Not a problem on your 'delay', as you more than made up for it with tons of info!
I did go to Hocking Hills with my nephew and it was a phenomenal/ magical place!!
It really is...there is almost an ethereal, otherworldly quality to much of the Hocking Hills region that puts me in the mind of some of the scenery you see in movies like Lord of the Rings. In fact my wife (and a few others) had commented that the gorge trail at Conkle's Hollow almost seemed like something from the Jurassic era...I don't think anyone would have been too surprised had a dinosaur of popped it's head out from behind a rock!
Oh! Another one I forgot to mention...I'm sure there are other areas like this as well, however should one find themselves driving along Rt 664, there's a KOA campground not too far from the Old Man's Cave area...in the tourist book, it's listed as the "Gem Mine" (kind of fun for kids, but nothing spectacular in and of itself), however for nature shooters, it's worth a stop by their office as they seem to attract a truly extraordinary number of hummingbirds! My family stayed there August 2013 (we ended up down at Happy Hills in Nelsonville these last two trips) and every morning I was up at the office with the camera...I kid you not, LIKE SHOOTING FISH IN A BUCKET! LOL!
There were soooo many hummingbirds fluttering around (not to mention "humming-bees"), with a 70-300mm and a bit of patience, it was hard to NOT get a good shot!
Likewise, for those who enjoy critter photography, it's also well worth pointing out that the Hocking Hill's region is HORSE COUNTRY! While there are plenty of stables in the area for public riding and even a couple of campgrounds where you can actually camp with your own horse, the fact is that it's hard to drive down any road down there and not see horses!
This beauty, along with 2 friends were captured at the intersection of Rt's 56 and 91...I just pulled out the camera and walked over to the fence and 2 of the 3 horses were kind enough to just walk right over and pose for me (do of course be aware of infringing on private property!).
In fact, for folks that can take their eyes off the road long enough while their driving (err...not really recommended...let someone else do the sight-seeing for you), there's actually a lot of stuff of interest...
While we had gone searching for the (supposedly) haunted Moonville Train tunnel (never actually found it), we did drive past the old Hope Forge, near Lake Hope State Park...at one time around the turn of the century, the area was actually rather industrial and many such "American Ruins" can be found...
While I wouldn't go out of my way for it, the Nelsonville Brick Park is also worth a quick road side stop if you happen to be driving by. The bricks from this plant were world famous at one time (something about having won an award at a World's Fair as I recall) and many ornate examples can still be found at the site.
Also as I mentioned originally, it pays to plan your visit accordingly...while spring and early summer are the time to catch those water falls, early to mid October are great for some of that fantastic "fall colors"...
The above shot was taken at the Happy Hills campground where we stayed both times this year. During the October trip, our then 6 month old pup had woke me up at 6:30 a.m. because she needed out of the tent, so I figured as long as I was awake anyways, I took the pup (and the camera) for a morning walk around the campground. While I had gotten many good shots (both trips), that is perhaps one of my favorites...although I do wish I had of gotten the morning coffee going first! LOL!
Oh...another word of caution; when hiking the state park trails around Hocking Hills, REMEMBER WHERE YOU PARKED YOUR CAR!!! The trail that goes from Old Man's Cave to Cedar Falls for example, is a 2 1/2 mile hike,
HOWEVER there are no buses or transport to take you back, which actually makes that a full 5 mile hike! Old Man's Cave and Cedar Falls are both well worth seeing, as are the trails between, however it's easy to get carried away and forget where you are. In my family's case, I only walked about 1/3 of the trail, then I let my wife take the dogs and do the full trail while I turned around, went back for the car and met them at the other side! In other words,
if EVERYONE in your party isn't up to the hike (kids and pets included), it's a very good idea to plan on a "designated driver"...we saw A LOT of very weary, over-tired hikers and a few that had gotten quite lost on each of our trips!
Anyways, at the risk of sounding like a tourist's guide again, yea...the Hocking Hills region really is a very special place. My advice to those planning a photo expedition to the area would actually be to search Google Images (there's A LOT of pictures out there of this area), find shots of things that interest you and then research the area where the shots were taken. Again I do advise a degree of caution though...some areas, such as the rim trail of Conkle's Hollow, with it's 250 foot cliff faces, are NOT for the timid! I -tried- to do the trim trail, but with my fear of falling, I only made it about half way up before I chickened out and went back down. While "Fat Woman's Squeeze" at Cantwell Cliffs isn't
too bad (yea, they really call it that), the "red trail" can be a bit terrifying in places. In any case, for the state parks at least, do plan on A LOT of rugged hiking! Regardless of the time of year, a VERY comfortable pair of shoes and a canteen of drinking water are HIGHLY recommended!
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