EXPERIENCE... NATURE

Top Ten Natural Features in Stony Valley & Surrounds
No. 1 - Boxcar Rocks
Also referred to as High Rocks or The Chinese Wall


Often called High Rocks, or the Chinese Wall, this outcropping of conglomerate rock got its most common name during the building of Gold Mine Road in the 1940s, when Lebanon County politician Harry Lentz referred to the boulders as a “Railroad Wreck of Boxcars.” The name stuck, so much so, that even the old dirt road they were along received a new name: Boxcar Road.

These rocks are rumored to be left over from melting glacial deposits during the last ice age; however, many dispute the presence of glaciers this far south in Pennsylvania. The rocks' history continues thousands of years later, when their alcoves became a camping place for Native Americans who are rumored to have sent smoke signals to hunting parties along the Blue Mountains from the top of the rocks.

By the Great Depression, families from Tower City and neighboring communities would hike over the mountain via the pipeline on Good Friday to picnic upon then-called High Rocks. The destination became so famous, the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company, who owned the land the rocks were on, actually placed a sign on the pipe line, helping families to find their way.



DIRECTIONS: Park at the Boxcar Road Parking Lot. Walk on Boxcar Road, an unmaintained dirt road, closed to vehicles, east. When reaching the evergreen trees on the right-hand side (to the south) watch for a break in the trees where an unblazed trail winds through the evergreens and leads you to the base of Boxcar Rocks. From here, explore the rocks and watch for snakes!

Use State Game Lands #211 Map 3 of 3




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