The route
This is a suggested first route through the Hocking Hills, built from the places already in the Old Route Retro atlas. The region sits in Ohio's Appalachian foothills, roughly an hour from Columbus, and its heart is the Hocking Hills — the sandstone gorge country of Ohio's most-visited state park. The Hocking Hills Scenic Byway is the road through it: a National Scenic Byway that runs past the region's waterfalls and gorges. Every stop below links to its own place page, where the postcards filed for that location are gathered together.
The Ohio route shows the whole state, and holds every design currently filed under it.
The Hocking Hills country
The heart of the region is Hocking Hills itself — Ohio's most-visited state park, a folded sandstone country of hemlock gorges, cliffs, and waterfalls. The classic stops are Old Man's Cave, Cedar Falls, and Ash Cave, with Rock House and Conkle's Hollow close behind, and the park's trails thread the gorge country between them.
The byway loop
The road that ties the region together is the Hocking Hills Scenic Byway — a National Scenic Byway that runs from US 33 at Rockbridge south toward South Bloomingville, past the region's waterfalls and gorges. At the southern edge of the loop, Lake Hope spreads a quieter wooded state park around its lake, a contrast to the gorge trails.
South to Serpent Mound
South of the byway, Serpent Mound rises in a long winding ridge of earth — the largest serpent effigy in the world, built by the mound-building cultures of the region. West of the gorge country, Ohio Caverns opens a different underground world in the limestone, with guided tours through its crystal-lined rooms.
North toward Amish country
North of the region the atlas files Amish Country — the farm country of Holmes County, with its roadside markets and horse-drawn buggies — and Mohican State Park, where the Mohican River runs below wooded ridges. Farther north still, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is Ohio's only national park, keeping its river valley between Cleveland and Akron.
East through the forest
East of the byway, Wayne National Forest spreads across the hill country in three separate blocks, and The Wilds — one of the largest wildlife conservation centers in North America — brings safari-style viewing to reclaimed strip-mine land. Salt Fork adds one of the state's largest lakes and parks farther east.
The river town extension
For a longer trip, the route extends southeast to the Ohio River. Marietta — the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory — sits where the Muskingum meets the Ohio, and the Ohio River Scenic Byway follows the river's edge from there into the hill country.
Planning the route
This is a suggested route from the Old Route Retro atlas, not an official itinerary. The byway and the state park's signature trails fit naturally in a day; the detours — Serpent Mound, Amish country, the forest country — are what turn it into a long weekend. Fall is the byway's famous season, when the gorges fill with color, and spring brings the waterfalls at their fullest; summer is the busy season. Check current conditions before travelling.
The atlas's other great byway routes are the Kancamagus Highway, the Beartooth Highway, and Going-to-the-Sun Road — different country, same atlas. Every stop in this guide is a real page: open the Ohio route to browse every design currently filed under it.
How long does this route take?
As a suggested route it has no fixed length. The byway and the state park's signature trails fit naturally in a day, with more days for the detours — Serpent Mound, Amish country, and the forest country. Each place page stands alone, so you can follow any single stop on its own.
When is the best time to visit Hocking Hills?
The Hocking Hills are famous for autumn color — the byway is one of Ohio's best fall drives — and the exact timing shifts from year to year, so check current foliage reports before travelling. Spring is the season of fullest waterfalls, and summer is the busy season.
What is the Hocking Hills Scenic Byway?
The Hocking Hills Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway — an America's Byway — that runs from US 33 at Rockbridge south through the region's sandstone gorge country toward South Bloomingville. In the atlas it is filed as its own place page, Hocking Hills Scenic Byway.