Kevin Maehrer

Review of Split Rock H20 Water Park

Such an incredible formation. It is well worth th...

Such an incredible formation. It is well worth the drive off the beaten path to the top of Split Rock Road. Park in the small parking area just outside the maintenance gate for the old ski slopes and walk across the top of what used to be the slope named Main Vein, an homage to the nearby anthracite coal region.

Having been born and raised at Lake Harmony, I am intimately familiar with this formation and the forces of nature that created it.

Split Rock is an outcropping of red sandstone, which fractured off the Duncannon member of the upper Catskill formation during the last ice age, some 70,000 years ago. It lies in the marginal zone of the Wisconsin ice sheet, which is how Split Rock came to be in its current location. Yes, the glacier really did carry it all that way. Lying in the marginal zone, it was subject to frequent and vast shifts in temperature. Water would seep in along natural fishers in the rock during warm periods and then freeze. As water actually expands as it freezes, over time and repeated freeze/thaw cycles, the hydraulic pressure of the freezing water transformed a tiny fisher into a full thickness crack. Eventually, that crack became a split, resulting in some assemblance of what you see today.

The split was once much narrower than it is today. In fact, when I was a child, growing up at Lake Harmony, I can remember when the split was only about half as wide as it is now. Why is the split still getting wider, you may ask. Good question. It's because this outcropping of rock really doesn't belong where it is, and since it is neither part of nor directly supported by bedrock, the sandy loamy soil upon which it is perched does not offer it very good support. Because of this, the smaller and lighter lower portion of the rock is slowly sliding downhill, away from the larger main section. In fact, it is said the current rate of slide is between 1/2" and 1 1/2" per year, depending on conditions.

Though I strongly discourage leaving the observation platform that was built on it back in the 1980's, as people have been very seriously injured and even died, leaving the observation platform, there are other splits in the rock, but none so dramatic as the main split from which it drew its name. The other splits are no more than an inch or two wide, but who knows what another thousand or ten thousand years of freezing and thawing will do.

Some more words of caution. This is a natural formation and is as much in it's natural state as reasonably possible. It is a great and largely unknown wonder of nature, but it can be a dangerous area. Snakes, particularly Timber Rattlesnakes and Copperheads, both of which are members of the venomous pit viper family, like rocky places, just like this, so keep a watchful eye out while visiting. Also, it being, for the most part, in its natural state, there are many treacherous and jagged rocky crags, which create many potential stumbling points. Additionally, dews, rains, frost, and ice tend to make it very slippery, including the steps and observation platform, and the slightest slip here can put you in a world of hurt or even kill you. I volunteered with Lake Harmony Rescue Squad and Ambulance Corps, which serves the area, for over 20 years. I have responded to more calls there over the years than I can even remember. Observe caution while enjoying this natural wonder and take my advice, don't hop the railing on the observation platform, no matter how tempting it might be. God bless and enjoy it safely.