Milford Station
There would be so much different stuff to see, there was no way it would get boring, and have a combination of challenge as well as relaxing routes.
I put together an “almost loop” that was almost entirely in Bucks County PA, but that began and ended in New Jersey along the Delaware River and the Bel Del Railroad.
Along the Bel Del in Milford
My plan was to utilize only a short car shuttle from Frenchtown to Milford, and then hike an almost-loop back to Frenchtown. My route would include six different public lands, some historic routes, and some very pleasant back road walking.
After meeting in Frenchtown, James was running a bit late, and so I figured on him meeting up with us at the new connecting trail to Ringing Rock Park along Rt 32.
Milford Station
The rest of us parked at a church in Milford and started walking down the main street. We made a stop along the way at the little store for refreshments and such.
Delaware view from the bridge
Once we got out, we took the time for Shane to give us a little historic dissertation on the Belvidere Delaware Railroad, which is his favorite line.
The old station in Milford is still standing and in handsome condition. There is also an historic mill still in good shape along the Delaware there.
From the station point, we would cross over the Milford-Upper Black Eddy Bridge over the Delaware River.
Milford-Upper Black Eddy Bridge
The original bridge at this point was built in 1842, shortly after a great flood had wrecked a lot of the area ferries the businesses relied on so much.
PA State Archives photo, pre-1903
It was a wood timber covered bridge that lasted much until the Pumpkin Flood of 1903.
The flood took out one of the three covered bridge spans, and the missing one was replaced with a steel truss. That bridge remained in service until the current bridge replaced it in 1933.
1903 bridge destruction
Once we had everyone together, we made our way out to the bridge and crossed the the Pennsylvania side.
We had some nice views of the Delware, and then walked to the right, then left on Firehouse Lane. This took us back a couple of blocks to a spot where we could pick up the towpath of the Delaware Canal, or more formally, the Pennsylvania Canal, Delaware Division.
The Delaware Canal first opened in 1832 as the main artery for anthracite coal coming off of the Lehigh Canal out of the Mauch Chunk, PA area.
Image of dismantling of the original bridge, construction of new.
We turned right on the towpath through the little village of Upper Black Eddy here.
Delaware Canal
An “Eddy” is a current moving contrary to the regular current in a river, and Upper Black Eddy is the longest of such eddies on the Delaware River.
Historic images of children visiting mules in Upper Black Eddy
Upper Black Eddy is actually named for a black family that lived in this area in the 1700s.
Singley's Store, Upper Black Eddy
The town really sprung up with the development of the canal. It had a general store, a boat building yard, and mule stables. In the early 1800s, it was a favorite stop over spot for loggers running log rafts down the Delaware River toward Philadelphia.
Historic image of boat building on the canal in Upper Black Eddy
The area of Upper Black Eddy was also often known as Bridgeton, which is still the name of the township in which it is located.
Bucks County image on Delaware Canal
We turned right and followed the towpath past the former store area, then crossed under Bridgeton Hill Road. It was already getting pretty hot out.
Delaware Canal
River Road, Rt 32, remained on the right side of us beyond private homes for a bit, but after not too long we passed beneath that as well.
Beyond the crossing, Trails End Lane continud parallel with the canal, and some of the properties backed up to the towpath for just a bit, but other than that, it got more secluded as we waked from there. We passed beneath an old crossing of some sort, maybe another part of that Trails End Road that’s long been closed or something, and continued to the northwest.
Delaware Canal
We continued to the west a bit more, as the canal and river both made a turn. Not far beyond, we reached the bridge where we were to turn off of the canal.
James had no cell service, and mine was spotty, so we had some trouble getting him to where he was supposed to be. It turns out he was looking for us on the New Jersey side rather than PA.
Fortunately, I got him to the parking area he was supposed to be at before we arrived.
