Yesterday presented an unexpected opportunity to visit Leo Petroglyph and Nature Preserve in Jackson County, Ohio. A petroglyph is a form of rock art that involves carving an image into the surface of a rock.
At Leo, ancient peoples carved 37 figures of people, snakes, human footprints and animals into a sandstone outcropping. It’s said to be one of the finest examples of rock art in Ohio. Historians are puzzled by the origin and meaning of this art but are fairly certain it was left by the Fort Ancient peoples. Time has taken its toll but it is now protected by a wood shelter house with a walkway around the rock.
Perhaps the highlight here is a short nature trail through the woods that takes you through a gorge past cliffs and Eastern Hemlock. I imagine it will be a great place to see native wildflowers in a couple of months.
See the face?
The sky was gorgeous.
Yesterday was a great day to see some icicles in the gorge and to breath in the clean air of an unseasonably warm February day.
It will be cold and snowy again later this week but this gasp of warm air felt incredibly nice. I hope to go back in May when the ice has melted and the wildflowers bloom.
Make the Journey Fun 
It looks to be a very interesting place to visit. Such a beautiful day would only make it better. Just don’t forget to return when the wildflowers come out! …
I have to remember to do that!!
I’m sure you will or at least the early spring flowers wherever you may be! …
I hike a lot in the spring so I can look for wildflowers. It’s a real treat to see these things that are unique to Ohio’s forests. 🙂
I hadn’t heard of petroglyphs in Ohio. I see the face! Looks like it was a great day to be out.
It was about sixty so we didn’t even need a jacket! It will be chilly again today though. If you don’t like the weather here, just wait- it will change soon!