Saturday, January 5, 2019

Ohio petroglyphs

I'm hesitant to even talk about this place really. It's almost my own private secret instead of a park and nature preserve complete with it's own tiny parking lot off a one lane road in rural Jackson County Ohio. The last time I was there the fallen leaves weren't as beaten down on the hiking trail as those on the small path used only by me and the deer on my own property.
The place is the Leo Petroglyph and Nature Preserve. Here a 1/2 mile trail winds through a small gorge as pretty as any in Hocking Hills or Clifton Gorge. Within the gorge are several small waterfalls and numerous cliffs and rock shelters. Hemlocks, yes hemlocks grow alongside the little stream. And, and, the petroglyphs. Yes petroglyphs in Ohio. Petroglyphs.
A weird almost smiley face with deer antlers and some sort of demonic figure or winged space alien are part of the 37 figures carved into the sandstone. I can only imagine some ancient shaman performing strange rites here. Experts in rock weathering estimate these petroglyphs to be around a thousand years old!
It's a tiny place without even restrooms in the middle of nowhere. Don't go there. The drive is terrible the roads terrible there isn't a decent restaurant for miles. Don't go there, I'll post some photos every now and then to save you the trouble.









































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