Hocking HillsWhere all the best roads lead . . .HIKE. STAY. PLAY. YOUR HOCKING HILLS ADVENTURE BEGINS HERE!
Hocking HillsWhere all the best roads lead . . .HIKE. STAY. PLAY. YOUR HOCKING HILLS ADVENTURE BEGINS HERE!
Near Lake Hope State Park, about 30 minutes from Hocking Hills State Park.
Three Loop Trails:
Zaleski South Loop Trail is a 9.3 mile heavily trafficked loop - Trailhead at Hope Schoolhouse
Zaleski West Loops is 8.7 miles long - Trailhead at Hope Schoolhouse
Zaleski North Loop Trail is a 7 mile moderately trafficked loop trail -Trailhead at Hope Schoolhouse
The entire backpack loop (starting and returning from Hope Schoolhouse) is 28.8 miles long.
There is a large kiosk at the trailhead (39.315993, -82.351596). The trail starts in the mown grass area to the right. It follows around to Wheelabout Road (the road you entered to park at Hope Schoolhouse). You make a right and cross the bridge and then cross Moonville Rail Trail. Follow the road to the stop sign at Shea Road. Make a left on Shea Road. You will see a slump of ground on the road. Before the slump, is a tree with an orange trail marker on the right, which denotes the trail's beginning.
Arrow marking beginning of the trail near the slump and orange X on the tree.
Along the backpack trail.
View from trailhead parking and kiosk. Trail: (39.330919, -82.341049). Hike out of parking lot (not the parking lot in front of the furnace, but across the street where the kiosk stands as in the image) and take a left along State Route 278. Cross the bridge, and the trail is on the left.
Backpack trail.
There are seven major hiking areas in Hocking Hills State Park - All are one-way trail systems.
Ash Cave, Old Man's Cave, Rock House, Conkle's Hollow, Cedar Falls, Cantwell Cliffs, and Whispering Cave Trail. These park areas offer a unique experience for those who walk its paths no matter what season (the park is open year-round from dawn to dusk)—located on the southern edge of Hocking County. But those are just a handful. There are many hiking trails in the Hocking Hills include those at Wayne National Forest, Clear Creek Metro Parks, Lake Hope State Park, Vinton County Park District's Moonville Tunnel, and Hocking College's Robbins Crossing (with park programs) and the Athens Hock-Hocking Adena Rail Trail bikeway.