Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve

About Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve

Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve is a 956-hectare site that was inaugurated in 1975 as an interpretative nature reserve. The dedication process ensures that the scientific, educational, and aesthetic value of the region is preserved indefinitely for all Ohioans.

The main feature of the reserve is the Black Hand sandstone formation, which cuts through a narrow east-west gorge along the Licking River. The rugged topography is created by cross-embedded conglomerate sandstones, which are well located, which have been uncovered in many places.

The floodplain is mainly made of sycamore and boxwood, and the dry hills dominate, but there are some that are found on wooded slopes and in ravines.

The name "Blackhand," for which the reserve is known, comes from the glyphs carved into the surface of sandstone rocks. Many Indian legends have survived about the origin of the black hand until the early pioneers. Perhaps the most prominent is one that says it marks sacred Indian territory where men should rebel.

The rock paintings were destroyed when sewer builders blew up the rock face, and the area around the monastery is historically home to the Blackhand Indian Reserve, the largest of its kind in the United States.

Even before the white settlers "advance, the rich deposits of Flint Ridge made the canyon an important source of water for the Blackhand Indian Reserve and other tribes. The canals, boats, wagons and steam locomotives have all disappeared, but the barren remains of old canals are still visible. Modern railroads have advanced to higher levels, and in 1929, the Central Ohio Railroad, powered by trams, opened in Cincinnati.

The entrance parking for the reserve is located at the entrance to Blackhand Indian Reserve, south of the intersection of State Route 146 and State Highway 146. From the Licking County Courthouse, drive two and a half miles south on State Road 146, take the Southeast Exit of State Route146 and find the parking lot for Black Hand Reserve Parking located on the east side of Interstate 75, about half a mile from the park entrance.