Although the glaciers never actually reached this area in Ohio, the deep gorges of Hocking County stand as a witness to the glacial period in the form of the vegetation that grows there and their cool environment. Old Man's Cave is the most popular of the State Parks in the area. This is not a traditional cave, only a series of ledges, some smaller and some larger, which erosion has carved in the walls of the gorge. This entire gorge is cut through Blackhand sandstone, deposited more than 350 millions years ago as a delta in the sea that covered Ohio. The walls of the gorge reach heights of up to 150 feet and extend for approx.
Hikers can walk through the gorge and around the rim.
Old Man's Creek runs through the gorge, and at one spot, flows through the Devil's Bathtub, a deep basin cut into the rock by the swirling stream. The Sphinx Head, another rock formation, is named for its resemblance to the Egyptian monument. Some say Old Man's Cave is named for another rock formation that resembles an old man, but legend has it that under the main ledge of the gorge, its most famous occupant took up residence. Richard Rowe was a hermit who found the place around 1796. He had traveled with his two dogs from the Scioto River area in search of game.