Funny, but I made the same comment to a fellow photog from Indiana while hiking Old Man's Cave. She just burst into laughter, saying that she had been thinking the exact same thing.
Us native Ohioans think the same thing! The Hocking Hills area is truly unique for Ohio - though the state is far more diverse than most people realize. Still, Hocking Hills is amazing and the new lodge and resort is opening this week and it’s stunning from all the pre-press I’ve seen. Marc, thanks for highlighting the area!
Us native Ohioans think the same thing! The Hocking Hills area is truly unique for Ohio - though the state is far more diverse than most people realize. Still, Hocking Hills is amazing and the new lodge and resort is opening this week and it’s stunning from all the pre-press I’ve seen. Marc, thanks for highlighting the area!
I really appreciate that you date what time of year you visit these areas. WE were here in June of 2022....Oh Lordy....it was so crowded you could not enjoy it. We did one hike, and drove to another nearby state park.....and enjoyed some solitude. Timing is everything at these popular parks. Great video. I love your style and enjoy the history you share.....geological history was very nice touch.
Get up early to enjoy the sites before the masses are awake. I’m literally in the parking lot of old man’s cave in the dark, waiting for the sun to rise. Being there alone is a spiritual experience!
Are you like a historian or geologist or something? You have so much detailed information about everything you talk about. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really great to finally hear someone who takes the time to educate themselves to pass it along to us!! Thank you! ✌🏻👍🏻
Rock Bridge state park only about 30 minutes away. Equally cool to see. Yellow springs near Dayton is also really neat. The town is really artsy and inviting. Wayne national forest has lots of atv and mud running areas. Lots of fun in Ohio. Northeast Ohio is really popular Amish country.
Amazing as always Marc. We are staring down the barrel of retuning to Australia in a months time, for the summer. My wife would far rather stay here. We are already looking forward to more grand adventures in 2023..Thanks again, as always the 2 Tasmanians loving Missouri at the moment!
Thanks Marc. Wow... allot has changed since the last time I was there in the late 80's. The area was always enchanting but now they have developed first class access. And the RV resort you stayed at, was first class as well. None of that existed when I lived in Ohio many years ago. Ohio has changed and is now far more RV accommodating. Very nice to see. This is definitely on my bucket list. Gord
The section of the RV park we were in was very new, likely a response to the explosion in RV travel the past few years. In fact, the park we're in right now in SC just opened this summer. There's a lot happening everywhere.
@@GrandAdventure Indeed, Marc. It's all very exciting for all of us involved in this mode of traveling. It seems you will be addressing this in the future, as you gather more information. Gord
LOL! Appreciate that as always. I was planning to get out onto Lake Logan on Saturday as it doesn't conflict with work, or our Sunday moving day. Unfortunately the weather was less than ideal.
Hi Marc. I'm new to the channel and I think your videos are great. I'm happy to see someone showcasing one of the coolest places to visit in Ohio. I have a video of a winter hike from upper falls to cedar falls. Hiking this in the winter takes it to a completely different level. Wishing you happy and safe travels.
Ohio….who knew. Definitely not what I remember about Ohio. The Hocking Hills State Park was beautiful. Probably one of the prettiest videos you have put together. So….you didn’t make it to the top of the Ash Cave Fire Tower??? 😞 I was so looking forward to the view. Nice campground. Thanks Marc for sharing. Ram 👍🏼👍🏽
LOL Ram! I chickened out from the exposure. If I'm roped up, or have skis on my feet, exposure doesn't bother me so much. Halfway up that fire tower, though, I thought, "That's far enough."
As someone who grew up in the area I would be remiss if I didn't also mention Conkles Hollow. Quite often the pic you see from the top of a gorge for Hocking Hills is often a pic from the top loop @ Conkles Hollow. It is not a state park I don't believe, but a Nature Preserve if memory serves. Also, the Winter Hike (typically on MLK Jr. weekend) is well worth the trip and encompasses the first 3 venues and includes some of the best bean soup ever @ the Midway point which is Cedar Falls. Note* as a kid this is where we used to skip school...I didn't realize how lucky I was at the time.
Thank you for the tips, SA! We will definitely keep your suggestions in mind for the next time we visit Southeastern Ohio. And we never fully appreciate where we grew up until we move away. I have some wonderful teenage memories of bonfires on Napatree Point in Watch Hill, RI, collecting mussels along the shore and roasting them in the fire.
