Hocking Hills State Park and Hocking Hills State Forest are located in Hocking county in south eastern Ohio. The sandstone bedrock here is the remains of an ancient sea. Numerous streams have carved their way through the sandstone over the years creating many spectacular gorges. In the Spring, when the water is high, this area is home to many waterfalls.

The most reliable and biggest, in terms of water volume, of the waterfalls are Cedar Falls and the Upper and Lower Falls at Old Man's Cave. A very scenic 2 mile trail connects these two areas. In the middle of summer these falls can get pretty thin.

I visited the area in May 2005, and at that time the following falls also still had a respectable amount of water. The Ash Cave Falls were still flowing, but I have seen pictures with of them with considerably more water. Whispering Falls is a tall, delicate waterfall that plummets into the Queer Creek gorge. It is roughly the halfway point between the Lower Falls and Cedar Falls. Conkle's Hollow is one of the more impressive of the many hollows in the area, featuring 200' cliffs. The gorge trail ends at a pretty 20' waterfall. In wetter weather a second higher falls lands a short distance away, and the inaccessible upper gorge holds waterfalls as well.

If you are lucky, you can find dozens of more waterfalls early in the Spring or following some good rains. I have not been so lucky, but I have gotten an impression of what could be. A tributary of Old Man's Cave tumbles into the gorge a short distance from the visitor center. It was often only a trickle, but is quite impressive when the water is high. Another tall seasonal falls plunges into the gorge just below the lower falls, and a bit beyond that you can find Broken Rock Falls. In addition to Whispering Falls at least two other streams fall into the Queer Creek Gorge, one just a few hundred feet downstream of Cedar Falls. There are several potentially impressive waterfalls to be found at Cantwell Cliffs. Sadly they were just trickles in May 2005 and March 2010. Even the Rockhouse has a waterfall in wet weather.

One of the highest waterfalls in the area is Big Spring Hollow Falls. The falls does not carry a lot of water, but it is over 100' high. If it is actually spring fed, as the name implies, then it is less likely dry up than other falls in the area. There is a small falls next to it, and other seasonal falls nearby.

There are many other hollows and streams in Hocking Hills State Park and State Forest and I am sure that if you visited at just the right time you could easily find a dozen more waterfalls. Stop by some rainy March or April and see what you can find. Things seem to perk up again in Autumn, and then you also have the Fall colors to appreciate.

This map shows the location of some of the Hocking Hills Falls. Rockbridge Falls is another interesting seasonal waterfall that is just a short drive from the park and forest.