Date: 10/21/2020 – Distance: 4.8 mi – Elapsed Time: 2.5 hr – Ascent: 617 ft – Descent: 755 ft – Difficulty: Medium
Hocking State Forest encompasses nearly 10,000 acres in Hocking County. It includes many miles of trails most of which are bridle or horse trails. The diverse area includes many deep cut ravines, many of which have cliffs and waterfalls abound. I have been hiking the bridle trails in search of these spectacular features and have found many. In fact, I haven’t found the end of it yet.
This time, I was hiking the Purple Bridle Trail, including one of the numerous other “White Trails” in search of a couple of features I had seen on the map. I found an Artesian Well, Turtle Rock, and Crystal Falls this time.
I found a parking area on Webster Road off of Big Pine Road. Be aware that according to Google Maps, it looks like Webster Road continues through the forest, but I discovered on this hike, that it ends at this parking area, and becomes forest access road and doesn’t really follow Google at all.
The features I mentioned above are on this waypoint map found at the trailhead I parked at.
There is purple paint on the left post here, marking the trail. However I am in the middle of the Purple Trail, and I wanted to head the opposite direction.
From the parking area, the purple trail continues up this access road.
Iconic Hocking Hills slump blocks right near the parking area.
This is where Webster Road continues but it soon becomes impassible to cars.
That is a horse stop area on the other side of the creek. And that pipe has water spurting from the top of it.
Artesian Well.
All of the hilltops have large rock outcroppings on them.
Be prepared for some creek crossings and mud.
At this fork, the Purple Trail goes left, up the hill. I will return on the White Trail from the other side of this gate.
Now we’re climbing.
Turtle Rock.
I continued past Turtle Rock for a bit, then turned around when I hit the actual Webster Road again. I’m not sure what the green blaze means.
There is a stand of White Pine up here.
Very similar to Pitch Pine.
I found a spot where I could look into the ravine below. There is a White Trail down there leading to a waterfall. I backtracked to Turtle Rock, then found a place where I could cross a creek to the White Trail. I had it on my GPS.
There is Hepatica here.
I found the White Trail.
Lot’s of Hemlock Pines down here. This one has been treated (the orange dot marks the tree as already treated) with a systemic insecticide for Woolly Adelgid, an invasive insect that sucks sap from them, and eventually kills them.
Some of the cliffs above have vibrant coloration.
The orange is iron in the rock.
Here’s some of that crazy horse trail mud.
The bracket fungus is growing inside and out.
Right before Crystal Falls at the end of this gorge is this other smaller fall.
The cliffs are high completely surrounding this gorge, with the exception of the way I came in.
A step so the horsemen can dismount their horse.
You have to watch out for things like this in the woods.
Crystal Falls. I should have gotten a closer look, but I got scared by the steep banks and it was wet.
A wide angle shot looking at the head of the gorge.
A closer shot of the falls. I could hear water, but didn’t see it.
I returned on the White Trail, to this intersection, where the trail goes straight or right. I went right which took me back to the intersection where the Purple Trail went left.
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