Theres no doubt that Hocking Hills is a tourist destination attraction. Ohio tourism is now a 44 million dollar industry and more visitors are coming to the state accoriding to TourismOhio.
A big contributor to that tourism is a increase in state parks, especially Hocking Hills.
Summer of 2019 Ohio Department of Resources broke ground on a new 6 million dollar visitors center
in Hocking Hills Old Man’s Cave area.
“Hocking Hills is four seasons, so we needed something that’s open year round and to be able to accommodate larger crowds,” said ODNR director Jim Zehringer. “Hocking Hills is our premier state park.”
According to ODNR 2 million people travel to the Hocking Hills area every year.
“Hocking Hills is Ohio’s flagship state park, and it continues to receive international acclaim as one of our greatest natural treasures,” ODNR Director James Zehringer said. “Safety remains our top priority, so being able to offer the public a one-on-one interaction with ODNR trained staff allows us to enhance the experience and safety of our guests as we showcase what the region has to offer.”
Ohio has 74 state parks, 56 with campgrounds and nine with lodge and conference centers. The Buckeye State is one of only seven states in the nation where admission and parking at state parks are free. Many Ohio families and out-of-state residents visit Ohio State Parks for hiking, fishing, swimming, boating, camping, biking, disc golf, horseback riding and much more. In addition to daily visitors, there were a total of 2.5 million overnight stays last year in Ohio’s state park campgrounds, cabins and lodges.
