Ralph Stover State Park High Rocks Hike
| In This Guide |
|
| Distance | 2.7 miles (4.3 km) |
| Time | 1:30 Hours (Total Time) |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Total Climbing | 690 feet (210m) |
| Dog Friendly | Leashed |
| Park Name | Ralph Stover State Park |
| Park Phone | 610-982-5560 |
The High Rocks hike at Ralph Stover State Park is a local’s favorite. The High Rocks trail follows along a (fenced) 200 foot sheer rock face cliff overlooking Tohickon Creek, eventually reaching the creek itself. As you hike along High Rocks, you might notice ropes leading off the cliff edge, it’s a popular spot for climbers. And as you look down into Tohickon Creek (Lenape for “Deer-Bone-Creek”), keep your eyes open for whitewater kayakers. It’ss a popular whitewater kayaking spot when spring rains flood it. Occasionally they release water from Lake Nockamixon, another popular time for kayakers. It’s a fun hike on many levels, and offers that quintessential Bucks County scenery that people drive miles for.
The park has an interesting history. The High Rocks section of Ralph Stover State Park was donated in 1956 by James A. Michener, author of books such as Alaska and Texas. You can walk the trails that he once enjoyed. The original park dates to 1931.
Getting to the Ralph Stover State Park High Rocks Hike
There are a few ways to start this hike. These hike directions start at a big lot with bathrooms. Be sure to use the address below. Map programs could take you to the other parking areas.
Use this GPS address: 5987 State Park Rd, Plumstead Township, PA, 18947, USA.
Gear for the Hike
Hiking gear helps on the primitive trails here, but you certainly don’t require it. Here’s what I would bring:
- Trail runners or hiking boots (it can be muddy after rain)
- Water
- Camera
My Top Gear Picks
Do you have the right hiking gear? Will it stand up to the test? I waste lots of money testing hiking gear every year so that you don’t have to. My gear picks are solid choices that will serve you well on the trail. I don’t do sponsored or paid reviews, I just the share actual gear that I use all the time that’s made the cut. Here are my top picks:
- Garmin InReach Mini Emergency Beacon – Hiking out of cell phone range? Make sure you have one of these two-way satellite texting devices in case your hike doesn’t go as planned. You can read my full review here.
- Injinji Sock Liners With Darn Tough Hiking Socks – This combo is a great way to avoid blisters out on the trail. I have some insider-hiking tips for avoiding blisters here. Pair them with modern, high-tech hiking boots (for women and men) and your feet with thank you.
- Garmin Fenix 5x Plus – It’s a little pricey, but man do I love this thing. Not only does it have all the topo maps and navigation tools on my wrist, but it also acts as a long battery life, rugged, outdoors version of an Apple Watch. Track your workouts, sleep, heart rate, all that stuff.
I have lots of other great, sponsor-free, trail tested gear picks on my “best gear” page.
Ralph Stover State Park High Rocks Trail Maps
I highly recommend bringing a good paper map with you, and then using it in conjunction with a GPS device. You can see the navigation gear that I use here (I’m currently using the Fenix 5x Plus and love it). Just download the GPX file below and load it onto your GPS.
Many people also print out this web page for the turn-by-turn images. And if you really want to get tricky, YouTube Premium lets you download videos for offline use, so you can download the hike video and save it.
Ralph Stover State Park High Rocks Hike Directions
Subscribe to HikingGuy on YouTube
Turn by Turn Hike Directions
A note about the blazes. There’s a white blaze, yellow blaze, and red dot blaze. The trails here used to be marked much better, but these days they’ve been spotty. In general you want to follow the yellow blaze, but these directions are more precise. Stick to these directions or the GPX file if in doubt.
Was This Guide Helpful?
It’s easy to help support this site (which I use to offset website hosting costs, etc.). Simply click on a link below to buy anything from REI or Amazon. I get a small percentage and you don’t pay anything extra.
You can also make a donation if you’d like, but please don’t feel obligated to do so.
The content on this site will always be free for everyone to enjoy.
And you can help other hikers as well. If you do this hike and something has changed, snap a few photos and send me the details. I’ll update the guide so that others can do the hike safely.
