DRIVE TIME

By Kristen Hampshire

On two wheels or four — and certainly by foot — the Hocking Hills Scenic Byway and Hocking canal trail offer a historically fascinating and naturally amazing way to explore Southeast Ohio.

Follow St. Rte. 374 on the Hocking Hills Scenic Byway, known as “the Gateway to Ohio’s Scenic Wonderland” and spanning more than 26 miles with access to trails, cottages and campgrounds. In 2021, the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration added the route to its America’s Byways collection based on its archaeological, cultural, historical, natural, recreational and scenic qualities. “America’s Byways are roads to the very heart and soul of America,” says Chris Sieverdes, president of the National Scenic Byway Foundation.

Some stops along the way include sights like Old Man’s Cave with its waterfalls, Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve with one of Ohio’s deepest gorges and the nearly 200-foot Black Hand sandstone cliffs, the dramatically stunning Rock House cave, Cedar Falls, Ash Cave, Cantwell Cliffs, Whispering Cave and the Hocking State Forest office, where you can drop in to learn more about the area. In fact, the byway passes all the major non-contiguous sites in Hocking Hills State Park and the Hocking National Forest.

Also plan time to explore the Hocking County Historical and Genealogical Society and Museum near downtown Logan, with its six-building campus that includes a one-room schoolhouse, the state’s oldest steam car, a carriage house set up with old-time tools, a covered wagon, a vast collection of military artifacts and an original telegraph office. “We are a best-kept secret — visitors come from all over and they love it,” says the society’s Nyla Vollmer, who is a walking history book and Hocking Hills enthusiast. Her husband Ken maintains the grounds at Lock 17, which the historical society owns. The historical society also maintains the popular Hocking canal trail.

Open from the 1840s until the last boat steered through the four-foot waters in the late 1880s carrying a load of coal, the Hocking Canal opened up Hocking Hills to trade and commerce. “You can hike along most of the trail and visit most of the locks,” Vollmer shares, noting how much of it has dried up and some is filled in and grown over. “A lot of it you can still see.” Vollmer herself spearheaded a video about the canal — the home she lives in was even transported down the waterway at one time.

The old canal path runs between U.S. Rte. 33 and the train tracks between Haydenville and Nelsonville. A self-guided tour of canal landmarks includes the Sheep Pen Lock, Old Town Culvert Park, Wright Lock Park and Johnny Appleseed Park.