Haunted Ohio Hocking Hills - Haunted Hocking
Programs throughout the year
In the evening.
Ash
Cave has long been known for the haunting echoes of waterfalls and the
dark depression of its sandy recess cave. For centuries, it has been
visited by roaming Native Americans, traveling churchgoers and
sightseers awed by its beauty. But who would have thought that there was
more than a cascading waterfall haunting the cave and some of the
visiting spirits might still linger under the cool, quiet recess.
On a dusky evening in late winter, a local college was taking part in an educational hike with park staff. As the program ended and the group was getting ready to be led out of the recess cave, the hike leader asked if the students had any questions.
One of the students raised a hand, exclaiming, "Hey, what is that?" And pointed into the woods opposite the cave to an area just beyond a huge boulder called Pulpit Rock. Several witnesses watched as a pair of greenish-yellow lights darted in and out amongst the trees.
Up and down, the lights danced while the onlookers stared in wonder. . .and a bit of fear. They watched for several minutes until the lights disappeared into the dark of snow-covered forest. So how did the hike leader answer the student? He actually had no immediate response.
The lights went too high for a flashlight and darted in and out of the trees much too quickly for even the fastest marathon runner. The park closes at dusk and the only people allowed on the trail were the ones being led by the park staff person. Besides, there were no footprints around. He could only suggest later that it might be a couple flying squirrels covered in one of the varieties of phosphorescent (glow-in-the-dark) fungi called foxfire.
Hmmm. Sounds like a good answer to me. But I'd still make sure I wasn't the last one in line for any of the park's night hikes! (Oh and please don't go wandering around after dark in any of the park areas. Yeah, it's dangerous, illegal and enforced by friendly park rangers that aren't so friendly when they have to go chasing ghost hunters in the dark. Besides, they won't give me any more ghost stories if you do.) Can't get enough ghost stories, Visit Haunted Hocking here!
Half
the fun is finding yourself in Haunted Hocking. . . except if you're the
ghost! Check out some of our adventures and see if you can find
yourself. . . or maybe something quite disturbing and ghostly behind you
. ..
The
HHIT Team (Hocking Hills Paranormal Investigation Team) is a
member-based team of area biologists, naturalists and enforcement
officers who use their professional expertise to investigates
natural and unnatural phenomenon in the area utilizing the newest in
para
normal equipment. Some of the members team up with the park
seasonally to teach those interested in investigation in the popular
"Haunted Hocking" program. Old Man's Cave, Ash Cave, Conkle's Hollow and
Rock House are just a few of the areas investigated.
The Hocking Hills Region is located in the Midwest US
settled into the edges of Appalachia's Southeastern Ohio.
It is known for its wilderness areas, unique rock formations, cascading
waterfalls, breathtaking cliff edges and the many cabins and cottages
tucked into its hillsides to escape the everyday. It encompasses such natural areas as Lake Hope State Park, Wayne
National Forest, Zaleski State Forest, Hocking State Forest and a few
Columbus Metroparks. One of the largest visited park systems in Ohio is Hocking Hills State Park
located within this region. There are over 25 miles of hiking trails
including those at Old Man's Cave, Cedar Falls and Ash Cave.
