The Hocking Hills region of south-eastern Ohio is a jewel of an area — ravines, caves, and stone walls interweave throughout old-growth forest. Water is everywhere: streams, small cataracts, and waterfalls echo in many parts of the forest.
The area was formed millions of years ago, when the Appalachian Mountains were eroding and the shallow seas (that had covered Ohio back when it was south of the equator) drained (300-265 million years ago in the Permian Period).
This formed the Blackhand sandstone that is the hallmark of the Hocking Hills area — that, mixed with iron oxide and silica, formed a durable substance that escaped erosion as the hills took shape. “Roofs” and “floors” of many recesses formed as looser debris was carved away by waterways in a process called sapping. In fact, in some parts of Hocking Hills where waterfalls continue to land in the sandstone rocks, the process is continuing to this day.