Delaware Canal
We turned to the right after passing under the bridge, where there was a sign for the new connecting trail to Ringing Rock Park. I had come here and explored some of this with Jillane a few weeks back, but didn’t get to doing the new connector trail. This time, my plan would be to follow the trail up to the parking area, along what I had done, and then take the new connector into Ringing Rock Park and continue to the south.
Delaware Canal
This trail connection is supposed to become part of the Highlands Trail eventually, I understand, and they have a marker along part of it, but it’s not formally connected yet.
Delaware Canal
The connecting trail goes up onto the bridge and crosses the canal, then follows an old farm road back out to a new parking area DCNR (the overlords of PA State Parks) has installed.
Jillane and I had walked off in a couple of directions and explored along the Delaware out on the other side. It looks like this used to be a camp area or something, because there were a few foundations and what might have been a volleyball area.
Delaware Canal connector trail bridge
There was also evidence that there might have been a few more homes, maybe Summer homes, back in the area.
Once everyone was caught up, we crossed the bridge and headed out toward the parking area. There were two abandoned houses next to the parking area here, but they’re locked up pretty tight, so we couldn’t look around inside. Once James was good to go, we continued on from here out onto Rt 32. There was a map that seemed to show us where the trail us supposed to go, and it follows the road fo ra bit.
Bridge connector
There was a woods road that went off to the right, heading up hill away from 32, but it was somewhat overgrown and there wasn’t a single trail marker on any of it. I figured that could not have been the new connector trail, but in retrospect I realize it must have been.
Still, we moved on along the road, and didn’t see anything else. I thought I’d see at least paint blazes or something. The project was opened by Appalachian Mountain Club a few years back and I checked out a presentation on it.
Delaware Canal
Maybe they opened the trail, but no one has kept up with it ever since apparently. We simply kept on walking until we got to where High Falls Creek comes down under Rt 32 (note that similarly named “Falls Creek” is just barely to the west of the parking area, and the trail on the map clearly shows it going to the east).
Once we got to the bridge, I stopped everyone and let them know we were going to do what would likely be the toughest part of the hike, bushwhacking a bit and just climbing up the creek to the falls.
The new connector trail is a road from the canal
Everyone seemed okay with it, and so off we went into the woods. I at first tried to stay along the edge of the creek, but then figured “screw it” and walked in the stream.
Abandoned houses
I made my way quickly up along the stream, standing in the water, and at every cascade I tried to keep my feet in it and go directly up.
The new kiosk
This was definitely not the route intended for the new trail. There were tons of little cascades. Far more than I’d ever remembered there being from before.
I had in fact done this section before. Back in 2006, when I was still with Appalachian Mountain Club, I did a series of scouting hikes on the Pennsylvania Highlands Trail extension. I had some ideas that would work really great, and so we put together something similar to this hike, including Ringing Rocks Park, State Game Lands 56, and more.
High Falls Creek
On that hike, when we had gotten to Ringing Rocks from above, my plan was to bushwhack down High Falls Creek, then pick up the Delaware Canal towpath to finish in Milford. Somehow, it didn’t seem nearly as interesting going down it as it did up.
The water was running really well on this trip, and so there were some impressive cascades the entire way up. It was not so bad at first, but then it got really pretty difficult.
High Falls Creek
There was never a really good tread way. We had to walk and hold on with our hands anywhere we pushed off. It would have been far tougher for everyone else than me, because I was just staying in the stream. Justin and Shane pretty much went the way I did, and I think Sarah did too.
I was worried about Dan handling this, because he hadn’t been doing as much hiking with us, but really he handled it like a champ, and made it up much more quickly than I’d anticipated he would. James on the other hand felt sick this time.
High Falls Creek
We continued to climb over all of the cascades until it fanned out into a much wider tributary, with a rather flat and slanted rock heading up hill. I stopped there while everyone else went ahead except for Sue who waited with me for Dan.
When Dan was okay, and continued past us, I got really concerned that James was farther back. I started making my way back down the creek to try to find him.
