Rockbridge State Nature Preserve
Hocking County, Ohio · 2.8 trail miles in ODNR's guide
Our take written by Nature Awed
Rockbridge in Hocking County has a natural bridge of Black Hand sandstone, over 100 feet long and 10 to 20 feet wide, arching 50 feet across a ravine.
ODNR explains how erosion carved a recess in the sandstone's midportion and widened a joint behind the cliff until just the arch remained. The guide says it is accessible from the Hocking River, and there are 2.8 miles of hiking trails.
Our plain-language reading of the ODNR text quoted on this page. It adds no facts of its own.
Verify current visiting hours and access restrictions with ODNR's page for this preserve and ODNR's permit page before relying on this summary.
What ODNR says about it
Rockbridge's natural arch or bridge is more than 100 feet long and 10 to 20 feet wide, and gracefully arches 50 feet across a ravine. It is considered the largest natural bridge in Ohio. Ohio is a land of diverse geological features. Among the most unusual and spectacular formations are its natural rock bridges. Ohio has at least 12 such bridges. These bridges (or stone arches) have been found primarily in the area characterized by massive sandstone outcroppings in south central and eastern Ohio. Very few have been discovered in the limestone region of southwest Ohio although natural bridges are often associated with such weathered limestone topography.
Rockbridge Natural Bridge originated millions of years ago, when Ohio lay under a warm inland sea. Rivers flowed into the vast body of water, carrying both fine and coarse grained sands which settled to the sea bottom. Over the centuries, the accumulating sand thickened, compressed and formed the hard sedimentary rock known as Black Hand sandstone. Eventually, great pressure from beneath the earth's surface caused the land in eastern North America to rise, forming the Appalachian Mountains. The inland sea soon drained away, exposing the newly uncovered rock layers to steady erosional processes. The natural bridge soon began emerging in all its grandeur. Wind, rain and percolating groundwater worked together for centuries, carving a deep cave-like recess in the softer midportion of the Mississippian Black Hand sandstone. Gradually, erosional forces also worked along a natural joint plane some distance behind the brink of the cliff. Over the centuries, this ongoing process has widened the crevice, and all that remains of the overhanging ledge is the narrow rock arch.
Visiting
Open 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset
Stay on designated trails at all times
Pets are not permitted; click here for all rules
No restrooms
Verify current visiting hours and access restrictions with ODNR's page before relying on these hours.
Trails
2.8 miles of hiking trails
In ODNR's preserve guide
| Address | 11475 Dalton Rd, Rockbridge, 43149 |
|---|---|
| Trails (miles) | 2.8 |
| Visitor information | Longest natural bridge in Ohio • Accessible from Hocking River • Near Lake Logan State Park |
Rockbridge Hocking 11475 Dalton Rd Rockbridge, 43149 2.8 Longest natural bridge in Ohio • Accessible from Hocking River • Near Lake Logan State Park
Access permit
Rockbridge State Nature Preserve is not on ODNR's list of preserves that require an access permit, and its ODNR page as quoted here doesn't call for one. ODNR also says: An access permit is required to leave trails within a state nature preserve.
(ODNR: State Nature Preserves Access Permit).
The land on ODNR's map
| LANDS_NAME | COUNTY | PROP_TYPE | SUM_CALC_ACRES | MANAGING_AGENCY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockbridge State Nature Preserve | HOCKING | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 124.74 | Division of Natural Areas and Preserves |
| Rockbridge State Nature Preserve | HOCKING | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 81.81 | Division of Natural Areas and Preserves |
| Mapped acres | 206.55 (our sum of the parcels ODNR's GIS layer maps under this name) |
|---|---|
| Access permit | No whole-preserve permit requirement identified in the sources we check; named-area or activity permits may still apply |
| Centre of mapped land | 39.5743, -82.4955 (our calculation; not an entrance or parking lot) |
Statewide rules
Ohio Administrative Code chapter 1501:17 sets rules for nature preserves and natural areas under ODNR's supervision or its designated custodian, on pets, drones, picnics, collecting and more. Can I…? quotes them rule by rule, with their exceptions.
Pets are prohibited at all state nature preserves, except Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve where leashed pets are only allowed on the multipurpose paved trail.
Check before you go. Verify current hours, access and trail information on ODNR: Rockbridge State Nature Preserve and ODNR: State Nature Preserves Access Permit; our checker last found the quoted words there on October 14.
Nearest other preserves
Straight-line miles between the centres of mapped land (our calculation), not driving distance.
- Kessler Swamp State Nature Preserve · Hocking County · about 4.9 miles
- Kleinmaier Rhododendron Hollow State Nature Preserve · Fairfield County · about 5.1 miles
- Wahkeena Memorial State Nature Preserve · Fairfield County · about 5.5 miles
- Boch Hollow State Nature Preserve · Hocking County · about 5.5 miles
- Rhododendron Cove State Nature Preserve · Fairfield County · about 5.6 miles