Beautiful Old Mans Cave

 

In the Hocking Hills Parks system the most visited area
is the Old Mans Cave park.
The park is filled with a massive gorge that you can
hike to Cedar Falls park which is a 3 mile hike away.
A massive system of rock formations, smaller caves
and water falls amongst giant Hemlock trees
which grows there makes for some gorgeous scenery.

  The gorge is a long way down so visitors should
take care and obey the trail signs.
They are posted for a purpose. That rock ledge or
tree  you hang onto to look over into the gorge
or piece of land protruding out over it may not have
anything beneath it to hold your weight up.
Many defy the signs and to some this defiance
leads to their own injury.

 

 

 

The sights and sounds of water running through
the gorge adds to the serine atmosphere of the
Hocking Hills Park.

 

 

On a hot, humid summer day the cooler
air and the water in the gorge below can be a
perfect place to take hike.
It is shady and cooler amongst the giant rocks and
trees along the creek that runs through the  gorge.

 

 

Two million visitors in 2007 and even more now
come to the park annually.

Travelers’ expenditures in Hocking County totaled
$267 million during the  year of 2007,
generating $16 million in state sales tax revenue,
and $6.6 million in municipal tax revenue.
Just another reason that funding should not have
been cut to the parks by Governor Strickland.
Revenue cuts to the parks lead to fewer Rangers
and employees to care for the parks. If left to
run down because of cuts, because volunteers can
do just so much, could mean fewer tourists and
with them the tourists dollars that helps to
fund Hocking County and the state.
Tourism to this area grows every year and more so
since a drop in the economy and the fluctuating
gasoline prices have  vacationers  staying nearer to
home and taking in the free getaways to the parks
that make up the Hocking Hills park system.

 

What price can you put on such natural beauty?