Rock House

Perhaps my favorite feature in the Hocking Hills' region was Rock House.

Rock House is unique because it is the only true cave in the park.

It is a tunnel-like corridor situated mid-way up a 150 foot cliff of Blackhand Sandstone. You can see the top of the cliff from the trail.

We pass a small rock shelter just off the trail…not part of Rock House.

First glimpse of Rock House through the trees. 

The cavern is eroded out of the middle zone of the Blackhand Sandstone.

One of the "windows" in Rock House.

The trail leads to a "doorway."

A little girl is looking out the window.

According to local folklore, other not so welcome visitors frequented Rock House.

Robbers, horse thieves, murderers and bootleggers earned Rock House its reputation as "Robbers Roost."

The beauty of Rock House is enhanced by beautiful color patterns on the walls. Shades of brown, red and orange are due to staining by iron compounds.

Let's go inside...

Many people have carved their names on the sandstone walls.

The "House of Rock" has a ceiling 25 feet high, while its main corridor is 200 feet long and 20 to 30 feet wide.

Water leaking through a horizontal joint running parallel to the cliff face caused the hollowing of the corridor.

A small series of joints run at right angles to the main joint and these formed the Gothic looking window-like openings of Rock House.

Looking up at the main horizontal ceiling joint.

Many pigeons use this cavern.

The pigeons didn't seem to mind people being there.

Rock House has a colorful past and has long been a popular tourist attraction.

In 1835, Colonel F. F. Rempel of Logan, OH erected a 16-room hotel, complete with ballroom, livery stable, and a U.S. Post Office. The hotel stood where the picnic shelter is near the parking lot today.

Numerous dated carvings in the rock bear evidence of this area's long-standing popularity.

I'm playing with forum friend Tina now, as we prepare for our trip to Ireland, but I still have more to post about Hocking Hills when I can.