A thick bed of sandstone stretches through east-central and south-central Ohio. Deposited in shallow seas and along river deltas of the Mississippian Period, 330 million years ago, this multi-layered bedrock is named for a prehistoric pictograph found on one of its outcrops. While it was untouched by the Pleistocene glaciers, the Black Hand Sandstone was carved and molded by torrents of meltwater and by the heavy precipitation of that Epoch. Today, a landscape of rugged hills, deep gorges, rock bridges, waterfalls, recessed caves and glacial relict vegetation reflect the erosional forces and climatic conditions of that periglacial zone.
Northwest of Athens, a chain of parks and nature preserves protect a wonderland of sandtone formations. Most renowned is Hocking Hills State Park, home to Old Man's Cave, Cedar Falls and Ash Cave; the latter is the largest recessed cave in Ohio and its 90 foot cascade is the highest waterfall in the State. Just north of the State Park is Conkle's Hollow State Nature Preserve; protecting a scenic gorge with 200 foot cliffs and a periglacial, hemlock forest, this is, in my opinion, the most spectacular landscape in Ohio. West of Logan and north of Conkle's Hollow are the Cantwell Cliffs, part of the State Park; here, a rugged, multi-fingered gorge is accessed by a network of rimtop, cliffside and valley floor trails. Finally, northwest of Logan, the Rockbridge State Nature Preserve protects a span of Black Hand Sandstone, the largest natural bridge in Ohio.
Too often, Americans assume that the spectacular scenery of our country is limited to the mountainous States. The Black Hand region of Ohio proves otherwise.
