The Hocking River

       Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hocking_River
       Research and compiled by Carrie Birdsong

State: Ohio
Counties: Fairfield, Hocking, Athens.
Source:
     1,     Location: Fairfield County.
     2.     Elevation: 1,050 ft. (320 m).
Mouth: Ohio River.
     1.     Location: Hockingport.
     2.     Elevation: 582 ft. (177 m).
Basin Size: 1,197 sq mi. (3,100).
Discharge:
     1.     Location: Mouth.
     2.     Average: 1,341.47 cu ft/s (37.994 m3/s)
             (estimate).

The Hocking River (formerly the Hockhocking River) is a 102-mile-long (164 km) right tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio. The Hocking flows mostly flows on the mostly unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region. Rising in Bloom Township in Fairfield County and flows generally southeastwardly through Fairfield, Hocking, and Athens counties, through the Hocking Hills region, and past the cities of Lancaster, Logan, Nelsonville, Athens, and Coolville. It joins the Ohio River at Hockingport. The Hocking’s tributaries also drain parts of Perry, Morgan, and Washington Counties.

The Hocking River’s name originally derives from a Native American name, roughly “Hokhokken” or “Hokhochen”, which meant “bottle-shaped” or “gourd-shaped” and referred to the river’s headwaters 7 miles northwest of present-day Lancaster, Ohio. Beginning as a small stream, then immediately goes over a waterfall into a wide gorge. If you were to view this from above, the feature would look like a bottle, which led to its name. The river was known as the Hockhocking River until the late 19th century.

The Hocking Canal once linked Athens to Lancaster and the Ohio and Erie Canal, but was destroyed by flooding and never rebuilt. Due to frequent flooding of Ohio University’s campus, the Army Corps of Engineers re-channelized a section of the Hocking River in Athens during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Between Nelsonville and Athens, the Hocking today is roughly paralleled by a rail trail (a shared-use path that is constructed after a railway is abandoned and the track has been removed and is used by hikers, bicycles, horseback riders, etc.), the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway. The path serves as a major source of recreation for the area's residents, especially students who attend Ohio University and Hocking College.

Major tributaries to the Hocking include (downriver to upriver): Federal Creek, Magaret Creek, Sunday Creek, Monday Creek, Scott Creek, Oldtown Creek, Clear Creek, Rush Creek, Pleasant Run, Baldwin Run, and Hunter’s Run. Many of these tributaries are affected by acid mine drainage.

Some of the activities you can do on the Hocking River include Canoeing, kayaking, rafting, and tubing, which are popular. Hocking Hills Adventures and Hocking Hills Canoe Livery each operate trips suitable for all skill levels on the mid and upper sections of the river. The mid and upper sections of the river also serve as an above-average smallmouth bass fishery. Typical species of warm-water streams are generally found throughout the river.