Where else do you take a hammer for a hike and not be weirded out when you pass other hikers carrying the same?
I’m not going to pretend to understand the geology… something about “high internal elastic tension” (whatever that means), plus even geologists can’t really explain it, but regardless the result is that many of the rocks have a beautiful clear tone when hit by a hammer, rather than the usual dull thud. For the ones that ring, they do so in a variety of tones making it possible to have a mini concert.
The seven acre boulder field where the rocks are located is one of the largest in the US, so it’s fun just scrambling around noticing all the hammer marks while looking for the perfect specimen.
After your geology adventure, it’s worth hiking the ~1 mile loop trail down to the waterfall. It’s a rock scramble from the top, or you can take the creek trail and then follow the creek bed up to the falls. It’s flat, but my wet butt can attest that it can be very slippery.
Ringing Rocks County Park is located in Bucks County, about 1 1/2 hours from Philadelphia.
