Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve: Quarry and Chestnut Trails (Blog Hike #73)

Trail: Quarry Rim Trail

Hike Location: Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve

Geographic Location: east of Newark, OH (40.0558, -82.21859)

Length: 5.2 miles

Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: Summer 2000; pics taken August 2016

Overview: An interesting tour of historically and geologically significant Blackhand Gorge.

Preserve Information: https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/blackhand-gorge-state-nature-preserve

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=940207
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Newark, go east on SR 16, a four-lane divided highway, to SR 146.  Exit and go south on SR 146.  Drive SR 146 0.3 miles to Toboso Rd. and turn right on Toboso Rd.  The blacktop parking lot is on the right at a big nature preserve sign just after crossing the Licking River.

The hike: The Blackhand Gorge on the Licking River is one of those special spots in Ohio.  12 miles before flowing into the Muskingum River in Zanesville, the Licking River flows through a cool damp gorge with vertical blackhand sandstone cliffs towering 100 feet overhead.  In addition to the scenery, the gorge has several historical tales to tell.  The blackhand sandstone is not black, but it receives its name from a dark, hand-shaped Indian petroglyph that was found on the walls of this gorge.  Historians think the symbol was a primitive boundary marker, signaling that the land beyond the hand was neutral ground for all tribes. 

            The gorge also has a part in Ohio's transportation history.  In the canal-building era of the late 1820's, the gorge was part of the Miami-Erie Canal connecting the Muskingum and Scioto River watersheds.  Towpaths were constructed along the shores for mules to guide the boats along the canal.  Unfortunately, dynamite used in constructing the towpaths destroyed the petroglyph that gave the rock its name.  Nearly a century later, a railroad track was routed through the gorge.  This track is now used by the Central Ohio Railroad. 

            Today, the gorge is protected as a state nature preserve.  The gorge is accessible by a 4.25 mile one-way blacktopped hike/bike trail and several nature trails.  This hike passes all of the items mentioned above, as well as the site of an old sandstone quarry, a scenic and unusual feature in the surrounding landscape.

East trailhead: Blackhand Gorge

            The trail starts by the restrooms at the parking lot, passes beside a stone wall made of sandstone mined from the gorge, and begins following the blacktop bike path.  After 0.25 miles, pass a sunny area good for summer wildflowers on the left.  Just past this spot the dirt Quarry Trail goes off to the left.  Trail intersections at Blackhand Gorge are identified by letters, and signs bearing trail maps are found at major trail intersections.  This intersection is called point B.  Turn left to begin the narrow dirt trail. 

Leaving the bike path

            After a few minutes of hiking through young maple/beech forest, arrive at a wooden overlook of Buttonbush Swamp.  The marsh is covered with cattails and lilies and appears to be a favorite hideout for bullfrogs.  Continue along the trail, which traces the perimeter of the swamp, intermittently through forest and field.  At the west end of the swamp, the trail passes through a wet area to arrive at an intersection.  The trail going right is a shortcut back to the black top path, while the Quarry Trail turns left, heading for the quarry.  (Note: The Quarry Trail was closed on my August 2016 visit, so I had to by-pass the quarry on the bike path.)

Buttonbush Swamp

            The trail passes through a couple of shallow ravines and an overlook of the gorge.  You are standing on top of a sandstone cliff with the blacktop bike path some 50 feet directly below you.   Past the overlook, the trail soon arrives at the rim of the old sandstone quarry.  The vertical sandstone walls drop 75 feet to the water-filled quarry.  Hemlocks, often a sign of cliffs nearby, cling to the edge of the sandstone. Overlooks guarded by wooden handrails offer views of the quarry at several points, and even though the quarry is not natural, it provides for some very interesting scenery.

The quarry

            The trail descends around the rim of the quarry, going down some stairs to cross a stream before coming out at the bike path.  Turning right here would take you directly back to the trailhead, but to also hike the Chestnut Trail, the preserve’s other nature trail on the south side of the river, turn left and hike the bike trail under an active railroad trestle.  The dirt Chestnut Trail leaves the left side of the bike trail 0.1 miles later at point F.

Starting the Chestnut Trail

            The Chestnut Trail ascends steeply to the south rim of Blackhand Gorge using a pair of switchbacks.  The trail now assumes a westerly course with the vertical cliff some 20 yards to your right and a gently sloping hillside climbing to the left.  You are surrounded by young beech/maple forest with a dense understory of paw paw, honeysuckle, blackberry briars, and unfortunately a little poison ivy. 

Hiking the Chestnut Trail

           After dipping through a ravine and climbing steeply via a single broad switchback, the trail passes through an area of recent storm damage.  Numerous good-sized trees have been blown over by either straight-line winds or even a small tornado.  Several downed trees were blocking the trail, and small gaps had to be cut in the wood so hikers could pass.  The fallen trees have left a gap in the canopy, allowing a dense shrub layer in the understory to develop.  It should be interesting to watch this area recover in the next few years.

            Past the open area, the Chestnut Trail keeps a constant elevation on the hillside until descending back to the bike path via a slightly steep and rocky switchback.  3 miles into the hike, you reunite with the bike path at point G.  The bike path going left leads another 2 miles to an alternate western trailhead, but it passes no other points of interest.  Thus, I recommend turning right to begin the journey back to the east trailhead.

The entire bike path is a scenic walk with sandstone cliffs to the south and the Licking River to the north.  On the way back to the trailhead, the bike trail passes the other side of the quarry and a section where the sandstone has been cut through for the bike path (an old railroad grade) to pass.  This cool shady section features 75 foot sandstone walls rising on either side of the trail. 

Rock cut on old railroad grade

Licking River and construction remnants

            After passing through the walls, don't miss a short side trail that goes off to the left toward the river.  This trail gives a view of the sandstone cliff on which the black hand I mentioned at the beginning of the hike was inscribed.  Looking across the river, the most obvious feature seen on the cliff today is the legacy of the canal construction.  Sandstone blocks lie stacked as a wall at the base of the cliff, and grooves created by the construction’s blasting can be seen further up.  After returning to the bike path, a 0.7 mile level walk remains to return you to the trailhead.