For amazing hikes and waterfalls, head to Hocking Hills

“My goal is to stand naked in a waterfall in every state,” I joked to my fellow hikers. While that isn’t really a goal (too cold, too modest), if it was, I’d start with Ash Cave in Hocking Hills, Ohio, where the water cascaded off a massive inverted sandstone cliff into a large shallow pool.

I was astonished by the beauty of a state I’d never visited. “Our favorite state for hiking used to be Hawaii. Now it’s here,” a local couple remarked. We also ziplined, rappelled off cliffs, hiked for miles and flew over waterfalls in a 1979 Cessna.

See related stories on Hocking Hills lodging and things to do in Hocking Hills.

– Jan Schroder, The Travel 100