Boxcar Rocks — Attraction in Cold Spring Township

What a crazy rock formation – definitely worth the very little effort to access and check out. So many unique rock formations in Pennsylvania and this is only one of them. A little bit of info:

Excerpt from article by Tiffany Micek Boxcar Rocks, AKA the Chinese Wall, is probably one of the most impressive rock formations in the entire state of Pennsylvania. It's a sharp knife edged ridge made up of conglomerate and large quartzite pebbles allowing for great hand and foot holds. The parking lot can be tricky to find your first time. From I-81 Take Tower City exit on Rt. 325 W. Before airport, take Gold Mine Rd south over first major ridge. After ridge look for a driveway/parking lot on the left, it is the one just downhill of the big wide open parking lot. The road has a gate across it, where hunters also park. Note: There a numerous gates along this road. The coords to the gate you want are N40.32.672, W76.32.136. The Coordinates to Boxcar are 40.54680°N, 76.5261°W. Approach instructions: Go through the gate and follow road up the hill for about 5 minutes (two tenths of a mile). A beaten down trail through thick evergreens will on appear on the right. Follow trail for only about 300 yds to rock. Climbing is on the back side of the rocks as they appear when you first see them. A PA rock climbing guidebook is useful here, but there are some visible bolted routes and anchors up along the top. Beware that others not climbing can be above you and in the rock "windows" so make sure your presence is known. We always wear helmets in case any pebbles pop off, which they have. There are no bathrooms and no trash cans, so LEAVE NO TRACE! This is a fun, little off-the-beaten-path gem and is definitely worth checking out!

Excerpt from Stony Valley .com 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...

People who adventure here..please take your time and be careful! There could be snakes. Which are found in this location. To get to the rocks, the little road, (almost looks like a 4 wheeler road) on the right that is not far from the parking lot. I highly recommend wearing boots or hiking shoes. I Do not recommending wearing sandals or flip flops which I have seen people do. It can be very slippery if there is any kind of moisture on the rocks. Please keep your dogs on a leash. Which I don’t recommend taking your pets because of the snakes. Cell Reception is not always good on the mountain. Specially in the parking lot. If you walk on the road and not go to the rocks (which is a nice walk), please wear reflective orange during hunting season since that is State Game lands. People do hunt in there. Respect the parking lot which they just put the new lot in. Also, be respectful to hunters in the area and not act like it’s...

Boxcar Rocks is a fun place to visit and hike around. It is not very far from the large gravel parking lot. The weather was cool today, but all of us were layered up nicely. The combination of leaves and a light dusting of snow made it quite difficult to navigate in some areas, as well as quite slippery. One benefit of coming in weather this cold is that snakes are less likely to be out and active. We did not do a whole bunch of rock scrambling because it was snowy and slippery. We took a light picnic lunch out to the start of the second primary ridge, though the eastern side of the boxcars was much harder to navigate. Still, we all had a wonderful time. We had several trash bags along this time, but only found a few pieces of trash!...