Hiking with a group is a fundamentally different experience than hiking alone or with a partner. Pacing becomes a negotiation. The trailhead decision is high-stakes when twelve people are standing in a parking lot waiting for someone to pick a direction. And the trails that work best for a solo hiker – long, strenuous, remote – are often the wrong choice when you’re also managing a 70-year-old and a six-year-old on the same outing.
Hocking Hills State Park has more than enough variety to solve this problem. The park encompasses multiple distinct trail systems across gorges, caves, waterfalls, and cliff faces – ranging from almost entirely flat to genuinely demanding. Here’s how to navigate it as a group.
Before You Go: What Groups Need to Know
Arrive early or go late. Hocking Hills draws over 4 million visitors annually, and the most popular trailheads, particularly Old Man’s Cave, get congested by mid-morning on weekends. For groups, this matters more than it does for solo travelers, because twelve people navigating a crowded narrow trail at the same time is a different experience than doing it with two. Aim for 8:30–9am starts on weekday mornings, or accept that weekends will be busier.
Don’t try to hike everything in one day. The park’s major attractions are spread across a 25-mile radius. Trying to hit Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, and Conkle’s Hollow in a single day is too much, especially for groups with kids or older adults. Pick two per day and do them well.
Dress for temperature variation. Hocking Hills gorges run noticeably cooler than the surrounding terrain. The sandstone walls hold moisture and shade even in summer. Bring an extra layer regardless of the forecast at the trailhead.
The Reflections Nearby page covers every major trail in detail and is worth reviewing before the trip to help your group understand what they’re choosing between.
The Trails, Ranked for Group Travel
Ash Cave — Best for Mixed Groups
Ash Cave is the most inclusive major trail in the park and the single best anchor hike for a group with varied fitness levels. The gorge trail is largely flat, stroller-accessible much of the way, and ends at the largest recess cave east of the Mississippi – a 700-foot curved cliff face that arcs around a seasonal waterfall and a central cave floor large enough to park a fleet of cars in.
The history is worth sharing with the group before you arrive: early settlers found a pile of ashes under the shelter reportedly measuring 100 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 3 feet deep, evidence of generations of indigenous campfires built up over hundreds of years. The name stuck.
Trail length: approximately 0.25 miles one-way on the gorge trail. Elevation change: minimal. The rim trail adds length and some elevation for groups who want more challenge after the gorge walk.
Cedar Falls — Best Payoff Per Effort
Cedar Falls carries more water than any other waterfall in the park system, and the sound alone before you see it creates anticipation. The trail from the parking area is moderate, with some elevation change but no scrambling. The falls are wide, powerful, and particularly dramatic after rain or snowmelt.
For groups, Cedar Falls is a strong second-day option that feels meaningfully different from Ash Cave. Moving water vs. still cave, more enclosed gorge vs. open approach. Trail length: under a mile round trip on the main approach.
Old Man’s Cave — The Classic, With Caveats
Old Man’s Cave is the most-visited attraction in the park and the one most people picture when they think of Hocking Hills. The gorge is genuinely spectacular – multiple waterfalls, dramatic sandstone formations, and the main cave itself, where a hermit named Richard Rowe lived in the early 1800s.
For groups, the caveats: this trail has stairs, uneven footing, and some narrow passages. It is not appropriate for guests with significant mobility limitations. The crowds on weekend mornings can substantially change the experience. That said, it’s worth doing. Just go early, go on a weekday if possible, and accept that it won’t be solitary. 
Trail length: the main gorge loop is approximately 1.5 miles. Can be extended significantly via connecting trails.
Conkle’s Hollow — Best for Serious Hikers in Your Group
A natural splitter if your group includes both casual and serious hikers. The gorge floor trail is relatively easy – flat, enclosed, with towering 200-foot cliffs on both sides. The rim trail is strenuous, gaining significant elevation to reach the top of those same cliffs, where the views extend across the valley.
Send the serious hikers up the rim trail while the rest of the group does the gorge floor and waits at the overlook. Reconvene for the walk back. Everyone does a version of the same hike; nobody compromises their day.
This is also a State Nature Preserve, which means it’s managed for slightly lower traffic than the main state park sections. The experience feels more removed as a result.
Cantwell Cliffs — Best for Groups That Want to Escape the Crowds
Deep in the hills and significantly less visited than the park’s main attractions, Cantwell Cliffs rewards groups who are willing to do a little more driving for a lot less company on the trail. High cliffs, deep valleys, and multiple overlook points make it a strong choice for photographically motivated groups or those who specifically want the feeling of having the hills to themselves.
The terrain is more demanding. Expect some scrambling and significant elevation change on the full loop. This is not the right trail for groups with mobility-limited members or young children.
Broken Rock Falls — The Underrated Find
Located in the Old Man’s Cave area but visited by a fraction of the people who hike the main gorge, Broken Rock Falls is one of the most visually unusual waterfalls in Ohio. It appears to split directly through a massive rock formation. For groups who’ve already done Old Man’s Cave and want something less crowded, this is the answer.
Building a Two-Day Trail Plan for Your Group
Day 1: Ash Cave in the morning (universal, accessible, impressive). Broken Rock Falls in the afternoon for those who want more.
Day 2: Old Man’s Cave with an early start. Split to Conkle’s Hollow rim trail vs. gorge floor for mixed-fitness groups. Finish at Cedar Falls if energy allows.
This covers the park’s highlights without overloading any single day, accommodates different fitness levels, and leaves room for the kind of unplanned afternoon back at the cabin that usually produces the best conversation of the trip.
Your Base Camp Is Right Next Door 
Every Reflections Hocking Hills cabin is located near the state park’s major trailheads — close enough that returning to the cabin for lunch is genuinely reasonable. All cabins include hot tubs for post-hike recovery, which is not a small consideration when you’ve been on your feet all day.
Browse the Reflections properties and book direct for the best rate — up to 18% less than Airbnb for the same cabin and dates.