Area Guide

Laurelville & Cantwell Cliffs

The northwestern gateway to Hocking Hills. A historic village founded in 1871, tucked along Salt Creek, with two of the park's most dramatic formations on its doorstep.

Laurelville is a village of about 512 residents in Perry Township, Hocking County, established in 1871 by early settlers William A. Albin, John Albin, and Solomon Riegel. The village was named for the native mountain laurel that grew abundantly in the surrounding hills, which still bloom throughout the region in late spring. Laurelville lies along Salt Creek in the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau — an ecological region defined by forested hills, sandstone cliffs, and valleys that escaped the flattening effect of the last glaciation.

For travelers, Laurelville functions as the northwestern entrance to Hocking Hills. It's the last village most visitors pass through on their way into the park from the west, and it puts you within short driving distance of two of the park's most atmospheric formations — Cantwell Cliffs and Rock House — without the Old Man's Cave crowd density.

What's nearby

Anchor attractions.

  • Cantwell Cliffs. The most remote of the major Hocking formations — dramatic sandstone cliffs carved by Buck Run. Narrow rock passages, steep stairs, and significantly fewer visitors than Old Man's Cave. Rugged but rewarding.
  • Rock House. A massive corridor cave 200 feet long with natural window openings in the sandstone. The only true "cave" in the park (most are recess caves). Some etchings inside date to the 19th century.
  • Karshner Mound. An Adena-culture burial mound listed on the National Register of Historic Places, located on the outskirts of the village. The Adena flourished in what is now southeast Ohio roughly 2,500 years ago.
  • Laurelville village. Antique stores, a diner or two, a post office, and a rural pace. Not a shopping destination — a place to pick up morning coffee before a hike.
  • Salt Creek. Runs directly through the village and has carved the surrounding valley. Good fly-fishing water in the right seasons.
Trip planning notes

Why stay here.

Laurelville makes sense if Cantwell Cliffs and Rock House are your priority, or if you're traveling with family members who want a slower village pace. It's also the best positioning if you're coming from Columbus and planning to drive home on Route 56 through Circleville rather than back down US-33.

Rentals in this area skew slightly more toward classic cabins and farmhouse conversions than the dome-and-treehouse inventory concentrated farther south. That's not a knock — it's a different flavor of trip.

Late May and early June are worth planning around: the mountain laurel that gave the village its name blooms in clouds of white and pink across the ridges.

A note on Rockbridge State Nature Preserve

Rockbridge State Nature Preserve — which contains the largest natural bridge in Ohio — is northwest of the main Hocking Hills park, not in Laurelville specifically, but many Laurelville rentals are within a 15-20 minute drive. Note that it's a State Nature Preserve, which means no dogs and stricter trail rules than the state park.