High Falls Creek
As I headed down, I spotted James on the slope to the left of me, to the west.
High Falls Creek
He had gone off to the left to try to find better treadway heading down hill. He was doing pretty good over there, and it’s why I couldn’t see him, but he was also feeling sick from the exertion.
He didn’t know that he could continue yet, but I stayed with him to the top. Once we got to the flat slanted rock again, he started doing a lot better. We took it easy the rest of the way, and reached some larger cascades before the main falls.
High Falls Creek
We passed a few other people who had gone off trail a bit further down to the point we were at, so I figured it wouldn’t be quite as tough the rest of the way up. Som e of them had kids.
We made our way over the last couple larger cascades to arrive at he main falls, where the rest of the group was all sitting on the edge of the cliff, dangling their feet over the edge and relaxing. James and I made our way up to the right and took a break.
High Falls Creek
This section was far, far tougher than what I’d anticipated it would be, and took at least an hour longer. It would have been later even if James wasn’t feeling sick.
This posed a problem for having Jen and Elizabeth met up. They had both contacted me about doing so, but now I had to figure out another spot for them both.
I let Jen know that the municipal building on Bridgeton Hill Road might be a good place to park, but she’d have to walk the road to the west in order to meet up with us at Ringing Rock Park.
Shane climbing around
Since the park closed at dark, there was no using that as a meeting point with her car, so she headed to the municipal building and started hurrying along the road to the west to meet up with us.
After our break, we started walking the trail toward the parking lot from the falls. It’s now part of a loop trail I was originally intending to use, but we had taken so long on the up hill that I didn’t expect that I figured we’d have to add that on to a future hike in the area.
High Falls Creek
We passed the intersection with the one end of the white trail, and then continued around to skirt the edge of the boulder fields that “ring”.
I’d been coming to this place since I was really little, with a hammer in hand, hitting the rocks and listening to the different sounds.
Places like this area somewhat rare, with a few existing in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but this is the only one I’ve ever been to.
High Falls Creek
There are “ringing rocks” areas in Kiandra, New South Wales, Skiddaw, England, and in western Australia as well.
These rocks are known as “lithophonic” or “sonorous” rocks. Interestingly, it’s still not really known why they ring. It used to be generally accepted that it was due to their iron content, but at around nine percent iron, that doesn’t really account for enough of a difference for this kind of rock to “ring”. Some sources say it has more to do with the density of these rocks, but we just don’t know.
High Falls Creek
We didn’t have any hammers with us, but some of the group went out onto the rocks anway.
We continued on the trail heading gradually up hill toward the parking area, and Jen appeared in front of us coming down. She apparently must have run from the municipal building in order to get there in such short order. I thought we were going to have to wait. We continued back through to the parking lot from here.
High Falls Creek
We walked out of the lot and almost directly across onto Lonely Cottage Road, a rather lightly used back road that took us gradually down hill.
At around this time, Elizabeth was getting close to meeting up with us. It was cutting it close, because I didn’t know the lay of the land enough to tell her where she could meet. The best I could do was to tell her to go where Jen had gone, to the municipal building, and instead of walking toward Ringing Rocks, to continue down Bridgeton Hill Road to Lonely Cottage Road.
High Falls Creek
We continued down Lonely Cottage Road, and the two roads intersect along the way. We must have been just past that intersection when Elizabeth showed up, because we soon paused so I could check the aerials at the Bridgeton Township Sportsmen property.
Elizabeth must hae been moving super speed as well, beause she was soon appearing on the road. She texted me to ask where we were, and then said “nevermind...I can hear you”. We must have been pretty loud!
High Falls Creek
We continued walking from here down hill on Lonely Cottage Road.
Jillane had texted me about meeting up late too, but hadn’t left home yet and there were no state game lands parking lots, no canal parking lots I could think of in order for her to do it unfortunately. I felt awful because I really wanted her to come out and start joining me more often, but I had no way of knowing what opportunities there would be ahead to meet.
