Hocking County occupies a quiet patch of southeastern Ohio, not far from the thriving city of Columbus yet a world apart. It’s filled with rolling hills, gentle streams and creeks, and expansive hardwood forests of hickory, white ash, black walnut, oak, and maple. Don’t expect much in the way of bustle here; this is where you go to let the world slide away. Hocking County remains largely rural, with the occasional town and village appearing amid the hills and valleys. The county has but a single city, Logan, whose population barely tops 7,100. The main lures hereabouts are the lovely parks, bluffs, waterfalls, caves, and dense woodlands, found in places such as Cantwell Cliffs, Clear Creek Metro Park (which has 5,300 acres of sandstone cliffs and woods), Hocking Hills State Park, and the sprawling Wayne National Forest, which overlaps the eastern part of the county.

Hocking County has appeal year-round, but prime visitor season runs from spring through fall. In April and May, high temperatures will reach the 60s and 70s Fahrenheit, and can fall into the 30s and 40s at night. Hiking trails and swimming holes get busy June through August, when daytime highs are in the 80s and nights are often comfortably in the 60s. Fall brings a quieter vibe to the region as temperatures drop off, bringing in winter with occasional snows, lows in the teens, and highs typically just above freezing. Festival lovers should plan to visit between May and October, when many weekends will find gatherings to celebrate locally distilled drinks, lilies, pawpaws, and coal. Logan is home to the last washboard manufacturing company in the United States, which is celebrated during Washboard Fest on Father’s Day weekend in June.

Hocking Hills State Park

This well-forested 2,000-acre state park offers plenty to enthrall outdoor lovers. Pet-friendly trails lead hikers to waterfalls (although swimming is forbidden) and small caves. Among the more popular destinations is the roughly hour-long hike to Old Man’s Cave, and the short but pleasant footpath to Whispering Cave, a 300-foot recessed cave with a waterfall. Another highlight of the park is Ash Cave, which is accessed through a narrow gorge studded with hemlocks and beech trees. The horseshoe-shaped shelter runs 700 feet from end to end and is named after a large pile of ashes discovered there by early settlers.

John Glenn Astronomy Park

The John Glenn Astronomy Park, located within Hocking Hills State Park, celebrates the beloved astronaut and first Ohioan in space with this compact park-within-a-park created to draw your attention to the heavens above. The park is designed around a main plaza that, like Stonehenge, focuses the sun’s rays on a central point on the first day of each season. On weekend evenings spring through fall, docents offer guided tours of the stars and planets through an impressive 28-inch telescope in a small observatory; programs are offered on clear nights only, so if conditions appear iffy, call ahead to check.

Zipline and canopy tours

There’s no need to spend all your time on the ground looking up at the abundant and lush trees hereabouts. Hocking County boasts a mix of some 60 zipline and canopy tours led by three companies that allow you to see eye-to-eye with the birds, no matter your experience.