Hocking Hills is excellent. It isn't the only excellent natural area in the state. Here's how the competition stacks up — and which parks reward a trip once you've done Hocking Hills.
Most Hocking Hills visitors I talk to think of the park as singular — the one genuinely dramatic natural area in Ohio, a unicorn amid a state full of cornfields. It's an understandable impression. Hocking Hills has better marketing than almost any other Ohio park, and the sandstone gorge landscape is legitimately unusual.
It's also not accurate. Ohio has 75+ state parks, one national park, and dozens of state nature preserves — and several of them are comparable to, or in specific ways better than, Hocking Hills. This is an honest ranking of the state's best natural areas, where Hocking Hills actually falls, and where Hocking Hills fans should go on their next trip.
A disclaimer: this is opinionated. I'm prioritizing landscape drama, trail quality, the density of scenic features per mile, and the quality of the overall visit — not amenities, not family-friendliness, not lake size. Different criteria would yield different rankings. Fight me in the comments.
Ohio's only national park. 33,000 acres between Cleveland and Akron. Includes the Brandywine Falls (a 65-foot waterfall genuinely rivaling anything in Hocking Hills), The Ledges (sandstone formations that give Hocking Hills a run for its money), the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail (20+ miles of flat, scenic walking/biking), and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (a genuinely interesting historic train experience).
Why it wins: variety. Waterfall + sandstone formations + canal towpath + scenic railroad + genuine wildlife diversity, all in a single park. Ranger-led programs are better than most state parks because of the federal budget. The density of good things to do is higher than Hocking Hills.
Why Hocking Hills fans will like it: The Ledges are essentially Hocking Hills geology at smaller scale. Brandywine Falls scratches the same drama itch as Cedar Falls.
Caveat: it's an hour north of Columbus and an hour from Cleveland — inconvenient for southern-Ohio-based travelers.
The one you know. 2,356 acres, 25+ miles of trails, seven distinct hiking areas (Old Man's Cave, Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, Cantwell Cliffs, Rock House, Conkle's Hollow, Hemlock Bridge to Whispering Cave), the John Glenn Astronomy Park, and a new state park lodge.
Why it's here, not at #1: Hocking Hills has the densest cluster of dramatic features of any Ohio park. Ash Cave alone competes with the best in Cuyahoga Valley. What Hocking Hills lacks is Cuyahoga's variety — it's all sandstone gorges, all similar geology, less ecological diversity. Three days at Hocking Hills shows you everything. Three days at Cuyahoga Valley doesn't.
What it has that nothing else does: The density of photograph-worthy features, and the fact that it genuinely feels like Appalachia rather than Midwest.
Central Ohio, outside of Loudonville. 1,110-acre park embedded in the much larger 4,500-acre Mohican-Memorial State Forest. The signature feature is the Clear Fork Gorge — a 300-foot-deep canyon carved by the Mohican River's Clear Fork during the glacial period. Also: substantial river recreation (canoeing and kayaking down the Mohican), mountain biking on the Mohican Trail System, and a robust cabin-and-lodge operation.
Why it's underrated: The Clear Fork Gorge is less famous than Old Man's Cave but arguably more visually impressive from the key overlooks. The river recreation gives Mohican activity variety Hocking Hills doesn't have. Crowds are 20-30% of what Hocking Hills sees on equivalent weekends.
Why Hocking Hills fans should go: If you love the geology of Hocking Hills, the Clear Fork Gorge delivers the same scale of drama in a different context. The river gives you something to do that doesn't involve sandstone stairs.
Adjacent to John Bryan State Park near Yellow Springs. The Little Miami River has cut a dramatic limestone gorge through southwestern Ohio — narrower than the gorges at Hocking Hills but taller and, to my eye, more cinematic. The trails hug the gorge rim and descend to the river.
Why it punches above its weight: Limestone rather than sandstone, narrower, deeper, more overhanging. The geology is different enough from Hocking Hills that it doesn't feel redundant. Yellow Springs itself, a quirky college town five minutes away, adds cultural interest most parks can't match.
Trip case: Best as a full-day trip combined with Yellow Springs lunch or dinner. Pair with John Bryan State Park's additional trails for a longer visit.
Covered in detail in our Lake Hope post. 2,983-acre park within the 28,000-acre Zaleski State Forest. Genuine backcountry feel, historic iron furnace ruins, the haunted Moonville Tunnel nearby, and significantly less crowded than anywhere else on this list.
Why it's ranked here and not higher: No single dramatic feature rivaling Ash Cave or Clear Fork Gorge. The appeal is cumulative — the combination of history, wilderness, and quiet rather than a single photographic payoff.
Technically not a state park — it's a 50-acre old-growth forest preserved as a research site by Ohio University, open to visitors. Located in Belmont County, in the far eastern end of the state. The reason to visit: this is arguably the best old-growth hardwood forest accessible in Ohio. Trees over 400 years old. White oaks 5+ feet in diameter. A direct visual sense of what most of Ohio looked like before European settlement.