A winter view of Ringing Rocks by Shane Blische
Shane asked me to include something about the “sonic booms” that we’d been hearing throughout the area also. I too heard these booms from my own home. As of yet, they still seem to have gone unexplained, or at least not logically explained.
It’s rather shocking to hear that some of these explosions were local, and that some tie to Lonely Cottage Road was included.
The “official” explanation for what had happened, as per what was explained up by me, was that the shooting range in Upper Mount Bethel PA was using Tannerite on the target ranges. This sounded fishy right away.
The falls at Ringing Rocks by Shane Blische
One of the municipal facebook pages made claims that the booms did not come from their firing range. Much of the online stuff about it has gone silent.
From Shane:
In the past few weeks there were a series of bizzare sonic booms heard in that area. Similar sonic booms were heard as far west as Richlandtown. A crater was actually found along Lonely Cottage Rd. the next day after sonic booms were heard. Locals usually heard them during 2-4am. The phenonema captured the attention of the PA State Troopers, FBI and ATF and was believed to have come from someone setting off unauthorized ordinances and explosives. No one to date has ever been found suspected of setting off said explosives. The booms have not been heard for a few weeks now.
As of this writing, I still have not heard any further logical explanation on this.
High Falls Creek
Just a little past Bridgeton Township Sportsmen, when I was thinking we would have to walk nothing but road to the next bit of State Game Lands 56, I saw a good trail.
High Falls Creek
State Game Lands 56, the easternmost of all state game lands in PA I believe, has several different disconnected tracks. I had only ever explored the northern one, which goes by Lake Warren north of Ringing Rock, but there are substantial tracks further to the south I wanted to explore.
This piece we had come across was probably the tiniest tract, but it leads straight on from Lonely Cottage Road to Lodi Hill Road. We still had enough day light to get on through, so off we went beyond the gate.
High Falls Creek
It started as just a regular little woods access road, and then opened up into a pretty wide grassy area. We walked through the long swath to the south.
High Falls Creek
At the end of the wide grassy area, the woods road continued into more woods, and we followed it. This emerged into yet another open and grassy area.
High Falls Creek
While the first open grassy area took us the length of the property, this second one went to the northwest, and another one after a line of trees went the same way.
High Falls Creek
We passed up the first open swat, and then turned to the left on the second one, which skirted private property on the other side of a line of trees. We followed the length of the swath to the end, and there were no trespassing signs to the right.
It started getting weird here, because the mowed area was far out away from the house on the property, but they had a dog, like a guard dog, leashed up far in the back where it could see us. It started barking like crazy as we approached the edge of the property.
High Falls Creek
We regrouped at the end of the field, and I looked over the aerial images again. It looked like the public land went into a swath of woods, and there was no clear trail to get us through. We cut pst the private yard, and then started walking through the woods parallel with it, but far enough in as not to be really visible. The dog kept on barking, but we moved through alright because there wasn’t that much undergrowth. There was a little stream flowing through the area, but most of the woods wasn’t that muddy.
High Falls Creek
I felt relieved as soon as I saw a car go by on the road not too far ahead of us.
High Falls Creek
While I was ahead, I think Justin and someone else went over onto that property and saw the dog up close, which I would never have done, but oh well.
When we emerged from the woods, it was on Lodi Hill Road, and we turned to the right.
The road wasn’t very busy, and like the others, was a pleasant route for us to be walking.
We followed this road out to the intersection with Old Forge Road and turned right.
High Falls Creek
It was going to get dark rather soon, so I took the opportunity to get my group shot.
Sarah on the creek
We walked up hill gradually on Old Forge Road, and watched to the right for the next bit of State Game Lands 56.
There was a trail, marked with a black dotted line, on the official map, so I figured this would be a fine way of getting through.
