The largest recess cave in Ohio, and the easiest big payoff in the park. A flat, paved quarter-mile path follows a gorge lined with towering hemlocks to a horseshoe-shaped rock shelter 700 feet from end to end and 90 feet high, with a delicate ribbon waterfall spilling over the lip into a plunge pool.
Because the main path is accessible and short, Ash Cave is the perfect first or last stop — it delivers the “how is this Ohio?” jaw-drop with almost no effort. A rim trail loops above the cave if you want to add a little climb and a different vantage.
Ash Cave is the largest recess cave in Ohio — a horseshoe-shaped sandstone shelter roughly 700 feet from end to end, 90 feet high, and 100 feet deep. It takes its name from the enormous pile of ashes early settlers found beneath the overhang, the remains of countless fires by Native Americans who sheltered here.
The acoustics are remarkable: a raised “pulpit rock” near the back was once used for church services, and a voice from it carries across the whole amphitheater. A thin ribbon waterfall spills over the rim into a plunge pool — and in a hard winter it can freeze into a full ice column from rim to floor.
Pro tip: After a hard rain or a winter thaw the waterfall is at its most dramatic — and in a deep freeze it can form a full ice column from rim to floor.
Photo: Always Shooting · CC BY 2.0
- • The most accessible showpiece in the park — a flat, paved quarter-mile path suits strollers and wheelchairs right up to the cave.
- • The waterfall is most dramatic after rain or a winter thaw; it can slow to a trickle in dry spells.
- • Picnic area and restrooms at the trailhead; about 10 minutes south of the Old Man’s Cave area.
- • Leashed dogs are welcome, and a rim trail loops above the cave for a short added climb.
- Is Ash Cave wheelchair accessible?
- Yes — the main trail to Ash Cave is paved, flat, and accessible to wheelchairs and strollers, which makes it the park’s easiest big payoff.
- How big is Ash Cave?
- It’s the largest recess cave in Ohio: roughly 700 feet wide, 90 feet high, and 100 feet deep — a vast horseshoe-shaped sandstone shelter.
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