Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve

Loved Conkle’s Hollow. We went yesterday, a beautiful, sunny autumn day and it was perfect! The 2.5 mile hike around the rim of the gorge has so many picture opportunities to capture the beauty of nature. This was our first stop, we passed by Old Man’s cave because it was so crowded. Conkle’s was not as crowded, and we actually felt like we were on our own quite a bit. Definitely will return again and maybe hike in reverse. The two sides of the gorge are very different.

I love this place. It is home to one of the best hiking trails in all of Ohio– the Rim Trail. It is is 2.5 miles and a pretty hard hike, but boasts some of the most fantastic views in Hocking Hills. This trail is bare bones and it sticks closely to the side of the cliffs. Railing is practically non-​existent. Please pay attention, it is definitely dangerous– people get seriously hurt and several have died from falls from the trail. It isn’t for kids or a leisurely stroll or for those that can’t handle a serious hike.
If you want something lower stress, Conkle’s Hollow also has a mostly ADA accessible trail that goes right through the middle of the Hollow, which is also spectacularly beautiful and is only about a half mile. There is a waterfall at the end, though the last little bit is off the accessibility trail.

Hahaha, oh Conkle’s Hollow. I grew up in Ohio and always tried to find fun places to hike throughout my childhood. It was always a losing battle. One of the few places I ever found that was worth repeat visits was Hocking Hills. On the way there one time I stopped at Conkle’s Hollow.
About 5 seconds after I got out of my car an officer (ODNR, State Park Police? not sure) threatened to arrest me for having my dog out. Apparently this is a thing at Nature Preserves. After assuring him that I was not knowingly trying to commit a crime, and placing my dog back into the car, I checked out the trail.
I wasn’t missing much. It’s a cool little gorge with some cliffs but it takes all of 20 minutes to hike and I think the whole thing was sidewalk or paved. There were trails around the lip of the gorge as well but signs everywhere warning NOT TO GO OFF THE TRAIL. I didn’t, and I didn’t stay long either.
I am not sorry to have left the Ohio hiking scene. A great state but extremely protective about what little that is offered in the way of outdoor scenery.
Stop by to see it once, but for good hiking go to Tar Hollow or Hocking Hills instead. Clifton Gorge is an hour from Columbus and offers much more in terms of scenery as well.

Conkle’s Hollow is beautiful. Located near Hocking Hills State Park, this is a great stop as part of a tour of the area. It also has the added benefit of being accessible for the majority of the way along the gorge trail, as it is a nicely paved wide trail. There are two choices for hiking — you can either go up on the rim trail and look around, or follow the gorge trail and looking closer at the features. This area has very good signage that explains the history of the area and the Blackhand sandstone that creates the amazing features seen in the Hocking Hills area.
Conkle’s Hollow has a cave (Diagonal Cave), which is currently not able to be closely explored as it is closed for habitat recovery, but can be seen from a distance while standing on the trail. There is a grotto that you can go in, and there are also waterfalls, depending on how the water has been flowing. Just looking up at the looming cliffs is also an amazing view.