The towering rock formations that now draw hikers and nature lovers to High Rocks in Bucks County were once private property owned by Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist James Michener. In the 1940s, at the height of his early literary success, Michener purchased the dramatic geological site for $2,000, imagining it as a potential place to build a home with his fiancée, Vange Nord. His ownership lasted only a short time, ending not with construction but with a donation to the public after he concluded that the land was too hazardous for development.
Michener’s interest in High Rocks came shortly after the publication of Tales of the South Pacific, the novel that earned him the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. During this period, he and Nord were searching for property in Bucks County that could become their future residence. Their search grew out of the time they had already spent exploring the region’s landscape. Literary agent Helen Strauss later described this in her memoir A Talent for Luck, recalling, “We had a wonderful three weeks of real camping out and canoeing up and down the river.”
The couple did not search alone. Michener’s close friend and fellow writer Herman Silverman helped Nord look for land, an experience he later described in Michener and Me: A Memoir. Silverman wrote that “she and I scoured Bucks County,” adding that Nord was actively involved in imagining their future house. “She planned to help design the house and had good ideas about the kind of place she wanted,” he explained.
Their search eventually led them to a site known locally as High Rocks, where steep cliffs rise above Tohickon Creek and create sweeping views. The land appealed to Nord immediately. Silverman summarized the moment of purchase plainly: “We found a piece of ground Vange liked called High Rocks and bought it for $2,000.”
Michener’s reaction was far less enthusiastic. According to Silverman, “Jim was very upset — he knew the high, rocky piece of land well,” suggesting that Michener already understood the difficulties posed by the terrain at the time of the sale. The very features that made High Rocks visually striking—its towering formations and steep drop-offs—also made it dangerous and impractical for construction.
As Michener spent more time considering the realities of building on the property, his concerns proved justified. Silverman later wrote, “Jim was right about High Rocks,” though no specific incidents from Michener’s ownership are detailed in available records. Instead of attempting to build on such treacherous land, Michener acted quickly. Silverman stated that “he quickly rid himself of the property by giving it to the Bucks County Parks Department,” transferring ownership from private hands to a public agency.
That decision turned High Rocks into a publicly accessible landscape instead of a private retreat. Yet the dangers that troubled Michener did not disappear with the change in ownership. Silverman observed that “even now, with high fences all around to thwart young, would-be mountain climbers, the rescue squad is called out each year to help someone down from the rocks or pick up those who have fallen.” Safety measures have since been installed, but emergency responses continue to occur.
Beyond its human history, High Rocks remains distinctive for its geology. The formations rise sharply above Tohickon Creek, creating a deep gorge below. Geological assessments of the site have stated, “There is no similar view in the Delaware Valley,” capturing what initially drew Michener and Nord to the property.
Today, High Rocks is accessible to visitors through the Bucks County Parks system. Trails allow the public to walk along the cliffs and through the surrounding landscape, bringing hikers close to the same dramatic scenery that once inspired Michener’s purchase. At the same time, the site continues to challenge both visitors and emergency responders, just as Silverman predicted decades ago.
Michener ultimately built his life and writing career elsewhere, but his brief ownership of High Rocks left a lasting imprint on Bucks County. By donating the land instead of developing it, he preserved a dramatic natural landscape for public use, even as the site retained the risks that had made it unsuitable for private residence.
