The County's Wild Card
Tohickon Valley Park & High Rocks
Two-hundred-foot cliffs over a whitewater creek — the gorge James Michener called the wildest place in Bucks County.
Tohickon Valley Park protects the county's most dramatic landscape: the gorge of Tohickon Creek, where 200-foot red shale and argillite cliffs — the famous High Rocks — drop sheer to a creek that runs genuine whitewater after dam releases. James Michener, Doylestown's Pulitzer son, loved and championed this place; the High Rocks section came to the public largely through his gift.
For Plumstead and the villages around it, the park is the backyard wilderness: hiking the cliff-rim trails, watching rock climbers work the faces, cabin weekends and the pool at the county park, and the twice-yearly dam-release weekends when kayakers from several states converge on the Tohickon's Class III water.
Parks & Nature
High Rocks and the gorge trails
The rim trail runs the cliff tops through hemlock and mountain laurel to a series of overlooks straight down the gorge — the closest thing to mountain scenery in southeastern Pennsylvania. Below, the creek switchbacks through boulders where climbers top-rope the faces and herons fish the pools.
Trails connect down to creek level and link toward Ralph Stover State Park next door, letting hikers build anything from a half-hour vista walk to a legitimately rugged half-day loop.
Parks & Nature
Whitewater and the Michener legacy
Twice a year, scheduled releases from Lake Nockamixon's dam send the Tohickon up to Class III whitewater, and the gorge fills with kayakers and spectators — one of the East's classic release runs, minutes from Plumsteadville's farm fields.
Michener called this the county's wildest corner and backed the words with land: his gift helped secure High Rocks for the public. It remains the county park system's crown jewel for drama.
Questions People Ask
Tohickon Valley Park & High Rocks — frequently asked questions
What is Tohickon Valley Park?
Tohickon Valley Park is a Bucks County park protecting the gorge of Tohickon Creek near Point Pleasant, including the 200-foot High Rocks cliffs, rim and creek trails, cabins, and a seasonal pool, adjoining Ralph Stover State Park.
What are the High Rocks?
The High Rocks are sheer red shale and argillite cliffs rising roughly 200 feet above Tohickon Creek — the most dramatic natural feature in Bucks County, popular with hikers and rock climbers, with overlook points along the rim trail. James Michener's gift helped preserve them.
When does the Tohickon have whitewater?
Scheduled dam releases from Lake Nockamixon — traditionally in spring and fall — raise Tohickon Creek to roughly Class III whitewater for release weekends that draw kayakers from across the region.
Where is Tohickon Valley Park?
The park lies along Tohickon Creek near Point Pleasant in Plumstead Township, about ten minutes from Plumsteadville and 20 from Doylestown, with access off Cafferty Road and Tohickon Hill Road.
Want Tohickon Valley Park & High Rocks in your daily life?
I help buyers land in Plumsteadville and the neighborhoods around it — and I know which streets put places like this in your weekly routine.
