If you grew up in Ohio you’ve probably heard of Hocking Hills, located about an hour away from Columbus. It’s also likely you’ve visited Hocking Hills, maybe hiking such places as Old Man’s Cave or Ash Cave. But the places I’m going to be talking about today are a bit off the beaten path and definitely less crowded- Airplane Rock and Chapel Cave.
Basic information about Airplane Rock
Airplane Rock is located very close to Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve. The address is 24858 Big Pine Rd., Rockbridge Ohio. There is not a big entrance to Airplane Rock. Unbeknownst to me before my trip, there is a small parking lot for 4 or 5 cars located at 17741 Hockman Rd, Rockbridge, OH. However, if you put Airplane Rock in your GPS it will take you to a different entrance to the hike. Look for the orange gate off the side of the road, and there a few opportunities for parking off the side of the road. If the few spots where one could park off the side of the road are taken, you could park further down the road at the rock climbing and repelling parking lot. It’s about a half mile up the road.
The hike to Airplane Rock and Chapel Cave is actually a bridle trail, so you will get muddy. While the trail is primarily for horses, hiking is permitted. You might actually want to wear boots both because of the mud but also the “leftovers” from the horses. There were times when it was very difficult traversing the mud and we had to really get creative trying to find ways around or through it. There were some steep descents and inclines during the hike, so I would rate the hike as moderately difficult. Make sure that you follow the orange markings on the trail.
Getting to Airplane Rock and Chapel Cave
I had no idea there were such extensive bridle trails in Hocking Hills! If you want to do the hike that is just Airplane Rock it would be a pretty quick hike (L on the map below). The day my friend Kelly and I visited, we did the entire loop (the orange trail). Doing the whole loop was a bit over 5 miles with an elevation gain of 769 feet.
From where we parked (N on the above map) it was only about a half mile to Airplane Rock. The actual Airplane Rock formation, however, is off of the main loop trail. There is no sign that point you to the outcropping that makes up Airplane Rock, instead there’s just a sign that says “no horses beyond this point”. Across the way there is a corral for the horses so that riders can leave their horses at the hitching post to go see Airplane Rock up close. This is also the location of the only outhouse that we passed on the trail as well as a few picnic tables.
There is a narrow path through the fence and you feel like you’re descending but soon you’ll reach the rock outcropping. It’s a pretty steep fall down so mind your step. However from that lookout you’ll have a grand 180° view of Crane Hollow.
It was so beautiful! From the side you can see the reason for the name “Airplane Rock”.
And there were some beautiful plants growing near the edge. I can only imagine how beautiful it would be in the fall with the colors of the leaves changing.
Check out the video to get a panoramic view from Airplane Rock.
Continuing on the hike…
After seeing Airplane Rock we continued on the path towards Chapel Cave. The hike quit being muddy for a little bit, and we saw a lot more prairie land, but also beautiful forest and more rock outcroppings. We also saw lots of mushrooms on this hike.
Getting from Airplane Rock to Chapel Cave
Further on the path, as we were seeing more and more rock outcroppings, we came to Chapel Cave. Compared to the aforementioned Old Man’s Cave and Ash Cave, which are just recessed areas along the rocks, this is an actual cave located off the bridle trail. Getting there was a bit tricky, and I’m not even sure if we approached it the correct way. We saw the cave from the path, and there were some faint trails we followed. You can see from the picture below that it was a bit of a tricky descent!
After the descent we had fun climbing the rock outcroppings that are located next to the cave.
Chapel Cave
After a little ascent we reached the cave. It is so huge it is also known as 21 Horses Cave because it is said to be big enough to hold 19 horses! Just joking ; ) It is large enough that people would be able to ride on in the horses without even getting off the horse. We didn’t see any horses in the cave, but we were super enthralled with the cave.
Twin Falls
After Chapel Cave, we continued on a trail with white markings in an attempt to find Twin Falls. We followed a creek, and had to climb over and around several large boulders to get to it.
. It was pretty difficult to get to and we didn’t see much of a waterfall but the rock formations were amazing.
Click the video to see a panoramic view from the falls area of our hike.
From the falls it was about an hour back to the car. We continued on the loop, trekking through the mud, but enjoying the scenery.
Hocking Hills Winery
After a good hike, it’s important to rehydrate, and what better place to do it than at a nearby brewery or winery? So we headed 20 minutes away to Hocking Hills Winery. Founded in 2013, Hocking Hills Winery is family owned and operated. They are open Sunday through Thursday from 1-8 (they are closed Tuesday), Friday from 1-10 and Saturday 11-10. They have live music every Friday and Saturday from 6-9pm. Their patio is lovely, and there is lots of seating.
They offer wine flights, where guests can sample 4 or 6 wines for $8-10. There are 21 wines available, red, white and rosé, and they also have wine slushies which are quite yummy! They also have delicious charcuterie boards (including vegetarian and gluten free options)! If wine isn’t your thing a) you’re weird, b) they have beer available. You are also allowed to bring in food from nearby restaurants or bring your own if the appetizer boards aren’t enough for you.
Thanks for reading my blog Catching Katie! Be sure to check out some other posts featuring some of my favorite hiking spots, like Lake Katharine or Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve. Be sure to check back soon for my next blog post featuring my adventures, make sure to subscribe below. I would also love your suggestions and feedback- make sure to leave a comment.
