Romancing the Stone Adventure

Difficulty: 🤠🤠
Distance: 1.1 miles round trip.
What to bring: Appropriate footwear, an internet-connected device with GPS, a flashlight (optional but a great tool for exploring the numerous rock shelters found throughout the park), and a Martic Township Park trail map.
Where to go: Martic Township Park. This 360-acre park is located at 1092 Marticville Rd, Pequea, PA. Click here for directions.
Note Well: Be aware that the township does permit hunting on the property. The park closes at sunset. According to park rules, dogs should be leashed. Please access the property only from the parking lot on Route 324. Please leave no trace.

This adventure is one of those uphill both ways types of hikes, but the deep ravine, jagged rocks, and rippling stream make it worth it. Click here to learn more about Martic Township Park.

Finding the Diamonds Hard

If you’re the type of person who doesn’t like directions, here’s the GPS location of the treasure. Good luck!

Finding the Diamonds Easier

From the parking lot, head up (and up and up) the hill following the yellow-blazed trail. This is the worst part of the entire hike and likely scares off most people. Eventually, it levels off as you crest the hill. After a brief walk, you will come to a Y in the trail. Like Robert Frost, you’re taking the “one less traveled,” which happens to be on your left.

The Martic Township Park map has the trail on the right as red, but on my most recent visit, both paths were blazed yellow. I’ve highlighted the route you want to follow in green on the map below.

The trail on the left slopes downhill to a stream. As you approach the bottom of the ravine, you’ll see a bridge. It’s seen better days. But rickety old bridges didn’t stop Jack T. Colton, and they don’t stop you.

Follow the trail upstream past enormous mossy rocks and babbling brooks.

At around the half-mile mark, look up the hill to your right for a large rock shelter. These GPS coordinates should get you close.

The area circled in red is where you want to explore.

Scramble your way up the stony slope to the rock shelter.

Focus your search on the area circled in red. You will need to use your amateur parkour skills to scale the first rock.

Once on top of the first rock, look beneath the slanted rock inside the circle. It is here that you will find the treasure. Be careful when opening the box that diamonds don’t spill out everywhere.

Returning Home

Before heading home, be sure to explore more of the park. There’s so much more to see and explore. Click here to learn more about Martic Township Park as well as download a PDF of the Martic Township Park Trails Map.

For more information about the park, visit the Martic Township website.