If you ever travel Route 35 through Jackson County, Ohio you’ll notice an unassuming sign for Leo Petroglyph and Nature Preserve. If you follow that sign, you’ll turn off the four lane onto a two lane country road and then another country road to a parking area with a small shelterhouse.

Why should you do such a thing? Because this series of turns will take you to one of the most important remnants of ancient culture in Ohio.

In case you don’t recall from school, a petroglyph is an image made by removing part of a rock surface. Basically, chiseling or even scratching off the surface of the rock creates a lighter area that forms the image. 

Leo Petroglyph consists of 37 such images on a single slab of sandstone that is protected by a wooden shelterhouse. There are footprints, a human stick figure, birds, a snake and some things that are difficult to interpret. One of the birds looks like a bird with wings while I think another resembles a penguin. My fella was fascinated with another image. It resembles a smiley face with horns and bird feet (pictured above) and looks comically out of place amongst the other images. A nearby sign says that it may represent a shaman. I read someone else’s suggestion that it is a great horned owl.

It’s impossible to know today but it is fun to venture a guess. The Ohio Historical Society says these petroglyphs are likely the product of the Fort Ancient Culture.

There’s also a half mile nature trail through a gorge and along beautiful cliffs. Wildflowers, mosses, birds and Eastern Hemlock are abundant here. It’s a sight to behold when there’s snow on the ground too. This is a short trail but it is a nice one if you just want a little stretch of the legs. 

I read other bloggers’ accounts of Leo Petroglyph and they were not too kind because the place IS small, there are NO restrooms and it does feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. One blogger griped about all of this and asserted there are no decent restaurants nearby and ordered his readers to not bother going. He calls himself a photographer and suggested that his readers could get the gist from the truly terrible pictures he shared. Let me tell you. This dude was not my people. He is also an example of why I don’t trust strangers on the internet. But I digress.

Here’s what this stranger on the internet wants you to know. Temper your expectations.

The nature trail is only a half mile but it’s a nice one. You’ll find a state operated rest area just down Route 35 and a host of businesses in nearby Jackson that do have public restrooms. In fact, Jackson is about 20 minutes away and Chillicothe is about 25 minutes away. Both towns have some great dining options. It does feel like the middle of nowhere but I think it’s really only about three miles off the four-lane.

Some people will show up and wonder why they drove so far to see preschool style artwork carved into a rock floor. Others will marvel at the fact these carvings have existed for hundreds of years. They will be curious about the people who left them and wonder what it all means. They may even leave inspired to go searching for answers or for more petroglyphs that will fuel the fire of their curiosity. 

How you view them and how you later talk about these petroglyphs is a window into your own soul. 

Personally, I view this as something really special to see and something that can easily be batched into other things you might do in the area. When we visited this weekend, we left Leo to travel over hill and dale for a nice hike at Lake Katherine. If you stay in Jackson County, Buckeye Furnace is a great place to visit to learn about Ohio’s early industrial past and there are a couple of covered bridges worth a look. There are other public lands to hike as well. You might also take a picnic to Leo Petroglyph. It’s a peaceful place and there are picnic tables where you can enjoy lunch as you ponder the mysteries of this place.

Nearby Chillicothe has a ton of historic sites, bike paths, hiking trails, shopping and restaurants that can entertain you for days.

Want to go? Leo Petroglyph is located at 400 Park Road, Ray, Ohio. You can follow signs from Route 35 but I just confirmed that my iPhone’s maps app gives accurate directions.

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