On Sunday, we left the house early and headed up to Harford County, north and east of Baltimore. I had heard a lot about Rocks State Park in Deer Creek Valley, and we wanted to explore. Our plan was to do two hikes in two different locations. The day dawned drizzly, cool, and cloudy, but we decided to go for it.
Our first hike was a short one into Kilgore Falls in the Falling Branch area of the park. We arrived early because we’d heard the lot filled quickly, and once it was filled, no one else was allowed to hike in. Fortunately, the weather seemed to have kept a lot of people away. There were two other cars in the dusty lot. The only facilities here was a lone honey pot. 🙂 FYI, after May 1st, you need a reservation to visit Kilgore Falls. It is a popular destination hike in warm months when kiddos can wade and play in the water near the falls.
This is an easy hike, less than a mile total going in and back out. The trail slopes downward from the parking lot, winds across a bridge, and then gently climbs back up again. You can hear the falls before you see them.
The trail ends at the edge of a wide stream. You can see Kilgore Falls to your right. To get the best views, you need to cross the stream. There are rocks to hop across on, but after the previous night’s rain, the water was high and the rocks slippery. I was glad Rainbow and Stormy wore their Keens!
This stream crossing is a major reason my hubby did not care for this hike! Wet feet are not fun to hike with! Def wear water shoes or pack extra shoes and socks in the car! I took Pebble across, and returned to give Rainbow a helping hand over a tricky spot.
Kilgore Falls was beautiful as was the rocky canyon it flowed through. We didn’t stay long, though, before we crossed back and headed to the car. With the chilly temps, it wasn’t worth it to hang around. Will we be back? Ehhh, I can see its appeal, but it is just a bit too far from home for us to visit again, especially since a reservation will be needed.
After we returned to the car, and changed footwear, we headed to the main area of Rocks State Park. We parked by the ranger station, and set out on the white trail. FYI, the only bathroom near this trailhead is another lone honey pot.
The trail wound upward to the best feature in the park, the King and Queen Seat, a natural rock outcrop 190 feet high overlooking Deer Valley. We kept Pebble in the carrier due to the sharp drop offs, but let Rainbow and Stormy explore a bit. The views were beautiful, and rock formations were cool!
Leaving the rock formations behind, we looped through the park following the white trail around the perimeter. The trail was narrow in spots, and there was a lot of scrambling up, over and around rocks and boulders. Stormy and Rainbow played the game, “The Floor is Lava,” and tried to hop from rock to rock. They also used any fallen log they came across as a balance beam.
In this park, the red trail cuts straight across the center of the looping white trail. Along the red trail is a picnic area, parking lot, and actual restrooms. Once we’d hiked the white trail around from the King and Queen Seat, it met back up with the red trail again, and we turned onto it. It was lunchtime and we were hungry! We ate lunch at the first picnic table we came across. Then we did a little exploring. We discovered a Nature Exploration Area right near the bathrooms, as well as a swing set.
After playing for a bit, we continued across the picnic area following signs for the red trail. Right near where the red trail entered the woods to head to the King and Queen Seat, we turned right and walked down toward a picnic pavilion. Next to the pavilion was the orange trail. We followed the orange trail until it dead-ended at the white trail, made a left, and hiked back to the car. The sun was out, and this was a steady downhill climb. The rocks along here sparkled in the sun due to the minerals in them.
Right before we got to the car, Pebble face-planted. She’d ridden on my back from the car up to the King and Queen Seat, but had hiked the rest with us. Her little legs had climbed up and over a lot of rocks, and she was shot! I would definitely label the hike we did as moderate, and all three kiddos were troopers. They had a lot of fun exploring the rocky landscape.
Like the hike into Kilgore Falls, this is a pretty area, but I don’t see us coming back anytime soon. With warmer months upon us, the trails here will be a lot busier, especially around the King and Queen Seat. It was neat to see once, but we’d prefer to explore other areas before we return here. If you go, and want an easier hike, you can park up in the picnic area on the red trail. Just be there super early as I’m sure it will fill quickly. The red trail is fairly flat without the ups and downs of the white trail. There is also a blue trail, nature circuit, that we didn’t try. It would be worth checking out. Happy trails!
