The week before Valentine’s Day seemed like the perfect time to spend days outdoors. On the day we left for Hocking Hills, the outside temperatures were warmer, and no precipitation was expected. Driving southeast, the sun cast long blue-gray shadows across snow-covered fields and snow coated the tree branches. It would be a good getaway.
Our first stop was in Logan’s city center where we walked the sidewalks before heading into 58 West, home to a restaurant, Hocking Hills Brewery Co., Hocking Hills Winery, and Motherwell Distilling Co. The friendly hostess greeted us with a big welcoming smile, took our drink orders at the bar, and served us, a jack-of-all-trades, we laughed. We soon found out her tour-guide role was her specialty — she invited us to the self-guided tour, let us take her picture, and told us that 58 West was a car showroom for a hundred years before it was remodeled. We ordered a cocktail and a drink, noshed on spicy Cashew Queso Dip with fresh pita bites, and felt at home. Welcome to Hocking Hills.
We don’t make the three-hour drive to southeast Ohio often, but we heard good things about Ohio’s newest state park lodge at Hocking Hills. We were impressed by the rustic two-story lobby with floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased the landscape of gently rolling hills and tall pines. Intimate seating areas of comfy rustic furniture are tastefully placed around the large room, some near the windows, others near fireplace. If I had one word to describe the space, it would be “inviting.” The dining room has the same windowed wall, and we could look down into the indoor-outdoor pool and hot tub spaces lit by sunshine. Guest rooms line corridors on each of the three floors, and seating nooks meant for conversation, board games, or a game of pool or ping pong encourage visitors to relax on the ground and top floors. If I oversaw a large retreat or conference, I would choose Hocking Hills, which also has a fitness center, banquet facilities, and a ballroom.
The main attraction is the outdoors, and that’s what people are drawn to. The Hocking Hills area provides outdoor adventures beneath towering cliffs and within deep gorges, with trails ranging from short one-mile hikes on accessible paths to five-mile Grandma Gatewood Trail which takes visitors to multiple sites, including Old Man’s Cave and Cedar Falls. During one of the coldest winters in Ohio’s history, we were ready to absorb Nature.
After check-in, we drove to Ash Cave, where the almost-empty trail beneath rocky cliffs was slushy but navigable. Below the ledges, we were stunned to see an icy snow hill beneath dripping heights that looked like an avalanche of ice fell on it. Apparently, we missed the moment just an hour before our arrival when a huge ice formation came crashing from rocks above. A park guide showed us a video of the explosive instant when the ice let go of the rock above. The day’s high was around 40 degrees, the warmest day we’d had in weeks, and dripping water was all around us, like we were in a rainforest. We hoped for a full day of hiking the next day.
We had dinner reservations at Kindred Spirits at the nearby Inn at Cedar Falls. I last stayed there during an Ohio University parent weekend and was eager to eat in the rugged log cabin restaurant again. This time, we enjoyed well-prepared American cuisine in the low glowing light that glazed the original 1840s log walls. It felt romantic, and it was the anniversary of our first date. The dining room has a timeless elegance and the servers are thoughtful. We had high expectations, but the skewered pork loin on ciabatta and chicken smothered in cranberry sauce entrees were not as imaginative as they should have been. Even so, we left feeling good about the experience. Now, overnight guests can choose from stand-alone cabins, yurts, cottages, lodges, and geodomes, a big upgrade from the almost primitive rooms of yore. Since I last visited, the complex has added a full-service spa and golf course. It’s now a true resort.
It was relaxing to watch the Olympics in the lobby prior to returning to our patio room. The king-sized bed was comfortable, and the pillows were so soft, I could wrap my body around them and feel cozy. Sleep came fast and lasted. We woke refreshed and found our way to the dining room which served typical breakfast fare but in bigger-than-average proportions, with the over-easy eggs seemingly oversized and the hash browns the perfect crispy deliciousness I crave. While waiting for the day to warm up, we spent a couple hours reading by a fireplace. It felt luxurious to have that kind of time.
The idea was to drive to Cantrell Cliffs at the northern end of the park and work our way south to Cedar Falls. Unfortunately, the first trailhead was roped off and closed with warning signs about the ice. Fearing the worst, I said, “Oh, great, we won’t be hiking today,” but my husband reminded me that we should go with the flow. We found ourselves taking cautious baby steps toward the trailheads, only to withdraw when we encountered icy stairs and downward glassy trails. It turned out that Rock House was the only safe trail to walk and we got as far as taking pictures at Rock House before we turned back because of icy rocky trails. At the popular Old Man’s Cave, which includes Devil’s Bathtub, Whale in the Rock, and the lower and upper falls, we were surprised to see around twenty cars in the parking lot, especially when the ground was a sheet of ice everywhere we walked. We contented ourselves with taking pictures of the cascading icicles in the cavernous structure below the icy bridge. But we didn’t care—the woods in winter were beautiful, the park was peaceful, and we were outside long enough to be cold and crave warmth when we returned to the lodge.
When we passed Glenlaurel, a Scottish-styled resort, we were reminded of our March 2021 trip when we stayed there. We splurged on their special hiking package, which included breakfast and dinner in its legendary restaurant, hand-hewn walking sticks, and access to private hiking trails in the gorge on the property. We enjoyed the basement pub, candlelit breakfasts, and its six- and seven-course prix fixe dinners prepared with seasonal ingredients. The food was phenomenal, and the chef came into the dining room to introduce the courses and invite diners into conversation. Everything was very Scottish, from the entry into the hallways and the rooms that felt Edwardian, each warmed by a fireplace. I remember eating mussels, a smoky tomato soup with a grilled cheese crouton, an herbed rack of lamb with a delicate berry sauce, a fish in a tasty lemon sauce, potato puree, and scallops overlayed with crusty cheese. The room was elegant and luxurious, with a balcony and jacuzzi tub. The crown jewel was the property — we walked along a gorge, descended to a creek bank, took pictures of gnomes in the hollows of trees, and were generally enchanted. We recommend it for a special occasion.
That second evening, we sat by the windows of the Urban Grille at Hocking Hills Golf Course and admired the clean white snow on the long courses, happy to eat sandwiches and fries — I can never resist a good Reuben, and it was excellent. It was only seven when we returned to the Lodge, but it was delightful to admire the local artist Jack Pines’ glassware on the restaurant walls, spy teenagers playing pool, see families bent over board games, and hear laughter in the lounge. It was a treat to have uninterrupted time to watch the Olympic athletes on the snow-covered mountains of Italy. Wintertime is fun time.
Okay, this is a tangent. After I posted pictures on Facebook, the adventure continued. Arctic cold and snow made for unusual sights in the Great Lakes region because of the eighteen-day big freeze. Daily images popped up on my screen—ice formations on Lake Michigan at the Apostle Islands, a frozen blue-green waterfall at Vermilion River Reservation, a North Pole-like Niagara Falls winter wonderland, rough blue ice on the beach of Presque Isle, ice-covered benches at Edgewater Park, cascading icicles of Twin Sisters falls in the Cuyahoga Valley, and bouncing ice balls in Lake Erie, an eerie ice angel at Euclid Beach Park were among the fantastic images I saw.
Some people walked along lake shores and on nature trails in temperatures close to zero degrees Fahrenheit, eager to find the magic in it all. What could be a time of dread and depression became moments of celebration and amazement. That’s how we’ve been feeling—celebratory. Winter has been filled with wonder, and spring, with a different kind of magic, will arrive soon.