COLUMBUS, Ohio – Some of the best colors of the season will be on display at Conkle’s Hollow State Nature Preserve Oct. 20-21, for the 9th annual Fall Foliage Event.
More than 3,000 visitors are expected for the event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
“Conkle’s Hollow offers autumn visitors brilliantly colored landscapes, winding trails and spectacular views of the Hocking Hills,” said Sam Speck, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which sponsors the event.
He said that uniformed naturalists will be on hand to direct visitors to the natural and scenic features of the preserve.
East Rim Trail. This year’s event is featuring a 3.5-mile hikes along preserve trails that includes the preserve’s popular East Rim Trail.
Members of a local historic re-enactors group in period costumes will set up a 1790s encampment, complete with tents and campfires, west of the parking lot to show visitors what life was like for early pioneers.
Known for its spectacular views and high-walled cliffs, Conkle’s Hollow features cliffs of Black Hand sandstone that rise nearly 200 feet above the valley floor.
Left his mark. Named after an inscription, “W.J. Conkle 1797,” left in the rock, Conkle’s Hollow is home to Canada yew, teaberry, various ferns and several species of native orchids – as well as white-tailed deer, turkey, beaver and bobcat.
The 87-acre preserve, one of Ohio’s 123 state nature preserves, is open sunrise to sunset year round.
Directions to Conkle’s Hollow are available on the ODNR Web site at http://www.dnr.state.oh.us, or call 740-653-2541 for additional information.
