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Penny Rock

Visitors to Salt Springs State Park are encouraged to literally put their two cents in Penny Rock.

Montrose, Pennsylvania

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Thomas Harper
Penny Rock   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
Penny Rock   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
The Old Growth Hemlock Grove.   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
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Update as of September 2021: The bridge leading to Penny Rock is currently non-serviceable.

Salt Springs State Park near Montrose has spectacular waterfalls and hiking trails along with the namesake Salt Springs. The Onondaga people of the area used its salt for food and as a valuable trade asset.

Near one of these springs is the start of the Hemlock Trail, which leads up a hillside to an old-growth grove of tall hemlock trees, estimated to be over 300 years old. In the serenity of this grove is a large boulder known as Penny Rock.

This boulder is slotted with various grooves, and in these crevices people pound in coins using nearby stones, hopefully earning some good luck for their efforts. Prying out a penny is said to bring bad fortune. So visitors can enjoy the splendor of the tall trees and rush of the waterfalls, and perhaps earn a little good luck. 

 

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From the Wheaton House, walk eastward downstream along Fall Brook pass salt spring until you see the sign for the Hemlock Trail. Follow the trail marked with white blazes up to Penny Rock.

Bring a penny for good luck and hammer it into a groove using a nearby stone. Upstream, Fall Brook also has three waterfalls along its trail.

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thomasharper

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January 20, 2021

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