Turkey Run State Park IN vs Hocking Hills State Park OH

[buckeye_nut]

We are planning a trip to Turkey Run and we are wandering how the hiking compares to Hocking Hills. Everything we have read says it's moderate to very rugged. Has anyone been to both to give us a comparison. We have done Hocking Hills with no issues.

[camperforlife]

Turkey Run has both. Every major loop has a comfort station (flush bathroom and showers). There are vault toilets sprinkled through the campground as well. There is also a dump station. Sites do not have water but there is a water station if you want to fill up once you get there.

[buckeye_nut]

I have one more question do they have flush toilets at Turkey run, or are all the toilets latrenes? The campground map just shows comfort stations, so I didn't know if that was just showers or they had flush toilets in the comfort stations since there is volt toilets through out the campground. Thanks for all the info it has really helped.

[Itching2go]

garmp1 wrote:
We've been to Turkey Run, but never to Hocking Hills, and plan to this year. How would you compare the campgrounds? Is HH as open as Turkey Run, or is there more space between sites?

thanks

It's been a couple of years, but my recollection is that the campgrounds are fairly comparable. Both have open and shaded sites. The biggest difference that I recall is that at HH, the road from the entry gate to the campground was narrow and steep, with a pretty healthy drop off on the downhill side. We're now towing a 38' fifth wheel, and with that setup, we'd likely be staying at the HH KOA next time we're in the area.

[garmp]

We've been to Turkey Run, but never to Hocking Hills, and plan to this year. How would you compare the campgrounds? Is HH as open as Turkey Run, or is there more space between sites?

thanks

[Itching2go]

welove2drive wrote:
Turkey Run has great trails. I hiked the rugged trails and they weren't bad. There are a lot of steps in some areas, some ladders, ledges, a hill side of boulders to climb. Some trails follow drainage areas and you may get your feet wet. Don't forget water! I wouldn't want to hike after a rain as the rocks would be slick. Most trails start across the swinging bridge but there is a trail at the far end of the campground. It is a nice trail.
We were there in 2015 and did not have the water issue that Itching2go described.

Good to hear, welove2drive. Perhaps it was just an anomaly when we were there. Thanks!

[welove2drive]

Turkey Run has great trails. I hiked the rugged trails and they weren't bad. There are a lot of steps in some areas, some ladders, ledges, a hill side of boulders to climb. Some trails follow drainage areas and you may get your feet wet. Don't forget water! I wouldn't want to hike after a rain as the rocks would be slick. Most trails start across the swinging bridge but there is a trail at the far end of the campground. It is a nice trail.
We were there in 2015 and did not have the water issue that Itching2go described.

[Itching2go]

camperforlife wrote:
If you hiked most of the trails of HH including the lower trail from Old Mans Cave to Cedar Falls you will have no issues at Turkey Run. There are a couple trails with a lot of steps but nothing extremely strenuous. I've always said Indiana rates each trail one rating tougher than they really are. I love both parks and try to hit each every summer.

X2 on camperforlife's comments. Hiking is great at both locations, and if you were OK at Hocking Hills, you'll be fine at Turkey Run. The only suggestion I'd add is that you fill your fresh water tank at home before heading to Turkey Run. Last time we were there, the sulfur content of the local water was really high. It took us several weeks and a couple of tank flushes to get the smell of rotten eggs out of our water... especially the shower. Beautiful park, though. You might also consider doing some hiking at Shades State Park which is just down the road from Turkey Run. It's another great park for hiking.

[camperforlife]

If you hiked most of the trails of HH including the lower trail from Old Mans Cave to Cedar Falls you will have no issues at Turkey Run. There are a couple trails with a lot of steps but nothing extremely strenuous. I've always said Indiana rates each trail one rating tougher than they really are. I love both parks and try to hit each every summer.