In the 360 million years since the Blackhand sandstone of Hocking Hills State Park served as a river delta, weather and erosion have created deep caves within the heavy stone.
Humans first inhabited the hollows of Hocking Hills more than 7,000 years ago, but the 2,350-acre park’s Old Man’s Cavegot his name after a hermit who occupied it in the turn of the 19th century. From Old Man’s Cave, hikers have the amazing view of the larger waterfall, Middle Falls, and can watch the creek’s clear water ripple and roll down the ledges.
From Old Man’s Cave you can see the Devil’s Bathtub, a ‘tub’ of water that spills over into Clear Creek. The cave also serves as the start of a long hike connecting Old Man’s Cave to Cedar Falls and the horseshoe-shaped Ash Cave.
