Rock Bridge And Falls
Rock Bridge State Nature Preserve
Hocking Hills Region
Rock Bridge
Ohio
Almost 10 years ago in the fall of 2007 during a drought myself and good friend Jason Haley made our one and only visit to Rock Bridge in the northernmost section of the Hocking Hills region of Central Ohio. I remember I didn't care much for the hike but I really thought the bridge was pretty awesome. Although I've been to Hocking Hills many times since, it never did work out that I would return. Oddly, it wasn't until a few years ago that I found out there was a wet weather waterfall at the bridge which really upped my desire to revisit. Finally, this past weekend I got the chance to see this unique landform after a morning of heavy rains. Myself, along with good friends Jason Haley and Bryan Janosick arrived for a late day hike. Though moderate, I quickly remembered why I didn't care much for the hike; a somewhat boring fieldside hike (at least the first 1/2 mile with a lot of exposed roots) and this time it was pretty muddy too. Eventually we did drop into the woods and met up with a nice flowing stream. I told Jason and Bryan that if this was the waterway that falls at the bridge that this "was going to be awesome!" And sure enough it was! Wow, what a scene! As we walked up you could see the top natural bridge stretching out over a mini gorge as the water fell below from a cliff 10 ft away from the bridge! At 100 ft across Rock Bridge is considered the longest in the state and is complimented by a 40 ft tall waterfall. Folks, it just simply doesn't get much better than this when it comes to sandstone bridges and waterfalls, truly one of the the best in the east!
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Tags: Rock Bridge Ohio State Nature Preserve Waterfall Ohio Natural Bridge Sandstone Arch Hocking Hills Hocking County Logan Spring
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Split Bow Arch
Big South Fork National River And Recreation Area
McCreary County
Kentucky
I've been to Split Bow Arch more times than I can count over the last 15 years, and you really can't beat the scenes that this beautiful place offers. It's amazing to me, but every time I return here I walk away looking at it in a new way and this latest visit was no different. Located in the Big South Fork National River And Recreation Area in McCreary County, Kentucky the trail to the arch is a 0.7 loop which passes right through the arch. On this latest trip I was standing where a small stream passes beneath the arch and looking up I just loved the scene as a looked at the beautiful natural formation towering above me, I just couldn't resist getting a shot, one that turned out to be my favorite so far this year!
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Tags: Split Bow Arch Big South Fork National River And Recreation Area McCreary County Kentucky Natural Arch Sandstone Arch Spring
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Coal Branch Natural Bridge
Coal Branch
Daniel Boone National Forest
McCreary County
Kentucky
It's unusual for me to take a trip to Kentucky's Cumberland Falls/Big South Fork Area and come away with more natural arch photographs than waterfalls but it happened on this latest journey that we went on, in fact I shot 13 new to me arches. Featured here is the Coal Branch Natural Bridge and it was one of my favorites I visited on the trip, at 34 ft. tall and 80 ft. across it's larger than average. The journey to the bridge was just as much fun as getting to see it, as it is located just 100 ft into the Daniel Boone National Forest from a private land owner. Not to be the trespassing type Chris and I decided to park on a forest road about 1/2 mile away and skirt the National Forest boundary off trail. A light drizzle was falling as we began our journey which began downhill, crossing a small stream where we came to a 20 ft. tall cliff line, while following cautiously behind us 3 local dogs barked incessantly at us. Massive boulders that had separated from the cliff made for an interesting landscape as we made our way through the rhododendrons that had grown between them. Eventually we came to a place where we could scramble up the cliff and eventually on to a plateau. Fighting through God's Barbed Wire (as Chris likes to call them) aka thorn bushes we made our way across, then down off the plateau and then back up to onto another where after a short distance we found the bridge nestled in the cliff line. When you first look down on it you don't realize how large it is as the rhody's obscure the base below. At this point I was a little worried that my fear of heights was going to kick in but the scramble down wasn't as bad as it looked. Although the trek in was pretty aggravating it was well worth the effort to see this beauty. Something else that impressed me about this arch was the massive poplar you can see through the opening. Seriously, the base was huge! All in all this was a great arch and a great experience and I do look forward to a return trip to this arch if I ever get the chance!
