Review: Ralph Stover State Park, Creek Access Area

strange green light permeates the restrooms plus you can make your own wood stain and go fishing with walnuts

Outdoor Appeal: 10

Setting: small, comfortable state park cradled in the Tohickon Creek valley

Explorable Op's: A ton. Although the park itself is small in comparison to others in the immediate area, like Nockamixon, the Tohickon Creek at Ralph Stover is easy to wade in plus High Rocks Vista section of the park is just over the bridge and up the hill. In addition there's a playground, grills, restrooms and pavilions to set up for a longer stay. It's a great place for kids to have some freedom and for parents to feel at ease that nobody will wonder off too far.

Difficulty: Moderate. The park is right next to the creek and flat for the most part. If you are going in the creek or following trails along the creek the footing can get tricky because it can be rocky, slippery or both. Beware, if you go the High Rocks section of the park the terrain is Tough.

Facilities: Rustic. There are pit toilets up the hill of the bridge parking lot. They are not very pleasing places to visit but they do add a little adventure to the trip. One of the restroom's charms is the corrugated, green, fiber glass roof, which makes everything appear slightly green when you're inside. Your eyes do adjust. The the novelty of it is that when you come out of the bathroom the natural light looks... well, it's hard to describe. Everything looks not quite the same as when you went in. And then your eyes adjust again and you go on with your day.
Review: It's hard to overstate my affection for this little slice of the Tohickon Creek. I've been to Ralph Stover countless times, with and without kids. It's a true gem in Bucks County. It's located close to a lot of other places that are worth a visit as well, so it makes it perfect place for just an hour or part of a day trip. Our last visit started out like many others. We first went to the playground. Despite the appeal of the creek, I like to push them to the playground first before they get wet.

So if you've read the "Facilities" section above you already know about the "strange green light." How about the walnut wood stain? The answer to that lies in the field next to the playground - literally. Although you'll only find them there in the fall. The area is dotted with black walnut trees which not only provide the playground area with shade, but also throw down walnuts in the fall. A friend of ours, Tim, lives just over the hill from the park. He did us the wonderful favor of refinishing a table surface. He made walnut stain from real walnut. Go figure? I don't know how it's done but if you're looking to give it a shot, Ralph Stover Park is a good place to go collecting. While I'm off topic here, I might as well reveal the walnut fishing secret. Native Americans used to throw bunches of walnuts in a creek to catch fish. Yeah, I know it doesn't seem to make any sense. But it turns out that the husk of the walnut has something in it that stuns the fish and makes them floaters. Don't try it. It takes a lot of walnuts and it's illegal.

After monkeying around at the playground we headed back to the car to eat. We parked near the pavilion above. I love that there is a fireplace! I've always wanted to bring some wood to the park and have an evening hot dog and marshmallow roast. You'll get the details when it happens. We had a picnic lunch here and the boys were fascinated with the place. There are built in steps on either side of the fireplace for staking wood. This provided a full 15 minutes of entertainment for Max and Frank. They would climb up (I had to help Frank) and then look at each other across the face of the chimney to see how high they both were - pretty cute.
Then it was time to take a walk near the creek. Max wanted to go across the red bridge. As much as I like the park, the bridge is no fun. It has high walls on either side that you can't see over. It sort of looks like they builders were trying to mimic some kind of canal structure when they restored it. Anyway, the bridge doesn't offer much. On the other side Max found a trail that we took to the creek. The access to the water wasn't very manageable and the creek side itself was rocky so we stayed long enough to take a picture and headed back over the bridge.
The area directly under the bridge on the park side is perfect for little kids. The shore line is bedded with tiny pebbles so it's easy to walk. There are plenty of red, flat shale rocks for skipping and the water (when the creek is low) is shallow. Plus the bridge provides shade. It's a wonderful place to let younger kids run free and let them do some exploring on their own. That being said, it is a good idea to be respectful of others that are using the space. For example, if someone is fishing under the bridge you shouldn't unleash the kids to ravage the area until the he moves on to a different spot. And even though this is a relatively safe area when the water is low you still need to be extremely conscious of what your kids are doing and where they are. Last fall I went to this same spot with the boys. Frank was only a few month old and I was carrying him in the Baby Bjorn. Max was standing on the shore line casting rocks a few feet out in the water and I was right behind him feeding Frankie a bottle. For who knows what reason, Max started walking right into the water and was quickly up to his waist. He tried to turn back to shore but fell over. I had to run in to pull him out. He was never in any real danger but I would have never expected him to do that. We'd been around the same kind of water many times and he had never done anything like that before. So be very aware and ready to play goalie.

Recommendations: First of all, there are lot of other places around to visit. High Rocks Vista (which is part of the park), Stover-Myer Mill, Cabin Run covered bridge, Van Sant Airport and Tohickon Valley Park to name a few. Tohickon Valley Park is a county park downstream from Ralph Stover State Park and it offers camping for tents, RV's and cabins plus a pool. If you are visiting in the summer, bring a bathing suit for the kids and a change of clothes. When Lake Nockamixon Dam is released hundreds of canoers and kayakers flood the park to make their way down the rapids. It's a real show and quite festive to bring the kids to see. And of course, hot dogs and marshmallows at the pavilion with the fireplace is still on my list of things to do at Ralph Stover State Park. Happy trails.