Why it matters: It's small (50 acres), remote, and has no facilities — just trails through the woods. But for anyone who wants to understand what Hocking Hills would have looked like before logging, this is the closest visual reference. A 90-minute hike here changes how you see every other forest you walk through.
Northeast Ohio, outside Cleveland. Not a state park — a private botanical arboretum with public trails. Includes a canopy walk and an emergent tower that puts you 120 feet above the forest floor. The trail network goes well beyond a standard arboretum into genuine woodland.
Why it's here: The canopy walk and emergent tower are unique in Ohio. Seeing a forest from above, rather than below, is a genuinely different perspective. Worth a visit if you're anywhere near Cleveland.
The state forest next door to Hocking Hills State Park. Often overlooked by park visitors. Includes rock climbing and rappelling areas, horse trails, and Big Spring Hollow (permit required). More rugged than the state park; less landscaped; more legitimate backcountry feel. If you've done the state park trails and want something similar but quieter, this is where to go.
Yellow Springs area, adjacent to Clifton Gorge and John Bryan. Privately managed by Antioch University. 1,000 acres of forest with signature features including the Yellow Spring itself (the town's namesake, an actual yellow-tinted spring with historic medicinal claims), the Cascades waterfall, and an extensive trail network. Pair with Clifton Gorge for a full Yellow Springs day.
Southeast Ohio, between Chillicothe and Logan. 16,000+ acres of state park plus state forest combined. Known locally for excellent mountain biking, backpack camping, and a genuinely remote feel. The 21-mile Logan Trail is a legitimate backpacking loop. Much less visited than Hocking Hills despite being close by.
Maumee Bay State Park (Lake Erie). Solid Lake Erie state park with beach access, birding, and a full-service lodge. Appeal is primarily the lake itself rather than dramatic landscape features. If Lake Erie is your target, this is the best state park option.
Salt Fork State Park. Largest state park in Ohio by acreage (17,000+). Centered on a large reservoir. Strong for boating, fishing, and lodge-based vacations. Less compelling for hikers — the trails exist but don't have dramatic features to anchor them.
Hueston Woods State Park. Butler/Preble County. Good old-growth beech-maple forest section (about 200 acres). Plus Acton Lake for water recreation. A solid weekend park without standout features.
Caesar Creek State Park. Southwest Ohio, near Wilmington. Good for fossil hunting (Ordovician marine fossils are abundant in the exposed cliffs around the lake). Historical pioneer village on the property. Lake-based recreation.
Great Seal State Park (Chillicothe). Named for the scenery depicted on Ohio's state seal, visible from the trails. Rougher, less-developed park with genuine hill-climbing trails (a rarity in Ohio). Good for serious hikers looking for cardio.
Burr Oak State Park. Southeast Ohio. Large lake, moderate hiking, substantial backpack loop. Good if you're already in the region; probably not worth a dedicated trip.
Shawnee State Park and Forest. Far southern Ohio, along the Ohio River. 60,000+ acres of state forest plus 1,100-acre park. Rugged Appalachian terrain. Known locally as "the little Smokies of Ohio." Under-visited. A strong candidate for the "Hocking Hills fan looking for the next trip" category — similar terrain, even quieter, more remote.
Based on what specifically appeals to you about Hocking Hills, the best second or third Ohio trip depends on what you value:
If you love the sandstone gorges: Clifton Gorge + John Bryan (limestone instead, but same scale of drama). Then Mohican (Clear Fork Gorge).
If you love the hemlock-gorge feel: Cuyahoga Valley NP (The Ledges + Brandywine Falls). Then Shawnee State Forest for similar Appalachian terrain.
If you love the quiet and the backcountry feel: Lake Hope + Zaleski. Then Tar Hollow. Then Shawnee.
If you love the old-growth ecology: Dysart Woods first (nothing else in Ohio comes close). Then Hueston Woods old-growth section.
If you love the John Glenn Astronomy Park: You're stuck — nothing else in Ohio approaches it. Muskingum County has some good rural dark-sky areas without infrastructure. For a legitimate observatory experience, travel to Pennsylvania (Cherry Springs State Park) or West Virginia.
If you love the cabin rentals and base-camp experience: Mohican has comparable cabin inventory with different terrain. Hocking Hills still wins on cabin variety and unique-stays density.
Ohio has better natural areas than most out-of-state visitors realize. Hocking Hills gets the press, the social media attention, and the booking pressure — partly because it's genuinely good, partly because marketing compounds on itself. The other parks on this list are genuinely competitive. For someone planning multiple Ohio outdoor trips over a year, distributing visits across Mohican, Clifton Gorge, Cuyahoga Valley, and Hocking Hills makes more sense than returning to Hocking Hills four times.
For the first-timer, though, Hocking Hills is still the right answer. The density of features, the cabin inventory, the general ease of access from Columbus, and the regional infrastructure make it the most reliable first outdoor trip in Ohio. It's just not the only one worth taking.