Whispering Cave

Written by Dani and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography by Andrew Livelsberger

Background:
The newest area in the Hocking Hills State Park region, Whispering Cave Trail and Hemlock Bridge Trail take you 250+ feet down to the second largest cave feature in he park.  Once there, you will see a 105 foot waterfall.

Impression:
From the beginning of Hemlock Bridge Trail, you'll start your decent.    There is a sign at the beginning preparing you for the hike.

Both new trails and the cave will get you about a 2.5 mile journey put and back.

Moderate difficulty?  Check
Good footwear?  Check
Plenty of steps?  Check

Still ready to go?  Trust us...you'll want to make the journey.  The day we went, was just after a storm.  The rocks and paths were still a bit muddy, but footing was solid.   Just do yourself a favor and don't be in a hurry.  One, for safety reasons, but the others is to take in all the sights and sounds.

After the initial descent, the trail goes through some wooded areas and brings you to a series of steps.  Just before we descended the steps we could here a rather large woodpecker putting in some work!!

At the bottom of the steps, you follow the trail off to the right.  A short ways down you'll be treated to a large sandstone cliff face.

The image above shows a sign directing you.  Following the trail closest to the cliff face will take you to Whispering Cave.  It's roughly 0.3 miles from this location.

Here is a wider view of the cliff face.  You can get a good judge of the size of it from the couple to image right.

Following the path, you'll need to decent some rocks.  They are step like, so you have some good foot holds.  You'll then come to a set of stairs.  Descend those to get into the cave itself.

From there, you'll be able to cross through the cave and see if from the other side.  When we were there, we found this Cairn, a human made pile of rocks used for various purposes throughout history.

And, again, from the far side of Whispering Cave, looking back.

Purple People Bridge

Written and Photography by:

Andrew Livelsberger

Background:
Starting its existence as a railroad bridge in 1872, the Purple People Bridge, as it is now known crosses the Ohio River - one end starting in Cincinnati, OH and the other in Newport, KY.

The bridge became a pedestrian bridge in 2003.  There is an official website for the privately owned structure, so read more detail about it's history there at this LINK.

Impression:
There are lot of scenic view from the bridge - you have the Ohio River, you can see the Newport Aquarium, Great American Ballpark, and the Cincinnati skyline.

Also, as is popular with many a pedestrian bridge, people have taken to putting locks on the fences to either commemorate their love or to honor those no longer with us.

Wolfe Park Suspension Bridge

Located just off of Nelson Road in Bexley, Wolfe Park is home to an interesting suspension bridge for walkers and bike riders.

According to the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department,

Wolfe Park was donated by a deed in the amount of $1 to the City of Columbus by Robert F. Wolfe and his wife Della M. Wolfe. According to the documentation, the wording in the deed states "...in consideration of the good will which we bear toward the people of the said City of Columbus..." 

A suspension bridge was constructed across Alum Creek in 1922 to connect Franklin Park and is in use today as a bike path and pedestrian crossing.

 Source: Columbus Parks and Recreation

We at VisualOhio, just love finding new parks and recreation areas to share.  This area contains wide open spaces, is pet friendly and is located right next door to Academy park and within walking distance of Franklin Park Conservatory.