Off trail hiking in Denali Park it's illegal to go off trail. I took the park bus eight hour tour in 2000. It no longer goes that far into the park. ( They recently told me. ) I may never get back to AK but after watching your video I certainly want to visit Ohio!! Thanks Marc!
Wow I had no idea there were such beautiful hidden gems in Ohio of all places I've been so focused on Utah and Arizona I guess I should head to Ohio next. Thanks for sharing your journey with us
Certain state parks in other states like Wisconsin and Indiana also don't permit off trail hiking, due to habitat restoration or fragile ecosystem or the more scary... Hunting lol
What a great Grand Adventure. We have visited Hocking Hills SP twice and enjoyed revisiting it through your videography. And we learned things we did not know. Thank you for sharing.
After teaming up with a Buckeye Trail maintenance crew from Ohio on a Colorado Trail Foundation project in 2019, I'm no longer surprised Ohio has some great outdoor adventures to offer.
I was going to add this to my "must visit" list and then I realized I already had it on my "must visit" list. Such a cool spot that has basically everything I would want to see from a state park.
Hi, sure did enjoy this. I grew up in Ohio I forgot how beautiful it really is lot's of hidden gems there. I hiked every where . I've lived in Florida 20 years. Been think about moving back to Ohio. I lost my phone on a kayak trip could not remember your title. Finely found you again really missed your you tube great adventures Thanks We love watching.
We sure did, Tom. The bridge is indeed interesting, but we found other things within the new National Park to be far more fascinating, as you will see.
You really do find the greatest places to explore! I especially loved that elevated bridge like part of the first trail….it was truly a piece of art. Lovely area!!
It is indeed. There's usually nothing particularly special about our destinations, but beauty is always there to be found by those willing to look for it.
Marc, I’m glad you had the opportunity to explore the Hocking Hills area. We live in northeast Ohio and frequently visit that area to camp as well as enjoy awesome motorcycle roads. We’ve been exploring southern Utah over the last week including the Mighty 5 with our trailer.
Hope you're having fun back in our Back 40, Tim! Hocking Hills is a true gem in Ohio, and we were thinking to ourselves while there how much fun those roads would be on a bike.
Hi Mr. Guido. We discovered your channel only two months ago and we really appreciate the quality and the complete description of your videos. It's as if we were there. Your videos will surely guide us during our next visits to the USA. It is a pleasure to follow you in your adventures each week. Greetings from Canada.
Hey Denis, greetings to you! We sincerely appreciate your kind words and we're happy to have you along. Mrs. GA is "une Quebecoise," so we'll include Canada in our travels eventually.
@@U72740 salut! I thought that you were perhaps a Quebecer when I saw the spelling of your name. Bienvenue à la Grande Aventure! We will most certainly get there some day, and the Maritimes too. We had planned to do so in 2020 when the COVID border situation derailed our plans.
Wow Marc, you did a wonderful job highlighting the beauty of the Hocking Hills area!! Don't be surprised if the park service reaches out to you and want to buy your video 🙂. It looks like you had great weather and few crowds, two things that don't often go together at Hocking Hills. In defense of the park signs, Hocking Hills regularly draws large crowds trying to soak in it's beauty and some people don't know how to act and "leave no trace". Keep up the great work!
Thank you Pete! We're just big believers in personal responsibility, especially in the outdoors. It's a pity that the actions of some have prompted the park to take such drastic measures.
Very nice video and I subscribed to your channel. However, regarding Hocking Hills, it would have been nice to know what else there is to see and do in the area.
Thank you David! To be completely honest, we didn't find much of particular interest in this particular area besides the State Park amenities -- but we found that alone to be enough to recommend the area. As you explore more of our video catalog we think you'll find that we typically cover a fairly broad range of activities and interests. We're happy to have you along!
Hey Marc, any plans to come up a little further north and visist the Cuyahoga Valley National Park that runs between Cleveland and Akron? Thats my real backyard. Grew up in the valley before it became NP. Still Here. It's a beautiful area and park. The Cuyahoga River is a fun kayaking river. :)
Little bit pricy for the campground me thinks...Beautiful area though, especially the hikes....Travel safe, be well...That golf looks like the old chip and putt courses...
