Hike the Cantwell Cliffs Loop

Cantwell Cliffs is one of the more northern units of the overall Hocking Hills State Park Region. Located off of OH SR 374, a short 0.1 spur trail takes you from the parking lot to the rim of the gorge and the area's namesake cliffs. From there, you have two choices: Turn left and descend through "Fat Woman's Squeeze," a narrow staircase of rock cut into the cliffs to the valley floor below, or take a right and follow the rim trail for 0.4 miles around the cliffs to wind down to the valley floor. Each trail intersection is marked by a sign with a corresponding letter to each location, making orienting yourself a breeze. Also the combined set of trails is under 2 miles in length, so some intersection signs are close enough to be seen from various other intersections.

The bottom of the gorge has a 0.7 mile loop trail that follows the course of Buck Run, a smaller tributary of the nearby Hocking River. Established stream crossings along this path are few and far between, with most being stepping stones or logs thrown in the creek.

I've found that Cantwell Cliffs is one of the least trodden parts of Hocking Hills, and has some of the best opportunities for solitude during the hike. That being said, on nice weekends, it can have a large number of visitors as well, just no where near the numbers that descend upon nearby Old Man's Cave.

All in all, Cantwell Cliffs is an excellent hour-long adventure during a longer visit to Ohio's famous Hocking Hills!