Date: 08/30/2019 – Distance: 2.0 mi – Elapsed Time: 2 hrs – Ascent: 125 ft – Descent: 178 ft – Difficulty: Easy
When I was at the restroom this morning a posting on the bullitin board caught my eye. There was a hike with one of the park naturalists at Conkles Hollow on the Gorge Trail. Last week when i was at this State Nature Preserve, I only had time to do the Rim Trail and wanted to get back there this time to do the other one.
I met up with about a half a dozen others and the naturalist in the Conkles Hollow parking lot at 10am.
The naturalist was very informative, with a couple good stories. One was about how the park got it’s name. In the late 1700s an adventurer names W. J. Conkle was out and discovered this unually deep and narrow gorge. He carved his initials in a cave far up on the cayon walls. Back then, if you discovered something you got to name it and so he named it Conkles Hollow, being his last name. She said the initials are still there, although you have to rappel to the cave, and that is not allowed in this park.
Another story she shared was about some Shawnee indians which robbed some settlers of gold and silver. They brought the lewt here and used one of the two hemlocks beside a cliff to climb up to a cave. They then knocked the “ladder” over so nobody would notice it leaning on the cliff and climb up. They left the lewt until the dust had settled. When they returned the other hemlock had toppled over and they couldn’t get back to the cave. Supposedly nobody ever found the stash.
The Gorge Trail begins at the end of the parking lot. After crossing a bridge the Rim Trail goes first to the right then to the left where I completed the loop last week. The Gorge Trail continues straight. Most of the trail is paved with concrete, so it can be handicap accessible.
Shortly into the Gorge Trail you come upon the Horsehead Grotto. Supposedly there is a horsehead on the wall, but I didn’t see it. The cave is just a short walk from the sidewalk path.
The next site you come to is a closed trailhead going off to the right to a cave called Diagonal Cave. You have to stay on the trails in Hocking Hills (it’s actually a misdemeanor and a $135 fine if you get caught, nature preserves are especially protected).
Gorge narrows and the cliffs can be easily seen on both sides through the trees.
Past a couple large slump rocks which you have to pass between and the sidewalk ends.
There are a couple impressive cliff walls. One of which goes straight up a couple hundred feet (my pic of it didn’t come through).
Trail gets rockier before ending at a dramatic waterfall. Water was thinly trickling down today.
Easy hike, flat, and only about a mile out and back. However the views don’t disappoint. Drastically different than the Rim Trail.