Old Man's Cave

Old Man's Cave is a roughly half-mile sandstone gorge where Old Man's Creek passes beneath a huge rock shelter, through waterfalls, pools, stone passages and bridges. The cave is a deep recess under a cliff, not an underground chamber. The main walk is about a mile, and this is the park's best all-around stop: keep going past the shelter, because the creek and rock change around every bend.

Start at the Old Man's Cave visitor center and parking lot off State Route 664. The route passes uneven steps, short dark tunnel sections and wet rock beside the creek. It is not a flat stroll; visitors with knee, balance or mobility limits may find the stairs challenging. Old Man's Cave is popular, so go early for a quieter walk and less parking pressure.

The visitor center by the lot has public restrooms, exhibits and a gift shop. Picnic tables and a shelter are available in the trailhead area, which is useful if you want to eat before or after the walk.

Upper Falls, the swirling basin called Devil's Bathtub, the recess cave and Lower Falls are all along the gorge route. Water levels change with rainfall: a wet spell can bring fuller falls, while a dry stretch may leave them trickling. At the cave, include the boulders below the cliff in a photo so the overhang's size comes through; at Upper Falls, the stone bridge above the pool is the defining view.

This is a recess cave, a shelter cut back beneath a cliff rather than a deep underground system. Black Hand Sandstone was laid down more than 350 million years ago. Old Man's Creek carved the gorge, and erosion wore away the softer middle layer faster than the harder rock above and below, leaving the broad roofed opening.

Local histories identify the hermit known as the “old man” as Richard Rowe and say he lived in the recess and was buried beneath its ledge. State history is more cautious: the trapper's identity is uncertain. Rowe is a local tradition, not a settled biography.

Some of the walk's character comes from its early park work. Civilian Conservation Corps Companies 505 and 526 built the tunnel and steps at Old Man's Cave between 1934 and 1937. They are part of the route visitors move through today, alongside the natural ledges and creek-cut rock.

Hocking's shaded gorges shelter eastern hemlock, Canada yew, and yellow and black birch. Glacial runoff brought these northern plants into the area even though the glaciers themselves did not reach the park. Look for them along the cool creek corridor.

The Grandma Gatewood Trail begins near Upper Falls and links Old Man's Cave with Cedar Falls and Ash Cave over six miles. It is an option for connecting the park's major gorge stops on foot; the shorter cave visit already has plenty of steps and changing scenery.