Hocking Hills State Park and Forest is located near Logan, Ohio, just a short distance from the metropolitan areas of Columbus and Cincinnati. One of the large attractions of this magnificent area is the opportunity to experience nature along the back of a magnificent horse. The park encourages horseback riding with a variety of amenities and guides offered to those ready and willing to hit the saddle.
History
A horseback ride throughout the flowing, natural beauty of Hocking Hills State Park allows one to travel back in time to a period when man regularly traversed the region via horse. The Wyandot, Delaware, and Shawnee Indian tribes lived in the area and provided its moniker; "Their name for the river from which the park gets its name was Hockhocking or "bottle river," writes the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. "The name comes from the bottle-shaped valley of the Hocking River whose formation is due to its one-time blockage by glacial ice."
Identification
Forty miles of hiking and bridle trails snake through the Hocking Hills State Park and Hocking Hills State Forest, passing along a wide array of waterfalls, caverns, rock formations, wildflowers, creeks, and well-known attractions like Old Man's Cave, Cedar Falls, Ash Cave, Conkle's Hollow, Cantwell Cliffs, and Rock House. A horse camp with 23 sites is available on a first-come, first-served basis at the head of the Hocking Forest Bridle Trails in Rockbridge, Ohio.
Horse Camp
The horse camp is for riders only, with day users required to utilize the day use parking lot. Horse campers must register at the self-registration booth and are limited to only one camper unit per campsite. The steeds may be ridden only along designated bridle trails and forest roads, with one exception; "Riders of the Buckeye Trail may use the horsemen's bypass around the east end of Old Man's Cave and Cedar Falls," advises the Hocking Hills travel website, HeartofHocking.com.
Rules
Riders are advised to bring additional drinking water for their horses, as water for the animals is sometimes unavailable. No excursions via horseback are permitted after dark, with quiet hours enforced at the horse camp from 11pm to 8am. The tying of a horse to a tree is prohibited; hitching posts are available for that purpose throughout the horse camp and bridle trail areas. Private land lies adjacent to the state forest with boundaries marked by yellow blazers. Riders and campers must avoid venturing onto these private areas without permission.
Horse Rental
For those individuals without their own horses, several different outfitters offer horses for rent through a variety of packages. A visitor may enjoy a guided horse tour along Hocking Hill's bridle trails, passing by area attractions like Old Man's Cave, for anywhere from one to two hours or longer. The rides are tendered to the skills of each individual rider, with trails available for beginner, intermediate and advanced horse lovers, open to both adults and children.
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