Rockbridge State Nature Preserve
Encyclopedia
Hocking County, Ohio
Hocking County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2010, the population was 29,380. Its county seat is Logan. Its name is from the Hocking River, the origins of which are disputed but is said to be a Delaware Indian word meaning "bottle river".-Geography:According to the...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, west of the city of Logan
Logan, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,704 people, 2,790 households, and 1,768 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,175.2 people per square mile . There were 2,948 housing units at an average density of 956.5 per square mile...
. It is part of the Hocking Hills
Hocking Hills
The Hocking Hills is a deeply dissected area of the Allegheny Plateau in Ohio, primarily in Hocking County, that features cliffs, gorges, rock shelters, and waterfalls...
Region, but the actual natural bridge
Natural arch
A natural arch or natural bridge is a natural geological formation where a rock arch forms, with an opening underneath. Most natural arches form as a narrow ridge, walled by cliffs, become narrower from erosion, with a softer rock stratum under the cliff-forming stratum gradually eroding out until...
in the preserve is formed of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
lower in the stratigraphic sequence than that which forms most of the notable features of the area. The preserve comprises 182 acre (0.73652852 km²).
The preserve proper is reached from the parking area by a 3/8 mile (600 m) trail on a narrow neck of land acquired for trail access. The preserve features two loop trails, one of which passes the natural bridge, which is the largest in Ohio, and the other of which goes to a rock shelter
Rock shelter
A rock shelter is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff....
. These formations are set back from the banks of the Hocking River
Hocking River
The Hocking River is a tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States.The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region...
only a short distance.