Our Fall Foray will visit Highlands Nature Sanctuary preserves in Highland County on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4. The preserves are owned by the Arc of Appalachia, which has protected over 13,000 acres of important habitat in Ohio.
We’ll meet at 9:30 am, Saturday, October 3, at the upper parking lot of The Appalachian Forest Museum, 7660 Cave Road, Bainbridge, OH 45612 (1 mile south of US 50 on Cave Road).
Our morning exploration will take place abut 10 minutes away, at the Kamelands Trail, the meeting place for which is (surprise!) the Kamelands Tailhead, located at 14605 US-50, Bainbridge, OH 45612, https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y44oA6sTYx15whi59.
The Kamelands trail is a 2-mile loop south of Hwy 50 that will take us through recedar and hemlock-hardwoods woodlands to steep dolomite cliffs comprising the Rocky Fork Gorge, including an intriguing “hanging fen” with dense patches of the lime-loving moss Hymenostylium recirvirostre. In early afternoon, space will be available back in the Museum for lab work. Five sets of microscopes (both dissecting abnd compound) will be available for use by participants who might not have brought their own.
Fieldwork in the afternoon will be along one or both of two trails that originate from the Museum: The Etawah Woods Trail and the Valley of the Ancients Trail.
On Sunday, starting at 9:00 we will further explore Rocky Fork Gorge, meeting at Barrett’s Rim and Round Top Trailhead parking. located on Cave Road just west of Browning Road: https://maps.app.goo.gl/n3ZXhCysTKvW6K5VA. This is anothehr approximately 2-mile loop that gets us to spectacular woodland/riparian cliffs (first passing through a tallgrass prairie).
These areas that border the Rocky Fork Gorge are described by our host, Arc Naturalist Elijah Crabtree, as “renowned for its steep canyon walls, wildflower showcases, springs, grottos, and rare botanical treasures.” For more information on the trails, see https://www.arcofappalachia.org/visit-hns
Bring a lunch to eat in the field. Our microscope room at the Appalachian Forest Museum will open at 2 pm and continue through the evening. You are welcome to continue collecting all afternoon and join the microscope room later. We’ll have books and several microscopes available at the scope room, you can also bring your own. We can order pizza for dinner while we’re working on specimens.
Lodging possibilities:
— Lazy H Cabins, 14889 Old 50 Rd, Bainbridge, Ohio 45612, has “20 clean and comfortable cabins … our accommodations feature electricity, air conditioning, and showers”. Contact info: https://www.lazyhcabins.com or call 740-701-3411. The cabins are about a 5-minute drive from the Museum. At this moment, nine cabins are available at $110 per night, plus two larger cabins for $150 and $165 per night.
— Days Inn in Hillsboro, about 25 minutes from the museum. There are several other motels in Hillsboro.
— Camping is available at nearby Rocky Fork SP and Paint Creek SP, which also has two cabins.
There is no cost to attend the foray, preregistration is not required. If you’re thinking about coming, it’s helpful if you can send an RSVP to omla@ohiomosslichen.org so we can estimate our group size.
Scene from Indian Mound Preserve, 2026 Spring Foray:
