Ohio is a beautiful place that’s full of unique natural wonders and incredibly diverse and scenic regions. We have wetlands and old-growth forests, waterfalls and caves, and even captivating rocks and sandstone formations. You’ll get a firsthand look at the state’s most marvelous sandstone formations at Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve, a hidden gem in Ohio that’s, pardon the pun, simply gorgeous.

Just east of Columbus, Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve is a 775-acre expanse whose hallmark is a narrow, east-west gorge cut by the Licking River through the famous Black Hand sandstone formation.
Ohio DNR
Not only is this sandstone gorge incredibly captivating and -- dare we say -- gorgeous, but it's also historically and geographically significant, offering visitors clues into Ohio's prehistoric past.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources/Facebook
From 13,000 BC to 400 AD the Early Native American Indians (including Hopewell Indians) lived in the area and visited the gorge. The name "Blackhand" originated from a dark, hand-shaped Indian petroglyph that was engraved on the face of a massive sandstone cliff along the north side of the river.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources/Facebook

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Beginning in the early 19th century, Anglo-European settlers used it as a transportation route through the hilly east-central Ohio landscape. Unfortunately, the engraving was destroyed in 1828 during construction of the Ohio-Erie Canal, which went through the gorge. Today, sections of the canal towpath and canal locks can be seen from the trails along the river.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources/Facebook
Speaking of which, Blackhand Gorge boasts the only bike trail within the Ohio State Preserve system; more than four miles of bike trails cross the preserve.
Krista Starr/Google Local
For hikers, the eponymous Blackhand Trail is a 4.3-mile paved hike that offers a fascinating tour of this hidden gem park.
Roy Wood/Google Local
In addition to the captivating sandstone formations, the gorge hilltops are flush with oak-hickory mature woods that includes Virginia pine, mountain laurel, yellow birch, cherry birch, and eastern hemlock.
Ohio DNR
In the springtime, this park is especially rapturous as the verdant greenery frames the copper sandstone!

Have you seen the sandstone formations at this Ohio park? Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve is a unique and fascinating adventure in the Buckeye State!

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Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve, 2200 Gratiot Rd SE, Heath, OH 43056, USA