Tag: Hocking Hills drive

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Back Roads from Lake Logan to Old Mans Cave

The route in this article is a point-to-point drive from the marina of Lake Logan to the parking lot of Old Man’s Cave. With Fall here it is time to find some nice roads to drive. These back roads from Lake Logan to Old Mans Cave have some crazy corners, a large variety of road surfaces, and narrow lanes. It is not meant for a sports cars or pavement princesses. The beautiful variety of scenery is something to behold. Starting at the water’s edge and transforming into scenes of gorgeous hemlock trees, this route won’t disappoint.

Ruby the Wrangler at the Lake Logan Marina
Ruby at the Lake Logan Marina

Lake Logan Road to Wildcat Hollow

We start the route at the Lake Logan Marina on Lake Logan Rd. Lake Logan Marina rents pontoon boats, peddle boats, kayaks, and paddle boards. Once on Lake Logan Road, drivers will get good views of the lake. In the immediate area are the beach and various pullouts and fishing points. Another feature on our route in the vicinity of Lake Logan is Wildcat Hollow Road. Said to be one of the most beautiful roads in Hocking County. HockingHills.com calls Wildcat Hollow Road one of the most beautiful roads in Hocking County.

Rocky Fork Road

Proceeding on our route we find another beautiful and unique road in the area; Rocky Fork Road. This chip ‘n seal one lane township road has some crazy corners and beautiful forested overhangs. It is no doubt one of the prettiest and most interesting roads I’ve driven in the area. For the most part there isn’t a lot of traffic. While most definitely not a faster way to the caves, it is much quieter than the highway or other major county roads. Check out other awesome regional gravel roads in an article about the Zaleski State Forest Roads.

A view form inside Ruby at the beautiful bluffs of Wildcat Hollow Road.
Wildcat Hollow Road

Hard Times for the GPS

This route will place drivers almost directly across State Route 664 from the parking lot of Old Man’s Cave, with a right turn then a left into the lot directly after. Some of these turns and corners can be a bit confusing. The GPS has a hard time at moments, with times when it wants to turn drivers down a road that doesn’t exist, before it then quickly recalculates. The Back Roads from Lake Logan to the Old Mans Cave has been marked on Google Maps and a link is included below. In order to properly track the route, stops were pinned along the way. These locations are not actual places to stop. For the most part, the roads adjoin private property. Just click “continue” when reaching one of these stops in order to proceed along the route.

Have Fun and Get Off the Beaten Path

Overall, this is a fun drive and a great way to get off the beaten path and into the real hills of Hocking County. Remember to enjoy every part of vacationing when in the Hocking Hills. There is more than just caves to see and highways to drive. There is a whole other side of the region that even locals may not know. And some I am sure I have yet to find! Hocking Hills Topless Rental is here to help you have fun and get out and “Enjoy Nature Topless!”

Link to: Back Roads From Lake Logan to Old Man’s Cave

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State Route 56

With a beautiful, long weekend this Memorial Day, the Sun shining, blue skies and mild weather. It was only fitting to get out and enjoy the Land of the Free. With a last-minute plan of driving State Route 56, the family set out in the Corvette and on motorcycle. We started by cutting down State Route 328. S.R. 328 is quite a nice highway in itself with a great assortment of turns. Soon we merged with State route 56, and took a right to travel toward the west. Shade from the overhanging trees kept the sun at bay. Traveling further down the road, the highway will intersect with State Route 93. State Route 93 bridges the towns of Logan and McArthur. Crossing and continuing west will bring drivers into the Hocking Hills Region and eventually into Laurelville. To read more about driving further northwest, check out our articles on the Hocking Hills Scenic Byway and Big Pine Loop.

corvette driver POV of State Route 56

A Search For Lunch


On our cruising, we decided to go to McArthur, rather than continuing to Laurelville, for ice cream at Main Eatery. To our disappointment they were closed for the holiday. Since we had to find an alternative, our sights were then set for Athens and Larry’s Dawg House, which we traveled US Route 50 to get to. This is a great road as well, with a variety of scenery, from farm land to rock faces, to overhanging trees. Wide, smooth roads for cruising made for a great ride. Taking some side roads to avoid four lane highways, we weaved our way to the Dawg House.

Back To Route 56

After a good lunch we jumped back onto State Route 56 to head home. Through trees and across grasslands, there were some very picturesque scenes to see. My brother and I were intrigued by the old farm homes that we occasionally passed on the trip. With their grand porches and old sandstone foundations, these old houses had style that not many, if any new homes really could achieve. There were many vehicles out enjoying the day. Apart from us we saw many Jeep Wranglers, motorcycles. We even saw another Corvette, which I thought we would see more of, but surprisingly there was only the one.

