Tales of hidden treasure and the prominent rocky cliffs of Money Rocks Park have drawn adventurers for generations.
Money Rocks Park is located in northeastern Lancaster Couty, PA near the borders of Berks and Chester Counties on the Welsh Mountain ridge. Money Rocks gets its name from local legend that it is the location of hidden treasure. There are several permutations of the legend. One holds that local farmers hid their valuables there out of fear of pillaging enemy forces during one of the several conflicts that threatened the region. Versions of the legend differ whether it was during the Civil War, War of 1812, or Revolutionary War. Another version purports that the treasure was stashed at Money Rocks by bandits.
We explored Money Rocks on a warm mid-spring weekend afternoon, and immediately saw that it was very popular with the locals. Over half of the people we met were Amish. There were a significant amount of families, both Amish and “English”.
A short distance from the parking lot, a sign directs you to both of the park’s prominent rock formations: Money Rocks and the Cock’s Comb. We went to Money Rocks first.
Money Rocks was only about 0.2 miles from the parking lot. The top of Money Rocks is a playground-like spine of upright boulders atop a sheer rock cliff. There were a number of children playing on the rocks and people just hanging out. One friendly Amish teen found a comfortable spot to recline and read on a rock on the cliff’s edge. Although it is called the Money Rocks “Overlook” there isn’t actually a good view of the area on account of the trees. In reality, the best view is looking at the cliff from one of the outcroppings at the side of or base of the cliff. See the photos below.
A trail loops between the top of the rock spine to the bottom of the cliff, affording views of the spectacular rock formation from various angles. Children were mountaineering on various paths along and around the formations. The folks in the photos are a good point of reference to visualize the size of the cliffs. Be sure to see the video at the bottom of the post.
The rocks bear inscriptions from visitors long past, some over 200 years old. What is the oldest you can find?
After completing the loop around Money Rocks and exploring the cliffs, we returned to the intersection of the Money Rocks Trail and Cock’s Comb Trail. We headed west to the park’s other rock formation, the Cock’s Comb (red blazed trail). There is a trail that winds up the boulder-strewn hillside, or for more of a challenge, you can scale the hill directly up over the boulders.
There are multiple parallel trails that run along the north side of Welsh Mountain. From the Cock’s Comb, we chose to travel to the bottom-most trail along the base of the hill then head west and loop up to the Welsh Mountain Preserve. On this portion of the adventure, we noticed multiple old grades in the woods, like the one shown below. Note these as subjects for future exploration.
The trail at the bottom of the hill is the light blue blazed Iron Horse Trail which runs on an old rail bed. You can still see the old rail ties decaying in the woods along the trail.
There were many tempting side trails in the form of old grades running off the Iron Horse Trail, but we ascended the hill and crossed from the Money Rocks Park portion into Welsh Mountain Preserve. There is a cleft in the hill with a stream that made a cool rest stop before finishing the climb to the plateau on which the Welsh Mountain Preserve is located.
Most of the Welsh Mountain Preserve trails are manicured, relatively flat and well-marked. There were several families with small children and even strollers on the trail. There are a multitude of loops and interconnecting trails, each with a different color. We might have gone through the whole rainbow and then some – I lost track. I recommend getting a free trail map. You won’t get lost, but without a map you may end up going in circles more than you intend.
We made it to the Welsh Mountain Preserve “scenic overlook.” That title is overly generous; I would call it more of a window. The view of the farmland below and distant hills is nice, but it is quite limited by the trees. See for yourself.
Although the Welsh Mountain Preserve “scenic overlook” proved disappointing, the highlight of the preserve was the abundance of azaleas in bloom.
We included this common blue violet for good measure.
From Welsh Mountain Preserve we returned to Money Rocks Park via the connector trail that runs at the top of the Welsh Mountain.
Check out the video of our adventure.
Overall the trail was 6.9 miles.
Parking is at: 40.09555, -75.98164.
We didn’t find any hidden treasure, but Money Rocks, the Cock’s Comb rock formation, and the abundance of blooming azaleas were highlights of the adventure. The “scenic overlooks” didn’t live up to their name, so if you are looking for majestic vistas, we have some for you in our other adventures. The playground-like nature of the boulders and short walk makes Money Rocks an excellent opportunity for families. The Welsh Mountain Preserve trails were very easy and suitable even for young children or strollers. Hikers will enjoy the multiple trail options and side trails on old grades waiting to be explored.
Thanks for Joining us at Money Rocks and Welsh Mountain Preserve. Be sure to check out our other adventures.
