The
assembly of expected throngs of visitors at arguably Ohio’s most
popular state park could not overcome the threat of an infectious
biological agent so small that it would take 500,000 of them laid
end-to-end to measure 0.4 inches long.
Closed
until further notice because of the world-wide coronavirus (COVID-19)
is the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Parks and
Watercraft’s 2,373-acre Hocking Hills State Park in Hocking County.
Included
in the closure are the park’s popular seven hiking trails totaling
about 25 miles. Among them are the footpath to Old Man’s Cave, Ash
Cave, and the Rock House.
Also
shuttered is the adjacent 87-acre Conkle’s Hollow State Nature
Preserve. This unique preserve features a gorge that drops to 200
feet and spans only 100 feet in places.
The
park’s camping area was all ready closed by a prior order
associated with the COVID-19 pandemic threat.
A
t
this time, Hocking Hills State Park is the only full park closure in
Ohio’s state park system.
“We
believe Hocking Hills is Ohio’s most visited state park. (While)
we
don’t track individual park visitors, but the Hocking Hills region
does
attract
more than four
million visitors annually,” said
Sarah Wickham, the Natural Resources Department’s Chief of
Communications.
Natural
Resources Department
Director Mary Mertz said
in a prepared statement that “This
was a difficult decision, however, this unique trail system is not
designed to allow for adequate social distancing without potential
risks.”
Mertz
said also the challenging
terrain of the
park’s
narrow trail system - where stepping off the trail is strictly
prohibited – made
“keeping
six
feet of distance between visitors nearly impossible.”
“In
some areas, stepping off the trail may result in injury. Limited park
staffing could impact response time as well as place undue pressure
on local emergency personnel should falls or accidents occur,”
Mertz
said.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
JFrischk4@gmail.com
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