The First Weekend of October 2026 in Hocking Hills: Jeep Run, Bigfoot Festival, and Early Color

The first weekend of October is the sleeper weekend. The leaves are just starting on the ridges, the evenings are still long, cabin availability is the best it will be all month — and in 2026 it happens to be the weekend the region throws two of its biggest events. Here's what's on and how to do it.

Hocking Hills Jeep Run — Thursday–Saturday, October 1–3

The fifth annual Hocking Hills Jeep Run, hosted by the Hocking Hills Podcast and Discovering Hocking Hills, runs Thursday through Saturday with event headquarters and registration at Campbell Cove RV Resort on Lake Logan Road. The format: a scenic fall drive with stops through the countryside, a 100-acre off-road obstacle course, guided trail rides, off-road training, raffles, and closing festivities. Early check-in is Friday afternoon and final registration is Saturday morning. Proceeds benefit Rescue 101, a veteran-led volunteer search-and-rescue organization. Registration and the day-by-day schedule are at discoveringhockinghills.com.

Two things to know if you're not in a Jeep: the roads around Lake Logan and the scenic routes will have a lot of Jeeps on them Saturday, and the region's off-road community books cabins near Lake Logan for this weekend. The off-road guide covers the trail systems if the event makes you want to go find some mud.

Nelsonville Bigfoot Festival — Friday–Sunday, October 2–4

New in 2026: a free, family-friendly Bigfoot and cryptid festival on the historic Nelsonville Public Square, fifteen minutes down US 33 from Logan. The lineup includes Bigfoot and cryptid presentations, live music, food vendors, local makers, and free children's activities. It's the first year, so expect a small-town festival scale rather than a convention — and expect it to be charming for exactly that reason. Southeast Ohio has a long tradition of Bigfoot sightings, and Nelsonville's brick-street square is a good place to spend a Saturday afternoon regardless of your position on the creature.

While you're in Nelsonville: the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway runs its fall foliage trains on select October dates from the depot there. Early October is early for color on the route, but it's also the easiest time to get a seat.

The color that weekend

Honest answer: it's the beginning. The exposed ridges — Cantwell Cliffs, the Conkle's Hollow rim — usually show the first real color in the first week of October; the gorges are still green. What you get instead is the best hiking weather of the fall: highs in the 60s, cool mornings, low humidity, and sunset at 7:09 p.m. on Saturday, which is forty minutes later than Halloween. A full hike at Old Man's Cave with no crowd to speak of is a real thing on October 3. The week-by-week color calendar shows how the month builds from here.

Also on the calendar

• Logan Farmers Market — Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to noon, through October 31. Produce, baked goods, local meats. The right first stop on a Saturday.
• John Glenn Astronomy Park — free public programs Friday and Saturday nights through November. The moon is a waning crescent this weekend and sets early, so the sky is dark. Register for a parking pass first.
• Hocking Hills State Park Lodge stargazing — guided programs after sunset on clear Friday and Saturday nights through November.
• Ohio's fall burn restrictions begin October 1 — no open burning of wood, brush, or debris from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in unincorporated areas through November. Cabin fire pits are an evening thing anyway; our firewood site explains what the rule actually covers.

A weekend plan

• Friday: Arrive, grocery run in Logan, fire pit. Astronomy park if it's clear.
• Saturday: Farmers market at 8:30. Old Man's Cave before 10 while the lot is open. Nelsonville for the Bigfoot Festival in the afternoon. Back for the sunset at 7:09.
• Sunday: Conkle's Hollow rim for the first color, then home.