Ralph Stover State Park - Fall Colors

Date of Hike: Sunday, October 19, 2014

Total Distance: 6.9 Miles

Avg speed: 1.66MPH

Avg moving speed: 2.02MPH

Moving Time: 3:25:25

Total Time: 4:08:55

Conditions: Sunny, 53 Degrees

Difficulty: Moderate

This is coming way later than it should have and I've been meaning to post it for some time but life has been a bit on the busy side as of recently. Back in mid-October, I returned to Ralph Stover State Park to get a view of the fall colors. The leaves were nice but I think I might have been about a week late. Nonetheless, there were still some nice colors and it was well worth the time I was out there. 

Address:

6011 State Park Rd
Pipersville, PA 18947 
GPS: 40.434004, -75.098936

On my previous visit, I noted that there were trails that aren't on the map of Ralph Stover but I had intentions of going to another park that day so I didn't explore them. This time, I hiked past the cliffs and continued east until I arrived at the campground at Tohickon Valley Park. 

Like last time, I parked in the parking lot on the western side of the park and headed upstream alongside the Tohickon Creek before crossing the bridge to check out the cliffs. We hadn't had much rain so the water was a bit low.

Looking downstream on the Tohickon Creek

Looking upstream on the Tohickon Creek

A flock of geese flew overhead as I was walking upstream

Across the creek close to where the parking lot is, I saw these cliffs. The last time I was there, they were covered by the trees. As you're walking up the road to get to the cliffs, you'll notice what looks to be a steep bank looking down on the Tohickon, it turns out they're these cliffs. 

Like my last visit, I took a few pictures of the bridge crossing over the Tohickon on my approach and also after passing it. For the time being, I stayed on the eastern side of the creek and headed upstream.

I had already been in this area but some of the woods and the rock formations up the hill from the creek, I hadn't checked out yet.I also had a few objectives in mind as I was walking around these hills above the creek.

This opening in the rocks is known as Doan's Cave which has some interesting history behind it. According to historical accounts, the Doan Gang were outlaws who were said to be spies for the British during the Revolutionary War and were partly responsible for the defeat of Washington's army on Long Island. Wanted by authorities, they used this cave and a few others in the area to hide from them while continuing to pass intelligence to the British. For more information on the history of the Doan Gang, click here.  

If you'd like to check out this cave, here are the approximate GPS coordinates:

40.434830, -75.094030 or 40°26'05.4"N 75°05'38.5"W

I didn't go into the cave but I did poke my head in and shot a few pictures of the inside. Once you get through the opening, it does widen up some and is about 10-15 feet deep. I think I'm kind of glad I didn't go in though, I have no idea what they were but the ceiling of the cave had a lot of little critters on it and I'm not sure I'd want them crawling all over me.

Not too far from Doan's Cave (maybe 20-30 yards) is a memorial for a young man by the name of Sullivan "Sully" James Burd who sadly passed away at Ralph Stover on September 9, 2010. When I first noticed it, all I saw was the below clothesline with the cloth hanging from it and was wondering why this was in the middle of the woods. That question was quickly answered as I approached the rocks and saw the rest. I knew this memorial was in the area but I wasn't sure exactly where it was. 

Just a few feet from the memorial is another opening in the rocks that resembles a small cave. As you can see, it's not too big. 

Once I was done in the area, I returned to the rocks alongside the Tohickon Creek and started my hike downstream back to the bridge and my next objective.

This book was sitting on the edge of the bridge. Funny how you'll find some unusual items while you're hiking.

On the trail walking towards High Rocks

My approach to the cliffs. There's really not much to say about this other than enjoying the view of the fall colors and the Tohickon Creek from the top.

Normally, turkey vultures don't seem to be very social and tend to fly away if you get anywhere close to them but these guys stayed put allowing me to get some decent shots of them.

Once I was done at the cliffs, I followed the trail past them on my way to the next objective.

A little further down the trail, I noticed it split off in two different directions and decided to check out the lower part of the trail and was glad I did. While not as tall as the cliffs at High Rocks, these were still well worth the view.

The cliffs eventually made their way to the edge of the Tohickon Creek so there was no other choice but to turn back. Instead of following the cliffs, I followed along the edge of the water until i reached the trail that had brought me below the cliffs.

Once I returned back to the trail above the cliffs, I continued east towards the Tohickon Valley Park

This was one of the few trail markers I spotted while hiking

I'm not sure why but I didn't take many pictures from here on out. I eventually made my way to Tohickon Valley Park, cut through the campground and from there, looped back towards High Rocks.

I took a few more shots from the top of the cliffs once I returned to High Rocks

Again, when I reached the High Rocks, there was another turkey vulture hanging out on a tree who didn't bother to move even though I got relatively close to it.

Once I shot pictures of the turkey vulture, I took my last few shots of the rocks and called it quits for the day. I hadn't intended to hike as far as I did since I'm still dealing with  plantar fasciitis but once I started hiking, my curiosity got the better of me and I didn't turn back at High Rocks as I had originally intended.

Another good day of hiking and an adventure I'll likely take again someday. In time, I intend on going camping at Tohickon Valley Park so I can hike back to High Rocks and head in the other direction on the trails alongside the Tohickon Creek. I'm also hoping to go fishing in this area now that I know about it. Until next time, happy adventures and happy hiking!

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