ringing rocks county park

This is an unusual attraction that will keep you amused for a while. There is a field of large boulders with almost no vegetation and some of the boulders sound like a bell or a large piece of metal when struck by a hammer. Search on YouTube for some videos of people whacking the boulders and you can hear them ring out. When you arrive there are two paths you can go by. The one that goes straight/left is to the boulder field, the one to the right goes to a waterfall (more on that later). Although there's a well-worn trail to the boulder field, the boulder field can be challenging to walk on - there's no path in the boulder field itself. Imagine yourself as an ant crawling over gravel - it's like that. Don't go on the boulders if you have weak ankles or knees, you'll thank me for this. Kids love it - they can scramble around and bang on boulder after boulder until they suddenly realize that all the ringing boulders have noticeable hammer marks from decades of kids banging on them with hammers! If you forgot a hammer, you can buy some at the hardware store in the small village of Milford, NJ, just down the hill and across the Delaware River (4 minutes drive from the park), or bring a strong magnet on a string and drop it into the deep and narrow crevices between the rocks and you're sure to pick up one or two dropped by other people. An improvised lanyard to secure your hammer isn't a bad idea. There's more than rocks here - as you come into the park, on the right, there is a gentle trail to High Falls Creek. This is a lovely little creek that becomes a roaring deluge when it rains. Although the approach to the falls is an easy trail, once you're at the falls, there is a steep climb down to the base of the waterfall. In dryer weather, the creek is but a small trickle and the area at the base of the waterfall is a verdant place of lush mosses and earthy smells. Kids love to explore and see the massive rocks and tree trunks that have been pushed over the falls during heavy rains. If you come after (or during) a heavy rain, be careful - the gentle creek becomes a raging whitewater force that can - and does - push massive rocks and trees down. It's an amazing sight you can watch from the trails above and next to the waterfall. The sound of millions of gallons of water rushing over the falls is incredible. After your visit, there are plenty of local places to go for a quick snack or more exploring. Consider a stop at the Homestead General Store on Bridgeton Hill Road for some great coffee and sandwiches, or take a walk along the Canal path and see Herons, Turtles, Ducks, various Fish, Eagles and some of the more exotic local people.

Its a bit tricky to navigate a boulder field when covered in ice and snow but I traveled quite a ways to see it and threw caution to the wind. The sounds were pretty cool. The farther out in the field, the more rocks that "ring". Just make sure the rock your trying to ring is resting on another boulder, not just the bare earth. They need to resonate for a nice tone.

I have been to Ringing Rocks park several times over the years. I've seen many families show up without hammers! The whole point of going there is to climb out into the rock field and hit the rocks with a hammer to see which ones ring. There is a trail down to the waterfall area that is definitely worth taking and an easy hike for just about anyone. This is a very busy park on the weekends in the summer. My main complaint is that there is only one port-a-potty and last time we were there, it hadn't been emptied and was filled all the way to the top. Pretty gross. There are also a few picnic tables for picnics.

beautiful park but wish there was a posted map or trail markers so we could have fully enjoyed all it had to offer.

What a weird site.... in the middle of a forest of trees, a boulder & rock field. How did it get there?Some say from a glacier way back when....Make sure you have a hammer. The rocks have different "notes". Some will just "thud". The fun is finding which ones will ring and all of the different sounds you can make!

My husband and I took a trip to the park without our kids and we will definitely be going back with them. Having been to Boulder Field at Hickory Run State Park (in White Haven, PA), this field of rocks was much smaller, but it has the "ringing effect" not found anywhere else. Bring a hammer or two along! It was fun to hit the rocks and hear the different sounds made by each one. Wear good sneakers or hiking shoes so you can navigate the rocks. The parking area was a little hard to find. Without our GPS, not sure it's easy to find since there's little signage. However, once there, it's a trail off the parking lot. We did not go to the waterfall since the locals said there was not enough rain this summer so it was dried up. We plan to go back in the fall with the kids and after some rain. Must see if you're out this way. While out that way, we also stopped along the Delaware canal and walked down to the river. Beautiful views just to sit along rocks of the river and watch the tubers go by.

