take care.

[@al_outdoors_]

Ohio's own! Can't wait to spend time in the park this summer

[@kathyhepler382]

Thanks Todd. Gorgeous scenery. Beautiful video!!! Safe travels 🥾😗🥾

[@daryllossing1340]

Great videos Junkie!! great commentaries and videos........keep em coming

[@angiet1413]

Thanks for the great video! We were there a week before you. The rock formations were awesome and we liked that some of the longer trails weren't crowded.

[@theparkjunkie]

Oh cool! Weather was great!

[@davepalmerton2429]

What a beautiful area, Todd. I'm going to drive up from my home in Kentucky and check it out.

[@ZubeRox]

Thanks, Todd C! You just put O H I O on my future hiking destination list. I've been following you since the Yellowstone videos. I planned my first trip to the area early in 2022 and was afraid I wouldn't see a major destination that was a part of my itinerary. You helped me stay up to date before my visit. I appreciate everything you are doing to keep our parks junk fee free! I have contacted my representatives in my district of VA. Looking forward to many more videos from you to help me plan future travel plans.

[@theparkjunkie]

Thanks for your efforts!

[@LindaG858]

Love it! Beautiful!

[@nationalparksprincess3216]

I have seen so many amazing videos on this place! This is definitely a place I hope to see someday! Thanks for sharing! 😊

[@theparkjunkie]

You should! It's worth the sidewinding effort to get there!

[@rebeccasnyder2120]

So glad you were there. I have been there 3 times and loved it everytime. There are other areas nearby that are great as well. Another suggestion is Turkey Run and Shades state parks in Indiana. Another hidden gem. There are ladders, canyons and stream walking. Hubby and I love it.

[@theparkjunkie]

Thanks for the tips!

[@deniseroberts7481]

I've read a lot about this park and told my husband we're going to go someday😁🤞

[@simonbattle0001]

Thanks for this trip Park Junkie. It reminded me of a place I love from the area I am from called Ausable Chasm in upstate New York. So lush, vibrant and alive that park put on another great show by Mother Nature. Also, it was great you didn't have to sneak past the sheriff of Nottingham to to show us all such beauty. Always appreciated and thanks again.

[@theparkjunkie]

I love all of the suggestions for other parks, that I have never even heard of. I'll hit up this Ausable Chasm, thanks Simon!

[@geogypsytraveler]

Sure glad you got off pavement for this excellent state park. I am reminded of a Midwest favorite from youth, Starve Rock SP, IL. So very nice to see flowing water and falls. Great video.

[@theparkjunkie]

I'll have to check out this Starve Rock place... Thanks!

[@dvferyance]

I visited here last year. I couldn't stay too long due to lack of time which was a bummer. But I will say it is amazing.

[@PatchGirl68]

Ironically I heard a radio ad today for Hocking Hills 😊

[@joehovorka5312]

Love what you're doing TC!! Been a minute since mornings at the Bean. If you're headed to Crater Lake anytime, I gotta dope place for you to stay.

[@kimmontenegro2258]

Lugar precioso! Y el acústico del corro, impresionante. Gracias por otro video excelente 🎉

[@theparkjunkie]

Muchos Gracias! El camino muy buen!

[@kananaskiscountry8191]

that choir sounds great

[@1798iscomingback]

19:10 : Just Love it!!!

[@markr6356]

I live relatively close to Hocking Hills. I would suggest going there in the middle of winter. Way less people, and everything is covered in ice, all of the rock walls look amazing.

[@theparkjunkie]

For sure, used to run around there in such conditions back in the day... have tons of old black and white photos that I developed in the darkroom from that park.

[@Yawndave]

Hey Todd, happy Easter! Must be nice to be back out on the trail after your time in the big city. The scenery in Hocking Hills reminds me a bit of Turkey Run SP in Indiana or Silver Falls SP in Oregon. Hearing and seeing that owl is really cool--reminds me of when I lived on the edge of a canyon in San Diego and a pair of Great Horned Owls had a nest in a big eucalyptus. For a couple of seasons I heard them hooting away almost every night. Until next time, happy trails!

[@theparkjunkie]

Thanks Yawn, that was the closest I've ever been to an owl. Pretty cool creatures. I didn't know they panted like a dog...

[@rebeccasnyder2120]

I said the same thing about Turkey Run. Shades is close by as well.

[@sparks701]

Awesome park. That’s next on the list. Just left Shawnee national forest in Illinois.

[@theparkjunkie]

There's a Shawnee State Park south of here that's part of the largest forest in Ohio.

[@sparks701]

@@theparkjunkie I believe it ties into the national forest. I might be wrong but Shawnee has some spectacular rock formations also.

[@alro11]

great to see you back on the trail park junkie! OHIO is pretty cool! did u see any animals at all ?

[@theparkjunkie]

No, Ohio is just known for party animals.... 🤷‍♂️ & deer, plenty of deer... but didn't see any that day, except the owls.

[@bigjimslade6250]

We enjoyed this video. My brother had sent me a few pictures from there last year & it piqued my curiosity. After seeing this video, Hocking Hills has definitely moved up on our to do list. I hope that you can do one from Shawnee sometime. Also if you liked Hocking Hills, I would recommend that you visit Breaks Interstate Park in eastern Kentucky & southwestern Virginia. It’s unique as it operated by 2 states. The Breaks is also known S the Grand Canyon of the South. Happy Trails. BTW, the owl was a hoot.

