Conkles Hollow Gorge Trail

The Gorge Trail is a one-mile round-trip out-and-back from the Conkles Hollow preserve access, following a partly paved path into a narrow sandstone gorge and on to its waterfall. Start from the marked preserve parking area off Big Pine Road. It is a good pick if you want the gorge-floor walk without committing to the separate upper Rim Trail. Allow about an hour if you stop along the way.

The paved sidewalk is the limit of wheelchair-accessible travel; beyond it, the approach to the falls is rougher. You’ll walk beside the creek and pass large boulders before reaching the falls.

The gorge narrows to about 100 feet in places, with sandstone walls nearly 200 feet above the floor. At the waterfall, include some of the creek and the overhanging walls in your photo; a tight shot of the drop misses the scale of the gorge.

These are Black Hand sandstone walls. Their sand began in broad river deltas about 350 million years ago, was buried under finer sediment and pressed into rock, then exposed as water wore away the layers above. The narrow gorge is part of that long erosion story.

Ohio bought Conkles Hollow in 1925 to protect its scenery, then dedicated it as a state nature preserve in 1977. The gorge floor and cliffs support different habitats; spring wildflowers and fall color are two of the preserve’s seasonal draws.

Pets aren’t allowed on preserve trails. Stay on the marked route, and don’t swim or wade in the water. Wet, muddy, or icy footing can make the path slippery.