Parking
Use Hocking Hills State Park Lodge parking for this variant; the field-checked route guide describes the Lodge parking as limited. The Old Man's Cave and Upper Falls lots serve the separate longer route.
Overview
About Whispering Cave Trail from the Lodge
Why go
- A dramatic sandstone recess reached without taking the longer gorge route.
Heads up
- Many uneven steps and a strenuous climb back to the Lodge.
Whispering Cave Trail from the Lodge is a short out-and-back to a broad sandstone recess, about 0.6 miles round trip. The short mileage hides a steep stair walk with rough footing and a hard climb back to the lodge. Allow about 45 minutes, including time at the cave. The separate one-way route through Hemlock Bridge is a much longer outing.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Hocking Hills map
Full mapElevation747–1,001 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Hocking Hills Tour Guide
Your drive to Whispering Cave Trail from the Lodge, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Hocking Hills State Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Whispering Cave and the Lodge0:00 / 0:34
“You're approaching Hocking Hills Lodge and the trail to Whispering Cave. The cave is a huge sandstone recess with a seasonal waterfall dropping a hundred and five feet from its roof.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Hocking Hills Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- John Glenn Astronomy Park
- Old Man's Cave
- Grandma Faye's Grocery and Carryout
- Hocking Hills State Park Campground
- 22 audio storiesacross Hocking Hills’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor White-tailed Deer, Snapping Turtle, Chipmunk, and 9 more
- Works offlinemaps, 18 trails, 29 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Whispering Cave Trail from the Lodge
Getting to the caveStart at Hocking Hills State Park Lodge parking and follow the Lodge Connector to the marked…
Start at Hocking Hills State Park Lodge parking and follow the Lodge Connector to the marked cave path. Wooden steps descend into the gorge; the return climbs steeply over uneven ground. Turn around at the cave for this short lodge route rather than continuing into the longer Hemlock Bridge route. Check trail signs before setting out because the park has one-way sections.
The sandstone recessWhispering Cave is a roughly 300-foot recess in the softer middle layer of sandstone, worn…
Whispering Cave is a roughly 300-foot recess in the softer middle layer of sandstone, worn between harder layers above and below. It is one of the region's largest caves. A seasonal waterfall can drop about 105 feet into the recess, though it may be dry. From the marked path, frame the overhanging roof with the low railing to show the cave's scale; include the falls when they're flowing.
Starting at the LodgeParking at the lodge is limited.
Parking at the lodge is limited. The Lodge's Rock House Restaurant is a separate place to eat before or after the walk, not an on-trail stop. Dogs are allowed on leash no longer than six feet; the steep steps and rough ground can be difficult for some pets.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Hocking Hills
15 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
83 sightingsSnapping TurtleMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
13 sightingsChipmunkMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
19 sightingsGray RatsnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
47 sightingsWatersnakeMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
11 sightingsRing-necked SnakeMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Hocking Hills. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
