Conkle's Hollow is two completely different hikes stacked on top of each other. Below: a paved, gentle gorge stroll. Above: a 2-to-2.5-mile loop tracing the unfenced lip of 200-foot cliffs — the closest thing Ohio has to a genuine exposure hike, and the most spectacular sustained views in the region. The rim deserves its own guide, because it deserves its own respect.
The route
From the trailhead, the rim loop climbs sharply — a stone-step ascent that does most of the day's work in the first ten minutes — then levels onto the sandstone lip. The loop circles the entire gorge: east rim first (hiking the marked direction), around the head of the hollow where a hidden waterfall slides over the rim after rain, then back along the west rim with the gorge's hemlock canopy spread below like moss. Designated a State Nature Preserve in 1977, the hollow below holds one of the deepest gorges in Ohio; from above, you read its whole shape at once.
The honest hazard briefing
- The edges are unfenced. Short stretches have railing; most don't. The trail runs genuinely close to the lip in places, and the sandstone at the edge is rounded, gritty, and crumbles.
- Wet rock is the enemy. The same Black Hand sandstone that's grippy dry turns treacherous wet — and the rim collects ice invisibly in winter. This is a dry-conditions trail, full stop.
- Not for unmanaged kids or any dogs. Pets are prohibited throughout the preserve, and the rim is a poor place to test a child's impulse control. The paved gorge below is the family's version of the same hollow.
- Weather exposure. The rim is the area's lightning rod in storms — check the sky before climbing, especially on summer afternoons.
When it's at its best
Sunrise from the east rim is the region's finest (see the light guide). Mid-October turns the view into a color field — the rim is the single best foliage vantage in the Hocking Hills, and it's dramatically quieter than the gorge below even at peak. After spring rain (once the rock dries) adds the rim waterfall. High summer is the weakest window: full canopy softens the views and haze flattens the distance.
Rim at dawn, hot tub by dusk
Cabins along SR 374 put the Conkle's trailhead ten minutes from your coffee pot.
Find a Cabin Near the Trails →Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is the Conkle's Hollow Rim Trail?
Moderate fitness-wise — a sharp initial climb, then rolling rim walking over 2 to 2.5 miles — but the seriousness comes from exposure: long unfenced stretches along 200-foot cliff edges on crumble-prone sandstone. Dry conditions and sure footing are non-negotiable.
Is there a waterfall on the rim trail?
Yes — after rain, a hidden falls slides over the rim at the head of the hollow, dropping toward the gorge below. It's seasonal; in dry spells it's a trickle or absent.
Can kids or dogs do the rim trail?
Dogs are prohibited everywhere at Conkle's Hollow (it's a state nature preserve), and the unfenced rim is unsuitable for young or impulsive kids. The paved lower gorge trail is the family-friendly half of the same preserve.