Hey Marc, Looking forward to seeing my old haunts from decades ago. There isn't allot of RV accommodation in Ohio. Why? Ohio just isn't an RV kind of state for some reason. Yes, there are parks around but not a whole lot. Even the relatively new Cuyahoga National Park only has two RV parks serving the vicinity. I used to live in the Cleveland suburbs growing up... before Cuyahoga National became a reality. Back then I used to ride my ten speed bicycle all around the Chagrin Falls Western Reserve Reservation area... Indians not included... hell, they don't even have a baseball team anymore. 🤣 Back then there were no dedicated bicycle trails. Now they are all over the place, as people took to this relatively new national pastime. Hocking Hills is one of the best places in Ohio for an RV stay. Old Man's Cave is definitely the highlight. Gord
I'll let you in on a secret before tonight's episode, Gord: Old Man's Cave was very enjoyable but was *not* the highlight of the park's hiking for us. That nod actually goes to another spot in the park.
Unfortunately the signs are up due to many deaths by falling. Every single one of them was off trail. Have 2-3 a year it seems. Posting signs is one the the only things they can do to deter it.
@@GrandAdventure I think even more important is the ecological damage. (right, if people want to be a Darwin award recipient, that's their problem) But the damage done by people going off trail is not always recognizable by the average Joe. It goes deeper than just a few branches broken here and there. Surprisingly one of the most sensitive and easily damaged environments is the desert. Remain on the trails in heavily visited parks so they can be enjoyed for decades to come. Maybe some answers can be found by googling "environmental damage done by going off trail". I haven't done it yet so can't confirm you'll find answers but worth a try. 🌄
Some of the roads around this State Park were horrible. Narrow, twisty, lots of motorcycles riding the curves. Better do some research on how to get to the campgrounds if you are towing. ;)
There's definitely a lot of twisting and turning and some narrow roads, but we personally didn't feel that they were overly horrible. Just roads to take your time on.
You stated the law for hiking off trail. Hocking Hills had a death there. Kids off trail, rolled a fallen tree/log and killed a woman. So Ohio took this seriously, thus the new laws and warnings.
That sounds like some kids that were lacking some adult supervision. While that is certainly a horrible event and most unfortunate, we were saddened to see that the area seems to have abandoned the premise of personal responsibility.
@@concreteguyjd sadly that sounds like the Darwin principle at work. But from our perspective folks should have the right to be idiots. We're just not used to all of the limitations. Where we live out West, we've many times stood at the edge of a 1,600-for cliff on public land (no fences or railings anywhere in sight), or chose our own hiking route - usually because there was no trail whatsoever.
We get that completely, and that's sad to hear. However, sometimes you have to let stupid people be stupid. Here's to getting people to exercise common sense.
WOW! $65-$75 per night? really? A bit on the gouging side to me. RVed 20 years and have paid that much or more only in the Keys! I guess times are changing.
Great video. Never been to that area. Now it is on the list. Have you ever been to the National Museum of the US Air Force, 1100 Spaatz St, Dayton, OH?
There's a lot else to do there, Suzanne, from zip lines to horseback riding to farm-to-table agriculture. However, we chose to focus on the natural beauty of the State Park.
Great video but the needless music sort of spoils the allure of peace and solitude in.nature, which makes its own music. Music we seldom hear due to so many overlaying distractions. Maybe we should start charging entry in Ohio parks...then maybe people would respect these parks more, be more responsible... and maybe it would deter any riff raff that won't... and anyone who is just a liability to the parks.
If we didn't add a soundtrack the "sounds of nature" you'd be hearing would be excessive wind noise, car doors slamming, diesel trucks idling, motorcycles driving past, screaming kids, me swearing under my breath, or (in the case of aerial shots) dead silence.
They have laws like that so the parks don't get trashed like I saw when I went to the western states. I was never so disappointed when I went camping out west seeing how people trashed the country side. We don't put up with that crap in michigan ether. I found that watching videos from the western states never show trashed dumped, especially Arizona. I blame the liberals for thinking they can do what they want because they are entitled...just saying.
Well, I definitely don't equate trashing the environment with hiking off-trail. In fact, there were a couple of single-use plastic water bottles that I found on the ground, picked up and subsequently discarded in a trash can while hiking through Old Man's Gorge.
Hocking county and the Hocking Hills are not part of central Ohio. Most definitely SE Ohio. Will forgive you since you're not a local. Hopefully you get a chance to boondock in and around Jesse Owens SP and see what's left of the Big Musky
