Rock House, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio
© Kenneth Keifer/Getty Image
Is anybody home?. Rock House in Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio
The beautiful and cavernous Rock House is Hocking Hills State Park's only true cave and one of the Ohio park's seven main hiking paths. The cave is so named because it was used as a shelter by various dwellers in different periods. It also holds a fortified position, halfway up a cliff, thus making it look like a mighty stronghold. Long before European settlers arrived, the area's Native American occupants are believed to have used the Rock House as a refuge and for ceremonial purposes.
The walls of Rock House have seven openings that were formed by erosion. These 'windows' create an intriguing visual effect and allow sunlight to filter through, casting beautiful patterns inside the cave. Archaeological evidence indicates that the tiny recesses in the rock walls were used by the dwellers as baking ovens, while troughs gouged in the cave's floor helped them collect water.
Sandstone rock formations, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona
The Storr, a rock outcrop on the Isle of Skye, Scotland
Fallow deer in Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, England
Quartzite formation, Playa del Silencio, Asturias, Spain
Salt flats in Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park, California
The Painted Hills in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon
The Via Krupp footpath on Capri island, Italy
The Fraser River near Mount Robson, British Columbia, Canada
