Lodging FAQ
Orientation to Lodging at the Arc
Check-in time: 4 pm. Check-out time: 11 am.
We appreciate you abiding by our check-out times since we often have back-to-back reservations and our housekeepers need a minimum of 5 hours to clean.
Minimum length of stay: two nights
Questions? To make a reservation by phone or if you have questions, call our information line at 937-365-1935 or write us at arcpreserveinfo@gmail.com.
Reduced rates for longer stays: 25% discount is applied to stays of 7 nights or longer.
How do I know I am Confirmed? Your reservation will be confirmed by email shortly after you make your reservation. After having paid the balance in full, you will be emailed your confirmation packet. At that time, you will be supplied with the passcode and directions to your lodge. If you don’t receive these two layers of confirmation, be sure to let us know.
Last Minute Reservations: Please call 937-365-1935 for last minute reservations of 3 or less days prior to the check-in date.
Highlands Nature Sanctuary location: 7660 Cave Road, Bainbridge, OH 45612
Entry: Each Arc lodge has a lock box next to its entrance with the lodge’s key. You can arrive any time after 4 pm, but we advise you to arrive before dark. Our rural area is very dark at night and the lodges could be hard to find.
Payment and Cancellation Policy? A deposit equaling the first night stay is due to hold a reservation and is non-refundable. All other payments are due 30 days before check-in. Refunds are available only up to one month in advance of a reservation. No other refunds are available after that time.
Heating and Cooling. All lodges provide modern heating and cooling systems.
Pets? Sorry, none of our facilities allow pets overnight. However, dogs on a 6-foot leash are permitted on the following Sanctuary trails: Crow Point and Ridgeview Farm, also at nearby Fort Hill (7-mile drive).
May I hold a large event in a Sanctuary lodge? No, sorry! Being a nonprofit, our mission is nature connection. Daytime occupancy is strictly limited to the maximum number of overnight guests that the provided beds can sleep. Large parties of people above the lodge’s published occupancy will be respectfully but firmly requested to leave without refund.
So long as lodge capacity is not exceeded, is it possible to rent a larger gathering room? Sometimes groups will rent multiple lodges and desire a place to gather. The largest rooms in our lodges are the lower dining room of Beechcliff, and the sitting room at Earthstar. The auditorium at the Appalachian Forest Museum and its associated kitchen are available for rent to both day and overnight guests. Note: the space is not fully private during the Museum’s open hours.
Is there WiFi, cell phone service, or television? Because of our remote location, there are no televisions, phones, or WI-FI services available at our lodges. However, you are welcome to visit the Appalachian Forest Museum at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary during open hours and we will be happy to share our password. Cell phone service is limited on Cave Road except for Verizon. Nearly early all carriers can be picked up on Highway 50. We have two trailheads on Rt 50 for convenient off-road parking.
What should I bring? Provided at all lodges are full kitchenware, utensils, dishes, bed linens, pillows, a light blanket or quilt, bath towels, kitchen towels, liquid hand soap, dish detergent and sponges, tissue, and toilet paper.
Is there daily cleaning service? We do not provide daily housekeeping, but will be happy to arrange mid-week trash, compost, and laundry pickups for week-long stays, and once-a-week full-service cleaning for extended stays.
All facilities are non-smoking facilities.
You are entering a Nature Preserve. What you need to know to enjoy your visit safely.
Hiking Trails at the Sanctuary: 16 miles of trails lead from several trailheads at the Sanctuary to some of the most beautiful scenery in Ohio. The 3000-acre Highlands Nature Sanctuary protects the superlative Rocky Fork Gorge and a karst landscape of grottos, springs, and cliffs. The trails at the Appalachian Forest Museum are open from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. All other Sanctuary trails are open from sunrise to sunset. You will be supplied with trail maps and descriptions at the lodge. If you wish to learn more about the natural history of the Sanctuary and its trails or preview a preserve map, more information is here.
You are entering a highly protected nature preserve with trail rules and regulations: Remain on trails at all times, walking in single file to protect the delicate plant life alongside our trails. Do not disturb, pick or collect flowers, plants, rocks, or wildlife. Hunting, caving, fishing, trail biking, rock climbing, wading, campfires. and swimming are prohibited.
Important: You are entering potentially dangerous Cliff Country at both the Highlands Nature Sanctuary and Hocking Hills. Many trails at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary and our other preserve trails border high vertical canyon walls. Venturing off-trail is potentially dangerous and not only could but has resulted in death and injury. Keep youths in close contact and attended to at all times.
Protect our world-significant floral displays. Hiking off-trail is against our regulations not only for your safety but for the protection of our ecosystem. The Sanctuary has some of the densest wildflower displays in the Eastern United States. Their roots and bulbs cannot withstand impaction from our feet. Staying strictly on the trails helps keep our spectacular floral showcases intact.
Other Risks Associated with Trail Hiking: Although nearly all our visitors enjoy hiking the Arc’s trails without harm, trail hiking is nevertheless potentially dangerous, even life-threatening. Visitors hike at their own risk. Trails are back-country in nature and may be narrow, uneven, steep, slippery, and/or icy. Hikers may encounter poison ivy and stinging nettle.
A word about insects. Our lodges are scrupulously clean and fully modern. Although all insects and spiders are removed from the lodge by our housekeeping staff prior to your arrival, our lodges are located inside a nature preserve and an intact forest community that is filled with life. The basis of the food chain is insects, and it is likely that some will re-enter after a cleaning. These could include ladybugs, tree crickets, spiders, stink bugs, wasps, and our native wood roaches (which unfortunately look like non-native cockroaches except they fly!). You may also see the occasional native white-footed mouse. If a few sightings of this sort of fauna would cause you duress, we respectfully accept that natural settings are not for everyone, and we want you forewarned.
Some Lodges Sit on Dangerous Cliffs: Eyrie and Zen Suites are located directly on the edge of 100-foot vertical cliffs, and Leatherwood is perched on a 40-foot cliff. Children are not permitted at Zen and Eyrie, and we do not recommend having young children at Leatherwood for their safety. At no time are visitors permitted to leave the decks or facilities and venture off-trail near the cliff edges. Unfortunately, we know from past experience that doing so can result in injury or death. Please exercise extreme caution and good judgment while staying at these locations.