Hiking Ringing Rock County Park

“How can a boulder field be fun?” A direct quote from Peter as I tried to explain the natural phenomena of Ringing Rocks Park in Bucks County Pennsylvania.

Ringing Rocks Park also known as Ringing Rocks County Park is located in Upper Black Eddy, north of Philadelphia. It is one of 3 parks in Pennsylvania where you can experience the geology wonder of musical rock. 

I was first introduced to this “field of rocks” as a kid. Where we would bring our hammers and strike the rocks to make them “ring”.

Ringing Rocks Park is over 128 acres of forest with the center being the main attraction where 7+ acres of boulders sit.  

As kids, exploring the boulder field and making music was an adventure to see who could make the loudest sound. 

It wasn’t until I was an adult that I started taking the trails down to the waterfalls. But as I’m starting to adventure more into hiking I wanted to explore the park further.

A few weeks ago I introduced Peter and Maggie to this childhood adventure. 

Looking at the map as you enter the park you will notice that there are a few trails available. After we climbed on the rocks for a little we headed down the high falls.

History of Ringing Rocks Park

When researching the park there are a lot of conflicting pieces of information about when and how the field was formed.

What we do know is that the rocks have been used in 1890 by JJ Ott to put on a musical concert and despite some of the rocks sounding like clunkers, scientists in the 1960s found that all of the rocks “ring”, just not at a level for humans to hear. 

Waterfall Trail

When you are in the middle of the boulder field you can sometimes hear the trickling of water. The dings and chimes of the rocks, add to the ambiance. 

The hike down to the waterfall is pretty easy as the trail is worn down from the many hikers in the park’s history. However, because the park does its best to leave the area as natural as possible there are many rocks and roots you will have to climb over to reach the waterfall.

Once you get trail end where the falls are it can kind of feel underwhelming.

This can be due to a small trickle of water from low rainwater or just the crowds blocking the view. But if you climb over some of the boulders you can actually walk on the falls. Well, at least where the falls used to be.

Ringing Rock Loop

Instead of climbing over the boulders to explore the waterfall area, we opted to go around the park on the Ringing Rocks Loop. This is about a mile loop up through the mountain over randomly placed boulders back to the entrance to the boulder field. 

Note: this trail was poorly marked & definitely for a much more experienced hiker so if you are a beginner hiker wanting to explore the park, please be careful as we had to show a lost family how to look for trail markings to ensure they were staying on the path. 

We took this trail a day after it rained, so the pathway was pretty muddy. As you walk away from the waterfall and boulder field you will slowly start to hear more of nature and less hammered rocks. 

Unlike the Waterfall trail path, this hiking path is not well worn down or easy to spot in many areas, even on dry weather days. 

This is when listening for the hammering sounds definitely comes in handy as you can determine how far you are from the boulder field. 

Preparing For Your Visit

Whether you want to spend the whole day at the park or just a few hours, there are a few things you might want to bring with you for your trip to Ringing Rock. 

1. Sturdy shoes 

If you are going to be climbing over the boulders a good supportive shoe will help you with the jumps. 

2. Hammer or some form of metal object

If you don’t have a hammer, you can always use something else made of metal. A rubber mallet won’t be helpful as it absorbs the sound.

3. Water

The nearest store is a few miles away. Having water either in the car or on you is helpful on the hot days of summer as the boulder field does not have tree coverings unlike the rest of the park. 

If you bring your dog, it is asked that you keep them leashed at all times for the safety of others and your pup.