The state game lands maps are bsed on USGS ones, and you would normally see old woods roads on it, but if there is something actually drawn on by the game commission, I figured I could really bet it would be good enough to follow through more easily.
High Falls Creek
Because the last section through the bi of game lands had gone so well, I was probably too optimistic about this next section being something good.
We made our way down Old Forge Road, and reached the intersection with Perry Auger Road, where we turned to the left. We continued a short distance, and found the obvious entrance to the state game lands, but the woods road that the “trail” followed looked really muddy.
I figured we would be alright to follow it after a short distance, still trusting that if it was put on the map, it would have to be good. I started to follow the road, and it was an awful wet mess. I didn’t want to give up on it though; I felt like if I followed it just a litle bit more, it would open up and be just fine.
I told the others they could hold off for a second, but then next thing I knew everyone was following me.
High Falls Creek
I just decided in that moment to go for it. It was bad, but maybe it’d get a little better. It was getting darker, and things were looking bad.The trail got wetter as we continued. It was obvious that it had been a road at one time, but it was not used by anyone, no ATV, no walkers, nothing. My feet were soaked.
Matters got worse when the multi flora rose started hanging over the so called “trail”. I kept looking at my phone GPS and could see that we kept getting closer to Roaring Rock Road, the next dirt road I planned to use through the bit of State Game Lands.
We pushed on through the mess, and I could start to see the clearing up ahead for the road. I was so frustrated and tired at this point, I just wanted to get out and have an easy remainder of the hike. It was bad.
I bullied my way through the last of the thorns onto Roaring Rocks Road, and waited there for everyone else to come through.
Everyone had a great attitude, because it was insane that none of them murdered me.
The flat slanted rock of High Falls Creek
My original plan from this point was to follow Roaring Rocks Road to the right.
High Falls Creek
The dirt road leads back to another state game lands access point, and the road continues, abandoned, out to a lake in the middle of the property, then out to more woods roads and paths. I figured we could get on one of the utility line clearings at the southern end, and leave the game lands that way.
After this short swath of land was such a mess, I decided against all of that. We’d do a little extra distance, but it’d be easier to turn left on Roaring Rocks Road and try to get away from this land altogether.
High Falls Creek
When everyone from the woods got back together, I went over what my change of plans was, and I apologized for this being such a huge mess. I explained what it showed on the map, and even showed it.
Sue said “this is my greatest night EVER!”, to my utter amazement. For a minute I didn’t think she could have possibly been serious.
We turned left onto the pleasant dirt surface Roaring Roads Rod heading east.
High Falls Creek
At an intersection of access roads, the road changed names to Boulder Road and made a ninety degree turn to the north, back the way we’d come.
High Falls Creek
We continued on this road back out to Perry Auger Road, a short distance from where we went in in the first place. I’m glad no one was looking at the GPS to see.
High Falls Creek
We followed Perry Auger Road to the right, which went up hill for a bit.
High Falls Creek
After cresting the hill, we gradually headed down to reach the intersection with Upper Tinicum Church Road. James realized it’d be fastest to turn left and go over the hill here.
High Falls
I really didn’t want to cut the distance short at all, and figured rather than go over the hill on Uhlerstown Hill Road, we’d turn right on Upper Tinicum Church Road.
At the high falls
The road heading down hill closely parallels the Swamp Creek, and I wanted to take the opportunity to lay in it and get the nettles and scratches and such cleaned off.
At the High Falls
We headed down hill, and another Roaring Rocks Road came in from the right.
High Falls
It looks as though it used to be a road that continued through to the one we were on.
High Falls
When we got to a good enough spot, some of us went down to the creek and washed off a bit.
High Falls
There wasn’t much of a good opportunity right along side the road there, but it was better than nothing. I was a sweaty mess.
High Falls
We got out of the water and continud down hill to the intersection with Geigel Hill Road.
High Falls
If the hike had gone as I was originally planning, this would have been where we would have come out, so we intercepted my original planned route from here anyway.