Corvette and Motorcycle

Get On The Road and Cruise 56


So many of the roads in and around the Hocking Hills are full of sights and adventure. No matter the road, there is always fun to have while cruising in the hills with friends and family. State Route 56 and US Route 50 really are no different. Great roads with easy riding, relatively quiet, especially when keeping to the south (although it isn’t quite as nice of views compared to the Hocking Hills Region to the north). Over all it’s a drive that is worth taking maybe if the driver wants to drive from a cabin in the Hills down to Athens or McArthur. As always, don’t be afraid to explore and discover roads of your own, just be sure to let us know when you’re ready to get out there and ‘Enjoy Nature Topless.’

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Zaleski Forest Roads

Not far for the Hocking Hills region, near the small village of Zaleski, Ohio, lies the Zaleski State Forest. This 27,000 acre forest holds roads that are obscure to many who are outside of the local population. Above all, the Zaleski forest roads are all one lane, maintained gravel roads that twist and turn through the heart of these Ohio woodlands. Consequently, tThe roads are an absolute blast to navigate. Drivers will have a thrill of adventure and seclusion, but without being too far from a main road. There will always be a state route to greet explorers at the other end and take them back to civilization.

Ruby on Zaleski Roads

Experience with a Friend


A friend and I went adventuring in the area not long ago. What a blast we had, navigating slopes and turns. Surveying harvested forests and coming across hunter camps made for exciting discoveries. Our HHTR Jeep Wrangler, Ruby, is amazing. The vehicle was cruising over the gravel with ease and straddling mud puddles effortlessly. (Read more articles featuring our beloved red Jeep in our last article, Big Pine Loop).

The Southern Ohio Forest Rally is held in Zaleski and the city McArthur, Ohio during the summer months. The rally cars will leave McArthur and drive with insane speed down the same Zaleski forest roads that not many people will go down at 35 miles an hour, much less 60 to 100mph. I strongly recommend not going fast down any of these roads because they are unpredictable at times.

Ruby the Jeep with rock faces in background

Interests in the Region


Zaleski State Forest holds some interests that are worth a visit. Lake Hope State Park is a beautiful lake that offers a beach, paddling, cabin rentals, fishing, camping, hiking trails, and a beautiful lodge with some of the best food in the area. Another interest would be the Moonville Tunnel. Find the tunnel on the Moonville Rail Trail outside the ghost town of Moonville. This tunnel is claimed to be haunted by victims of the train that traveled the area back in the 1800s. Zaleski is also home to Waterloo Wildlife Area, which is used to research water habitat, endangered tree species like American Elm, along with other things. Turkey Ridge Wildlife Area is an area that is used to protect the wild turkey population.

An old iron furnace is at the head of the Zaleski backpacking trails. It speaks a story of the area’s past, and what it took to live here. Other backpack trailheads are scattered around the area and I recommend checking into these trails if backpacking interests you. Overall a day, or even a few hours in the region is well worth the time.

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Hocking Hills Scenic Byway

The Hocking Hills Scenic Byway is a great location for driving. However there in no compilation of roads and routes that can be recommended to people who wish to tour the beautiful Hocking Hills Region. Here at Hocking Hills Topless Rentals, we are all about awesome drives and beautiful scenery. Whether it’s a sports car rental or Jeep rental, there is a road for the driver and a car for the road. Look for a compilation of great drives in the Hocking Hills Region here!

Great Drive Just Off US 33

To start off our compilation of roads to experience in the Hocking Hills, we will talk about the well-known, and spoken about Hocking Hills Scenic Byway. This relatively short drive starts in Rockbridge, Ohio. Here, State Route 374 dead ends into US Route 33. OH-374 is a beautiful, well-maintained, two-lane road. It expresses itself with fun turns, great views and Hocking Hills State Park. One of the Parks, about 6 miles into the drive, mentioned is Cantwell Cliffs. It is a relatively small park with some very picturesque locations and steep trails. Don’t wander off trails.

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Shortly after Cantwell Cliffs, OH-374 merges with State Route 180. It turns right and heads down into the valley. Drivers will be required to take a few turns that will bring them close to glorious cliff faces. Continuing down the highway for about another 4 miles, State Route 374 will split away from OH-180 at Mound Crossing. Eventually the road gives way from rolling plains back into State Forests.

Rock House, Old Man’s Cave, Cedar Falls, Ash Cave

Soon the unique, Rock House will be off to the left of the road. This park is the only proper cave in the Hocking Hills, with a corridor halfway down the side of a hill face. Drivers will pass the state park headquarters and at around mile 20, drivers will turn left on to State Route 664 toward Old Man’s Cave. Once past Old Man’s Cave, (about mile 22) S.R. 374 will once again break off and turns right to head through a wonderful over-hill hemlock forest and around to Cedar Falls.

At mile 26 tourists will turn right at the junction of S.R. 374 and Rt. 56, just after the turn will be Ash Cave, another beautiful park in the region. Most information found about the Hocking Hills Scenic Byway says the drive stops at the junction of 374 and 56. However, in further investigation, I noticed that they recently extended the drive further down State Route 56 and through the cool and dark valley. After a few miles of great curves, 56 will again meet with 664 in the small town of South Bloomingville, turning right again send drivers right back towards Old Man’s Cave and eventually Logan.