[@theparkjunkie]

I'll check out the Breaks, thanks!

[@8RedBear5]

Neat, and no filming BS from bureaucrats. I feel like a lot of people over look a lot of cool state parks, because either they are small or don't have the advertising. In south eastern Missouri there is a little gem called Elephant Rocks State park, with its massive boulders perched on a giant out cropping of granite.

[@theparkjunkie]

I'll have to check out that Elephant Place.... 🤔 Thanks!

[@Huli007X]

Hi Todd, Great video. Were you doing the Hocking Hills $10K treasure hunt?

[@theparkjunkie]

I heard about that, solved a couple of the first riddles, then I discovered that I was far behind other folks, so I just went hiking.... although I could use 10k 🤔

[@TeamPaulie2520]

It used to be a hidden gem but now...so many people and majority are so disrespectful of the area.

[@theparkjunkie]

It's busy no doubt, but most stay within shouting distance of the pavement.

[@matildagreene1744]

Cool but my fave is still Starved Rock..Off season of course. Less people. Wonder what the original history is..Can u imagine how GORGEOUS it was when everything was clean and pristine ? WOW 🌲👣

[@theparkjunkie]

Lots of folk mentioning this Starved Rock, I must go.... Thanks!

[@RobertFairweatherMusic]

@@theparkjunkie St Louis Canyon Falls

[@matildagreene1744]

@@theparkjunkie You would love it but go off season. Also check out the trails towards Ottawa (old US Rt 6) Matthiesson State park, just a few miles south of the Rock. Much of Illinois doesn't even know of their existence ! LOL

[@matildagreene1744]

@@RobertFairweatherMusic Hmmm. Don't like that area of it (bad juju) How old are u ? Something evil happened there in the fifties.

[@nols7404]

i went around 2 weeks ago

[@mariebrigid2305]

The U.P. of Michigan actually wins over Gateway Arch, Hocking Hills, and Cuyahoga Valley.

[@joesphbalint5023]

The UP is very beautiful. But the UP is pretty flat compared to this, except for maybe the iron hills. What’s shown in this video is a small part of a very large region of Ohio. This is part of Appalachia, full of Appalachian mesotrophic forests, one of the most diverse forests in the world. If you’ve never been to the hocking region of southeastern Ohio, I suggest you visit, the camera really doesn’t do it justice. I gotta agree with him, I think it’s the most beautiful place in the Midwest

[@mariebrigid2305]

@@joesphbalint5023 Have you ever been to northern Minnesota? Devil's Kettle? Any of that area?

[@joesphbalint5023]

@@mariebrigid2305 I went up to the boundary waters with the Boy Scouts when I was 15 and backpacked and portaged through lake insula, Thomas, imma, then eventually to snowbank lake among others. Very Beautiful area. I especially loved how peaceful it was up there. Definitely very far removed from civilization. One of my most fond memories in all of my time with the scouts. Obviously, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I’d say that any of these places could certainly hold the title of “most beautiful place in the Midwest” depending on who you ask. I personally love Appalachia, there’s just something about it that’s so old and mysterious. The old rocky gorges and hollers going in all different directions, covered in hemlocks, pines, ferns, and oaks. There’s just something about not knowing what you’ll find in the next holler over. The song “country roads” by John Denver captures it pretty well, obviously that song is about West Virginia, but I’d say you could extend it to all of Appalachia

[@StressRUs]

Great video, but the sound track is a horror.

[@bob_._.]

Well so you're a park junkie; what method of delineating trails will "ruin the scenery" less than the simple swatches used by the North American blazing system? What less invasive, almost zero maintenance signposts do you know? BTW, the blue blazes mark the Buckeye Trail, a 1,400 mile hiking trail that circumnavigates Ohio. I hear it's rather popular among those who enjoy walking great distances while carrying heavy loads on their backs, for fun.

[@JackPackInTheWoods]

@bob-pt7pk funny this guy went to OU but doesn't know what the Blue Blazes signify??

[@quixote5844]

My favorite park when I grew up in Ohio. Lose the annoying music, please. Not the sound of nature.

[@Brandon.214]

No. Stay out, we’re full. Also we have lions an tigers an gators around these part.

[@Ladyelaine60]

Lose the annoying music really. Loved the rest of the vid.

[@c.s.4507]

Nope that place sucks. Don’t go!

[@theparkjunkie]

True, nearby Shawnee State Park is probably nicer...

[@joesphbalint5023]

Are you joking!? It’s one of the prettiest places I’ve been to in the US, and I’ve been to almost every state

[@joehovorka5312]

Love what you're doing TC!! Been a minute since mornings at the Bean. If you're headed to Crater Lake anytime, I gotta dope place for you to stay.

[@theparkjunkie]

Oh hell yeah.... Mean Joe Bean! I very well could be up that way this summer. Plans are up in the air, or shall we say, non-existent... But I am mulling over a Cali, P-NW run this summer. Send me an email or something so I can get in contact with you: [e-mail]

[@joehovorka5312]

Will do TC! Be well and keep giving us the goods about our beautiful parklands.