Rockbridge State Nature Preserve

Protected area in Ohio, United States

39°33.982′N 82°29.965′W / 39.566367°N 82.499417°W / 39.566367; -82.499417^[1]Area182 acres (74 ha)Established1978^[2]Governing bodyOhio Department of Natural ResourcesWebsiteRockbridge State Nature Preserve

Rockbridge State Nature Preserve is a nature reserve featuring a natural bridge located in the unincorporated community of Rockbridge in Hocking County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Hocking Hills region, but the sandstone that forms the natural bridge is located lower in the stratigraphic sequence than that which forms most of the region's notable features.

Nature preserve

The preserve consists of 182 acres (0.74 km²) of land which borders the Hocking River and is connected to the trailhead via a narrow easement. The park's 2.75-mile (4.43 km) trail system^[3] includes two loop trails, one of which passes the natural bridge, while the other passes a rock shelter. Both formations are located a short distance from the Hocking River on small tributaries. The preserve was acquired by the state of Ohio in 1978.^[2]

Natural bridge

The natural bridge is the largest of at least 12 natural bridges in the state of Ohio. It is approximately 100 feet (30 m) long, 10 to 20 feet (3.0 to 6.1 m) wide, and 3 feet (0.91 m) thick. It was formed when water eroded the softer layers of Mississippian Black Hand sandstone underneath the bridge.^[1]^[3] The nearby community of Rockbridge, Ohio is named after the formation.

References

^ ^a ^b Johnny Molloy (2013). Best Hikes Near Columbus. Guilford, CT: Falcon Guides.
^ ^a ^b "Ohio's Natural Arches". Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Rockbridge State Nature Preserve". Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved December 22, 2016.

External links

Official website of the Rockbridge State Nature Preserve

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rockbridge State Nature Preserve.

Protected areas of Ohio

Federal

National parks	Cuyahoga Valley
National historical parks and sites	Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP First Ladies NHS Hopewell Culture NHP James A. Garfield NHS William Howard Taft NHS
National monuments	Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers
National memorials	David Berger Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
National trails	North Country Trail
National forests	Wayne
National Wild and Scenic Rivers	Big Darby Creek Little Beaver Creek Little Darby Creek Little Miami River
National Wildlife Refuges	Cedar Point Ottawa West Sister Island
National estuarine research reserve	Old Woman Creek
National Natural Landmarks	Brown's Lake Bog Cedar Bog Dysart Woods Fort Hill State Memorial Glen Helen Nature Preserve Mantua Bog State Nature Preserve Tinker's Creek Gorge

State

State parks	Adams Lake Alum Creek A. W. Marion Barkcamp Beaver Creek Blue Rock Buck Creek Buckeye Lake Burr Oak Caesar Creek Catawba Island Cleveland Lakefront Cowan Lake Deer Creek Delaware Dillon East Fork East Harbor Findley Forked Run Geneva Grand Lake St. Marys Great Council Great Seal Guilford Lake Harrison Lake Headlands Beach Hocking Hills Hueston Woods Independence Dam Indian Lake Jackson Lake Jefferson Lake John Bryan Kelleys Island Kiser Lake Lake Alma Lake Hope Lake Logan Lake Loramie Lake Milton Lake White Little Miami Madison Lake Malabar Farm Marblehead Lighthouse Mary Jane Thurston Middle Bass Island Maumee Bay Mohican Mosquito Lake Mount Gilead Muskingum River Nelson Kennedy Ledges Paint Creek Pike Lake Portage Lakes Punderson Pymatuning Quail Hollow Rocky Fork Salt Fork Scioto Trail Shawnee South Bass Island Stonelick Strouds Run Sycamore Tar Hollow Tinkers Creek Van Buren West Branch Wingfoot Lake Wolf Run
State forests	Beaver Creek Blue Rock Brush Creek Dean Fernwood Gifford Harrison Hocking Maumee Mohican-Memorial Perry Pike Richland Furnace Scioto Trail Shade River Shawnee Sunfish Creek Tar Hollow Yellow Creek Zaleski
State nature preserves	Acadia Cliffs Adams Lake Prairie Audubon Islands Augusta-Anne Olsen Aurora Sanctuary Baker Woods Betsch Fen Bigelow Cemetery Blackhand Gorge Bonnet Pond Boord Brown's Lake Bog Burton Wetlands Caesar Creek Gorge Carmean Woods Cedar Bog Chaparral Prairie Christmas Rocks Clear Creek Clear Fork Gorge Clifton Gorge Compass Plant Prairie Conkle's Hollow Cooperrider-Kent Bog Crabill Fen Cranberry Bog Crane Hollow Crooked Run Culberson Woods Davey Woods Davis Memorial Drew Woods Dupont Marsh Eagle Creek Edward Thomas Emerald Hills Erie Sand Barrens Etawah Woods Evans Beck Memorial Flatiron Lake Bog Fowler Woods Frame Lake Fen Gahanna Woods Gallagher/Springfield Fen Goll Woods Goode Prairie Gott Fen Greenbelt Greenville Falls Gross Memorial Woods Hatch-Otis Halls Creek Headlands Dunes Howard Collier Hueston Woods Hutchins (Highland) Irwin Prairie Jackson Bog Johnson Ridge Johnson Woods Karlo Fen Kendrick Woods Kessler Swamp Kiser Lake Wetlands Kitty Todd Knox Woods Kyle Woods Ladd Natural Bridge Lake Katharine Lakeside Daisy Lawrence Woods Little Rocky Hollow Lou Campbell Mantua Bog Marie J. Desonier Marsh Wetlands McCracken Fen Mentor Marsh Milford Center Railroad Prairie Miller Morris Woods Mud Lake Bog Myersville Newberry North Pond North Shore Alvar Novak Sanctuary Old Woman Creek Owens/Liberty Fen Pallister Pickerington Ponds Portage Lakes Wetland Prairie Road Fen Raven Rock Rhododendeon Cove Riddle Rockbridge Rome Rothenbuhler Woods Saltpetre Cave Sears Woods Seymour Woods Shallenberger Sharon Woods Gorge Sheepskin Hollow Sheick Hollow Sheldon Marsh Shoemaker Siegenthaler-Kaestner Esker Smith Cemetery Spring Beauty Dell Spring Brook Sanctuary Springville Marsh Stage's Pond Strait Creek Prairie Stratford Woods Swamp Cottonwood Tinker's Creek Travertine Fen Triangle Lake Bog Trillium Trails Tummonds Walter Tucker Warder-Perkins Whipple White Pine Bog Forest William C. McCoy Zimmerman Prairie
State scenic rivers	Big Darby Creek Chagrin River Conneaut Creek Cuyahoga River Grand River Greenville Creek Kokosing River Little Beaver Creek Little Darby Creek Little Miami River Maumee River Mohican River Olentangy River Sandusky River Stillwater River

Regional

Metro Parks	Ashtabula County Metroparks Cleveland Metroparks Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks Erie MetroParks Five Rivers MetroParks Geauga Park District Great Parks of Hamilton County Johnny Appleseed Metro Parks Lake Metroparks Lorain County Metro Parks Metroparks of Butler County Metroparks Toledo Mill Creek MetroParks Summit Metro Parks Trumbull County MetroParks