Take a Chance on a Lesser Known Trail

If you're from Ohio, you've heard about Hocking Hills. My first time into the park, we hiked the most popular trail to Old Man's Cave. It took my breath away. It looked like I was walking into a fairy tale. We were lucky, because we arrived before the crowds. The parking lots will get full on the weekends, just be aware.

I have since been to Hocking Hills State Park a handful of times. Each time the scenery is gorgeous, the crowds...eh, can be heavy at times.

This past weekend, my husband and I went back to Hocking Hills. We started at the Visitor's Center, which is the easiest way to get to some of the parks more popular sights. As we began our walk, we came across this sign. We had never taken the Rim Trail before. Not many people were on this trail, so we decided to give it a go. It was 3 miles to Cedar Falls, and 3 miles back. It took us about 2 hours to hike a total of 6 miles. It ended up being a good Sunday morning workout. We hit both our activity and our exercise goals on our Apple Watches.

The Rim trail to Cedar Falls runs along the edge of the carved out valley. It is a beautiful forest. The air was crisp. The trees were full, and the birds were chirping. The squirrels were all over the place, preparing for winter. There isn't much to see other than beautiful trees...(I'm not complaining), until you get to a lake. The lake is about 2.5 miles from the start of the trail. The only way to get to this lake is by foot. It is a nice place to fish, or just sit and relax. Walking across the bridge, we continued on the trail until we got to another bridge that overlooked Cedar Falls.

Along the path, we found some mushrooms. I believe this is called Chicken of the Wood. I also think it is edible. If I am not mistaken, it grows during autumn, and is foraged. People wash it, and fry it up with salt and pepper. This one looks as though it has already been visited by some woodland critter. I want to learn more about foraging. Although I'm pretty sure this is edible, I would never try it unless I was with someone who has experience with this kind of stuff. Coming across this find on the trail, inspired me to join a wild mushroom group in Ohio. Don't laugh...okay, you can laugh a little. But I am determined to learn more about this funky mushroom. My husband said that he'll forage with me, but that he would never eat it.

Once we finally arrived to Cedar Falls, I was a little disappointed. There is a bridge where hikers can stand to look down into the falls. Unlike other parts of the park, hikers are not allowed to have access to the water. This made me a little sad. Also, the water was low, so the falls were more like a trickle than water falls. I'm not going to be too critical though, because I'm sure that when the water is high, there is more to look at.

Here is a picture of my husband standing on the bridge that overlooks Cedar Falls. If you know my husband, you know that he is retired Navy. The man

loves to wear his Navy gear. We didn't hang around

the falls for too long.

Our stomachs began to growl. This is always a good motivation to walk faster coming back on the trail. It took us less time to hike the 3 miles back to the car then it took us to hike to the falls. All in all it was a good day. Even though the water was low at Cedar Falls, I don't think that you can ever pick a bad trail to hike at Hocking Hills. This park is by far one of the most beautiful I've seen. The weather was perfect. Being the start of autumn, the air had a delicious crisp in it, but the sun was out.

If you find yourself in Ohio, or if you're living in Ohio, Hocking Hills State Park is a must. I do recommend going on a week day if you can. The weekend crowds can get large. The popular trails will be full of families with lots of kids, and you will come across plenty of dogs. Not that it's a bad thing. I used to take my kids hiking when they were little, and I have taken my puppy on hikes. But I just want to warn you that the popular trails can be narrow, and they can get really full.

Don't let this stop you from spending a beautiful day in one of the most beautiful parks in the state.

As always, namaste, and happy hiking!