I enjoy all aspects of the gorge... the history, the beauty, the hiking, the biking, the river. It's so much fun to go there, been going since I was very young.

Recently I discovered a book about the area that details the history of BHG. Took it with me on my last hike. Was able to use the photos in the book to look at the park in yesteryear and current form.

It's called Black Hand Gorge a Journey Through Time... you can get it from the publisher at

http://www.littleriverpublishing.com/products/Black-Hand-Gorge-%E2%80%93-A-Journey-Through-Time.html

We enjoy finding "new" trails to ride, and had never been to BG before, so we loaded up the bikes and drove about 90 minutes to get there. This is mid-October, so the drive (mostly secondary roads) was beautiful, especially from Newark eastward. We arrived to a nearly full parking lot, not surprising as temps that day went into the 80's. The park is easy to find, with ample parking spots. We parked in the main East lot. As we rode to the West end of the trail, that parking lot was empty. On busy days, may be better to ride it "backwards". We decided to ride it straight through to the West end, and then on the way back, stop to hike the trails along the way. The scenery is indeed beautiful the whole 4.3 miles, but the Eastern half is especially so. The Licking river is immediately on your right, and steep rock cliffs and hills to your left, with a mature tree canopy most of the way. While there are numerous places where the trail has heaved due to tree roots, I would not consider it hazardous. My 7 year old son actually loved the bumps, and tried to hit every one! I only recall one spot where the roots may cause a problem, IF you were going too fast. But the whole point of this trail is low and slow, to enjoy the scenery. If you're looking for a speedy ride, this is not for you. On our return trip, we stopped at all the hiking trails along the way. All were fairly easy treks through the woods, with minimal elevation changes. At the end of the day, we liked this trail and all is has to offer. It's a very good combination of hiking/biking that's not too long, so as to discourage the little ones. There are plenty of places to get down to the river for rock throwing/skipping and general exploring. Very easy to make a day's worth of activity. And don't forget, Dillon State Park is just around the corner for those with even more time to spend. We highly recommend a visit to BG, especially so for families with young kids who enjoy the rugged outdoors.

I rode the trail from the Blackhand Gorge park trail head. Although the scenery is beautiful, it is hard to see, as you cannot take your eyes off the trail for a second. There are so many tree roots (big ones) that it is inadvisable to look up! I was on a hybrid, and it felt rough to me. No way I would take a road bike on it at all. I was really disappointed, as I had heard how beautiful this trail was. Perhaps I'll return to walk on it, but not toride.