Ringing ROcks Park
We turned right at the nice little settlement on the corner to continue following Giegel Hill Road down hill.
Ringing Rocks
When we got closer to the bottom, we crossed the lovely Erwinna Covered Bridge.
Lonely Cottage Road
At only fifty six feet in length, the Erwinna Covered Bridge is the shortest such structure in Bucks County.
Bucks County records show that the bridge was built in 1832, but the National Register of Historic Places has it having been constructed in 1871.
We continued through the covered bridge in the settlement of Erwinna toward the Delaware Canal, where the road changes names to Headquarters Rd.
Teepee things next to the game lands
Erwinna is an unincorporated community of Tinicum Township named in honor of Colonel Arthur Erwin, who was leader of the Bucks County Militia.
SGL 56
It was said that Erwin was the supplier of many boats used by General George Washington and the Continental Army during the crossing of the Delaware on Christmas Day, 1776.
We turned left here on the Delaware Canal towpath’s dark route, first parallel with a field, then into some nice woods. This was a very relaxing final stretch of the hike that I had originally intended, so at least that part of it went right.
The field section in SGL 56
We skirted the lovely open fields of Tinicum Park, followed by some farm fields as we made our way to the north. We only passed by a few houses along the towpath this entire stretch, which was otherwise quite quiet and peaceful.
When we got to Uhlerstown, where we were to get off of the towpath, I initially missed the turn. We had to go right before the covered bridge which spans the canal there.
Stream in SGL 56
The Uhlerstown Covered Bridge is the only remaining covered bridge to span the Delaware Canal, built in 1832. Michael Uhler, a canal boat builder and first postmaster, came to Uhlerstown in 1853 and began his business and expanded upon the small settlement. When he became postmaster, the town name waschanged Uhlerstown, in 1871.
Prior to this, the village name was actually Mexico.
The covered bridge is 101 feet long, and is one of many structures in the historic district founded around the Delaware Canal and Lock #18.
Lehigh Coal and Navigation boat passing Uhler's yard
We backtracked just a little bit and made our way around to the Uhlerstown Hill Road.
Historic image of Lock 18, Uhlerstown
We then turned right on the road to follow it through the settlement and to Rt 32.
Historic image of Uhlerstown Covered Bridge
When we got to the intersectin, we jogged just briefly left and then right to cross the Uhlerstown-Frenchtown Bridge back over the Delaware.
Historic store in Uhlerstown
The original Uhlerstown-Frenchtown Bridge was constructed in 1844, with long spans. It surprisingly lasted a good long time, sustaining only some damage in floods of the 1800s.
Uhlerstown scene
The bridge was not so lucky, like so many others, with the Pumpkin Flood of 1903.
Two spans of the covered bridge were swept away in the flood, but the remaining ones were kept in service, with the missing spans being replaced by through trusses.
The bridge after 1903
The bridge remained in service with four wooden spans, two metal, until the bridge was dismantled and replaced with the current one in 1931.
Erwinna Covered Bridge by Dan Trump
We crossed the long bridge in the dark, which is always a kind of peaceful but surreal feeling. Once on the other side, we just turned right parallel with the old Bel Del Railroad bed and headed on toward the parking area where our cars were lined up.
Historic Frenchtown Station image taken by Shane Blische
Southbound Penn Central freight train heads through with ALCo diesels passing Frenchtown station in 1969. Although passenger service had been gone for nine years, the station was still being utilized as a freight depot and block signal station. The last train passed through Frenchtown in 1978. Photo by Charles Houser Sr. Photo provided by Shane.
Southbound freight train passes Milford station in 1969. The building had been for sale at the time. Track in town is still present and is currently being restored for eventual tourist excursion trains. Photo by Charles Houser Sr. Photo provided by Shane.
I count myself lucky to have such fun, intelligent, and intrepid friends who are willing and able to go long distance through rough conditions, and not only have a good time, but keep coming back for more of it.
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