Much smaller than I expected. Fun to see the little kids' excitement when they heard the ringing of hammers as they approached from the parking lot. A short walk to the rock field in the middle of the woods. Many rocks have worn spots where they have been struck with hammers. It sounds like a blacksmith's shop!

It is a nice place to visit for a couple of hours. Hopping from rock to rock is a little demanding. The falls are not to be missed and an easy stroll. Cross over and walk up river for some beautiful spots.

Fun day outdoors! It's amazing how many different tones you can get from all of the boulders. Wear sturdy shoes because the boulder field is vast and you might have to do some leaping from rock to rock. Don't limit yourself to the rocks though. The nature walk is lovely with waterfalls, cascades, tiny islands and pools with fish. It can be a bit slippery, so make sure they are sturdy shoes you don't mind getting wet!

Cool how all these rocks just appeared in this one place. There was a big crowd of people making music on the rocks. Even though we didn't know each other we had a fun time looking a the perfect ring.

Rocks the size of a car thrown like so many marbles on a carpet.Filled with iron ore, they ring like a bell if struck with a HAMMER!15 scenic miles from New Hope, PA.

Really interesting place. Took our 3 and 8 year old kids with us and they enjoyed hitting the rocks. Bring hammers or other heavy metal tool to bang on the rocks. Bolder field is quite challenging to cross. Our 8 year old was fine, but my husband had to carry our 3 year old over many parts. I needed both hands (in addition to both feet!) to get across, so I would not recommend doing this with young kids if you cannot plan on carrying/helping across. On the way to the waterfall, we encountered another extremely challenging bolder field. Ended up climbing up the side of the waterfall. I am sure there is another, tamer path, but we could not find it! Glad we had on good, heavy sneakers. I saw people in flip flops and do not know how they made it through. Took us about 1 1/2 hours to climb both bolder fields, and waterfall. We were exhausted afterwards, but had a lot of fun. Only problem is that my husband was stuck carrying 2 hammers, in addition to our 3 year old while climbing the rocks. Thank goodness he is agile and strong because I would not have been able to make it on my own. We didn;t see any spiders or any other out of the ordinary bugs. :)

My son and I took two grand daughters on a half day trip to get acquainted with the place he had first visited with his school's Outdoor Club more than two decades ago. Equipped with hammers of different sizes and undeterred by spiders or the uneven terrain we banged away on the boulder field, sometimes in unison with another family group. Definitely for young people with supple legs, the rocks are just one part of the site. Even better, in my estimation was the waterfall where a modest stream plunged 30 or so feet over a precipitous lip after exiting a very walkable valley cut into a tilted rocky base upstream from it. There were no annoying bugs and lots of different trees including some magnificent 100 foot plus specimens of tulip trees just dropping their sweet smelling blooms. Makes for a nice trip from the greater New York metropolitan area and there are neat little Delaware River towns nearby with pleasant restaurants where the hours can be whiled away in comfort.

We arrived at this park around 10AM and found plenty of parking in the small lot. I would say if you come around 11 or noon, you will be hard pressed to find parking. There is a porta potty when you come into the park, which is great for emergencies, but do yourself a favor and stop at the general store down the road and use their bathroom on the way. The boulder field in the park is only a short walk from the entrance. It was fun for the whole family to bang on the rocks to find the ones that ring. We found that wrenches made better tools for that and not the hammers. We spent about two hours on the boulder field before proceeding to take a short hike to the falls. It was pretty, and peaceful over there so we had a picnic at that area on a rock. Def wear shoes with good ankle support for the bounder field. Also if you are scared of spiders, this is not the place for you, there were tons everywhere, but none venomous, just watch where you put your hands when scrambling across the rocks.

We had a hard time finding this place but once we did, parked, and hiked the short walk to the hidden rock field (dirt path about a quarter of a mile from the parking.) We had brought a bag with some pvc pipe, small hammers, and a few pieces of pipe in varying thicknesses. The four kids immediately began clamboring over the field of rocks, tapping them with the implements to find the ones which sounded metallic and "rang" in different tones. It was a weekday, and we were almost the only ones there. My kids had such a great time inventing songs together. They were mesmerized by them! I sat on a large rock near the trail and watched them. They got exercise and a lesson in geology. I recommend this place for an hour or two on a nice day.