Date: 04/04/2021 – Distance: 2.9 mi – Elapsed Time: 2.0 hr – Ascent: 413 ft – Descent: 476 ft – Difficulty: Medium
Highlands Nature Sanctuary is the headquarters for the Arc of Appalachia, a non-profit that uses publicly donated funds to buy and preserve special places that are deemed protectable for the benefit of the public. They have many other preserves, however this one is very special. The Rocky Fork Gorge here is very deep and is filled with rare wildflowers, spectacular dolomite rock formations, caves, and three species of bats, all rare and threatened. Please obey the rules and stay on the trails to protect the delicate species that live here.
The museum serves ar the Arc’s headquarters, and historically was the entrance to an amusement park which used to be here in the early 20th century called Seven Caves. They made a spectacle of the caves here and decimated many of the rare species which call it home. Most of the caves are now off limits now to protect them.
I’ve been wanting to do the trails here for awhile now, but everytime I was here was in the winter when the museum is closed and you must go through the museum (remember your mask) to get to two of the trails here.
The entrance to Highlands Nature Sanctuary from SR 50 on Cave Road.
Don’t miss this driveway. It’s the parking area and it’s hard to turn around and you can’t enter from the other direction.
The walk down from the parking is on the north side of the lot(toward the gorge).
The entrance to the museum. You have to go through here to get to the trails. Masks on…
The museum sits right on the cliff.
And you immediately start descending.
There’s Trillium here.
Trillium Grandiflorum.
And a cliff on the opposite side.
At this intersection I went right on the Valley of the Ancients Trail.
This trail follows along the gorge rim for a bit before descending into a dramatic ravine to the river below.
Hepatica.
There are a few footbridges over deep cuts in the dolomite.
Starting the descent.
Hemlock.
Many small caves in the cliffs.
There’s a cave. It’s one of the only ones not inhabited that you can explore.
It’s pretty deep and I guess you can fit at least a dozen people in there.
The stairs are precariously perched on the cliff.
Looking down the ravine toward the river.
Up the ravine.
When I to the bottom, I captured this glorious wide angle looking back at the ravine.
Now I’m on the river.
The trail turns right.
There are some sizeable slump blocks down here that the trail weaves through.
Looking up at one of the bridges I came across.
Hepaticas are everywhere.
This side creek you can follow for a bit.
The walls are intense.
I hear a waterfall.
There it is directly under the bridge on Cave Road.
Looking back toward the river. What a place.
The trail finds a path up the slump blocks back to the top. This huge one is being held up by the smaller pillar on the left. You have to go under it…
Nearly back up top.
Another small cave.
The trail ends back at Cave Road just east of the bridge with the waterfall under it. Be carefull walking this road back to the museum to the right.
I returned through the museum and took the other trail called the Etawah Woods Trail.
Like the other trail, this one also follows the rim.
Looking down from a bridge, there are some caves underneath.
Great place to rest. There is a great view of the river below.
Descending into the gorge again.
Hepatica can range in color from purple, blue, pink, and white.
I came down there.
Some big Hemlock trees along the bend in the river here.
Sticks for reference are 4 ft long. This is one of the biggest Hemlock trees I have ever seen. I’m guessing the bark damage is from ice or beavers.
Looking up the trunk.
The river is very scenic.
I belive this is Bellwort.
The cliffs are tall and straight up.
The trail follows the river along the cliff.
What a beautiful place.
The trail ends at this mystical place. You feel really small here.
The rock formations look like something from a Salvadore Dali painting.
Could topple anytime.
It’s not a deep cave.
There is another cave half way up the cliff on the opposite bank. From here you have to return the same way you came.
On the way back I noticed another cave on the opposite bank.
This carving is on the deck back at the museum. This time I decided to explore the museum..
