Foliage map › Destinations › Ohio › Hocking Hills
Hocking Hills, Ohio fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Hocking Hills area peaks around October 27, with the best viewing from roughly October 25 to November 2.
- Typical peak
- October 27
- Best viewing
- Oct 25 – Nov 2
- Color starts
- Around Oct 15
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Nov 9
- Elevation
- 900 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 27. Turn on JavaScript to see today’s estimated status and the five-week outlook.
The season at a glance
Bar height shows how good the viewing typically is on each day, from September 1 through November 30. Colors show the stage, from green through peak red to bare.
Open Hocking Hills on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Hocking Hills
The Hocking Hills are a maze of sandstone gorges, cliffs, and recess caves, shaded by hemlocks and hardwoods that turn late in the season. In Hocking Hills State Park, the trail through Old Man’s Cave follows a deep gorge past waterfalls and a huge rock overhang. Nearby, Ash Cave is a horseshoe-shaped recess cave with a waterfall pouring over its rim, and Cedar Falls drops through a hemlock-filled gorge. Conkle’s Hollow has a trail along the floor of a narrow gorge and another along the rim high above it.
Scenic drive
State Route 374 winds through the Hocking Hills, linking Old Man’s Cave, Cedar Falls, Ash Cave, Conkle’s Hollow, and Rock House on a loop of back roads through the forest, with ridges and hollows in color along the way.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Nothing nearby turns earlier
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Hocking Hills typically peaks much earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Nothing nearby turns later
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Hocking Hills typically peaks much later.
Nearby destinations
- Columbus, OHTypical peak Oct 27, about the same time. 44 miles away.
- Cincinnati, OHTypical peak Oct 29, 2 days later. 108 miles away.
- Fayetteville (New River Gorge), WVTypical peak Oct 24, 2 days earlier. 123 miles away.
- Red River Gorge, KYTypical peak Oct 28, 2 days later. 127 miles away.
- Lexington, KYTypical peak Oct 28, about the same time. 143 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Hocking Hills?
In a typical year, fall color in the Hocking Hills area peaks around October 27, with the best viewing from roughly October 25 to November 2. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Hocking Hills?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 15, and most leaves are down by about November 9.
Is Hocking Hills early or late compared with the rest of Ohio?
Hocking Hills peaks close to the middle of the Ohio season, about Oct 27 on average across the 4 Ohio destinations we track.
What trees color up around Hocking Hills?
The main fall color in this area comes from sugar maple, tulip tree, shagbark hickory, and sassafras. See the leaf guide to identify them.
Estimates come from the Leaves.com model of typical years, based on latitude, elevation, and distance from large bodies of water. They are not live observations. How it works.