High quality prints and licensing are available for this image and for most others! Please, feel free to look around on my Flickr page or visit my website www.fultzfotos.com! If interested, don't hesitate to contact me at my email address, slakejustice@yahoo.com or Flickrmail me through my photography page.
Want to learn more about Kentucky waterfalls? Go to
www.kywaterfalls.com and check it out!
Tags: Coal Branch Natural Bridge Daniel Boone National Forest McCreary County Kentucky Sandstone arch
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Pretty House Arch
Daniel Boone National Forest
Jackson County, Kentucky
Many of you probably don't know it but I have a serious fear of heights and falling. Though she meant well, my Mom instilled these fears in me when I was a child. She wouldn't allow me to climb the ladder to help Dad on the roof of the house or if we were off in some state or national park I wasn't allowed to climb or jump on the rocks or anything else of that nature. She was worried I would get hurt or even die, as I was her only child. Years later my passion for visiting things in nature, and this primal fear have been at constant odds. 10 years ago I had trouble walking out on Sky Bridge, but over the years I've pushed myself to face this fear and push beyond it. Today I go places I could have never imagined I could go, the fear is still there but I work with it and through it, most of the time. Which brings us to tonight's post. This past weekend my good friend Jason Haley and I made the relatively short hike to Pretty House Arch in the London District of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Jackson County, Kentucky. We followed an unmarked mostly uphill trail to a massive rock outcropping on a ridge top. We made our way around the base where eventually we came to where we could see the arch, high above in the cliff line. "You've got to be kidding me." I thought to myself. "And it is a beauty too." Scanning my options I saw there was the possibility I could scramble up a section of sandstone in the face of the cliff, but from where I was standing I didn't like it at all. Off in the distance I saw that the towering rock eventually met the flat top of the ridge. "Perhaps I can come in from there", I thought. I continued along the base of the cliff line to see if it was an option and as I made my way atop the rock complex I was able to move closer and closer to the arch, where eventually I found myself above it. With sheer 40 ft. drops on each side I started to panic and I was realizing that I wasn't going to be able find a way down or around, but Jason who had made his way from below called out to me and said there was a way down to the arch from where I was. It certainly didn't look like it from where I was standing. The area I had to walk across was only about 5 feet wide before I could even give it a look. I thought to myself, "I didn't do all this work for nothing." So I walked towards the arch to have a look and I saw that the scramble down was a very comfortable decent outside the fact that off the to right was straight down and I had about a 3 foot width to work with. Again I was hesitant, but I told myself I wasn't going to miss this arch, "there's no turning back." Swallowing my fear, I made my way down and hopped to it's base. Boy, was I glad I did, what a beauty! It was so worth it! Due to the tight spaces compositions were limited, but this perspective here was my favorite! And that ascent I was concerned about? Well, it wasn't so bad to go down at all!
High quality prints, as well as licensing, are available for this image and most others! Please, feel free to look around on my Flickr page or visit my website www.fultzfotos.com! If interested, don't hesitate to contact me at my email address, slakejustice@yahoo.com or Flickrmail me through my photography page.
Tags: pretty house arch daniel boone national forest jackson county kentucky sandstone natural arch
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Gray's Arch
Red River Gorge Geological Area
Daniel Boone National Forest
Kentucky
Hard to believe that it is a year ago today that myself and my good friend Christopher Morris and I made the 5 mile knee deep round trip hike to Gray's Arch in the Red River Gorge after 18 inches was dumped on central/eastern Kentucky. At times during the trek it seemed like one of the dumbest things I've ever done but looking back it was an adventure of a lifetime where I pushed myself to my limits to see one of my favorite places as few have. But the hike in the snow was half the adventure, as temps plummeted during the hike when we arrived back to my 1987 soft top Jeep Wrangler. Being soaked from sweating and driving 65 mph down Mountain Parkway on the way home as it was 5 degrees outside made for a cold, cold return ride. We even stopped at Wal-Mart after 40 miles on the road and bought dry cloths and changed in the bathroom. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I ruined my 4 wheel drive busting through a snow drift. What a day, one of my favorites!
Tags: red river gorge rrg Grays Arch Daniel Boone National Forest Sandstone Natural Arch Winter Rough Trail
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