If you’re looking for a budget-friendly weekend getaway, I have a great suggestion for you! Take in all the natural wonders of Hocking Hills State Park with a Sherman Cabin stay.
Here are my tips for a weekend getaway to Hocking Hills that doesn’t break the bank!
We recently spent a long weekend at Hocking Hills, overnighting in a Sherman Cabin at the Hocking Hills State Park Campground. In fact, we rented all three of the campground’s Sherman Cabins for this extended family gathering.
Sherman Cabins: a Great Budget-Friendly Option:
The Sherman Cabins at Hocking Hills are just a little more expensive than tent camping (Sherman Cabins are about $70/night in 2024).
The cabins keep you warm (or cool) and dry. And unlike tent camping, there’s no set up or take down!
The cabins have electric, air conditioning, and heat (included in your price, of course). Visiting in April, we did not have the need for the AC. We did, however, need the heat at night and it worked like a champ! It heated the cabin up quickly and kept us warm all night.
We kept our meal costs to a minimum by packing our meals and making good use of the mini fridge in the cabin.
There’s a microwave in the cabin too, great for making a cup of hot tea or your morning oatmeal.
The cabin’s covered porch area provided plenty of space for our coolers – handy for easy access to the kid (and adult) drinks.
Being a budget-friendly option, the cabins do not have a bathroom. There is a shower house that’s a short walk away and it was updated and super clean. They had multiple toilets, multiple sinks, and great shower stalls.
The Perfect Location for Waterfalls and Great Hiking
These “easy on the wallet” cabins provide easy access to the park’s trails.
The Camp Access Trail leads right from the campground to all sorts of great park trails including one of the main Hocking Hills attractions, Old Man’s Cave.
We also headed down from the campground to nearby Rose Lake to skip some rocks, watch the birds, and admire the gorgeous surroundings. Don’t forget your binoculars!
More Campground Perks:
They have a pool at the campground. Again, having visited in April we did not get to try it out. But I could see where it would be a fun spot in the summertime.
They also have a big screen for outdoor movies (seasonal).
And while this tip is not exclusive events for the campground only, I think their events are well worth mentioning as part of a budget-friendly weekend trip option. The park itself hosts events and guided trail hikes that are free. Check out the list of upcoming events here. The event locations should all be close enough to reach on foot from your cabin.
Planning For Your Sherman Cabin Stay
Cabins #1 and #3 come with two sets of bunk beds (each cabin sleeps 4). The bunks have mattresses but there are no bed linens or pillows.
We took sleeping bags and pillows for our beds. Next time I will also pack a fitted twin sheet to put over the mattress, just for personal comfort. A flat sheet would work well too.
The ADA accessible cabin (#2) is a two room space that comes with a bedroom set-up: one full sized bed and a set of bunk beds. This cabin also has a second room with the fridge and a microwave along with a wooden table and benches. There are doors on each end of this cabin.
The cabins do not come with a bathroom or water. You can shower at the nearby shower house (very clean and nice) but you will need to take everything you need for your shower – soap, shampoo, towels, etc.
The cabins do have electric. We took a surge protector and were able to charge our phones overnight (nice to have that ability!).
You’ll have the following outside your cabin:
- a nice grill
- an outdoor picnic table
- a back porch overlooking the woods with wooden chairs
- a big fire ring (no charcoal or wood provided with your rental)
- parking space
Pack some folding chairs as the porch chairs are not mobile.
The tables inside the two NON-ADA cabins (numbers 1 and 3) are wrought iron tables and chairs with a scrollwork top and seats (see in the interior pic above). Small stuff falls through the top of the table. They are not great for holding a slow cooker or a bigger item with feet. And they’re tough to use for game play too.
If you plan to read in the cabin, the lighting is pretty dim. You might want to take a book light or have a flashlight/lantern that will be comfortable for reading.
Pets are not permitted in the cabins.
Dining on a Dime
You are, of course, permitted to take in food and drinks. Trying to keep our costs down, we took all of our food and drinks in with us. We cooked some stuff at home / in advance and warmed it up there. We also packed food to grill at the cabins. This was a great cost savings for seven people!
Having the mini fridge and the microwave was a great budget friendly addition and they were well used. We stored our food in the fridge and it was great to have for leftovers too!
Because we rented all three cabins for our family, we found the space in the ADA cabin (cabin #2) to be great for serving everyone at meal times. The table is much bigger than those in the other cabins and there’s a lot more space in the “kitchen area” of this cabin.
Free Natural Attractions
The region boasts numerous natural attractions that can be experience with no spend at all!
We drove to both Ash Cave and Cedar Falls, popular for their stunning views and accessible trails.
We also drove to nearby Conkle’s Hollow State Nature Preserve. It might just be one of my favorite parts of the weekend. We hiked the paved portion of the Gorge Trail. The paved trail ends and then goes into a more rocky, sandy trail that leads back to some great views.
Get the Hocking Hills State Park Trail Map here.
Reservations are required for the Hocking Hills Sherman Cabins. Learn more here.
