Hiking in Ricketts Glen State Park

If you like a lot of waterfalls, you will like Ricketts Glen State Park. Read on for more...

Ricketts Glen State Park is located in Luzerne, Sullivan and Columbia counties of Pennsylvania. More information about the park including directions, links to reserve a campsite or cabin, and downloadable maps can be found at the park website.

We stopped by at Adams Falls on our way to the main park. Trailhead falls on PA-118; there is a parking lot and restrooms here. Although you do not really need a map to visit Adams Falls, you can grab one here if you intend to hike on other trails. Adams Falls is 36 feet high and is just off the parking lot. However, if you are up to a short stroll in the woods, Evergreen Trail is a 1-mile loop that starts near the falls and goes next to Boston Run.

Grand View Trail is on PA-487, on the way to park office. Grand View Trail is a hiking/snowmobile trail. Thus, the trail is wide and flat for the most part. It leads up to the fire tower on the mountain. Views from the summit are okay; not great. And general public does not have access to the fire tower. If allowed, one can probably have some nice views from the top of the fire tower. Grand View Trail is about 2-mile long loop and can be an easy hike if the loop is done in an anti-clockwise direction.

Lake Rose Trailhead Parking lot provides access to the main Falls Trail. It is a little less than 5-mile loop that provides access to about 20 waterfalls - small and large. If you are not up to a long, steep climb, take Highland Trail from Lake Rose trailhead and hike the trail in a clockwise direction. About half way through Highland Trail, you will come across Midway Crevasse - a narrow passway through giant rocks. At the end of Highland trail, make a right on to Falls trail. After this point, the trail goes along creek with waterfalls at almost every turn. At Waters Meet, the trail splits. Hiking down a little further leads to three more waterfalls. At Waters Meet, make a right turn to stay on Falls Trail and hike back to Lake Rose trailhead. Again, the trail traverses along the creek with several waterfalls on the way up to the parking lot.

Falls Trail is the highlight of Ricketts Glen State Park. This can be nice day hike. Alternately, one can camp out in the campground near Lake Jean and make a two day trip - with Falls trail hike on one day and Grand View Trail + Adams Falls on the other. We visited this park during Fall season and the luckily, the leaves were at their peak colors when we visited - making the trail even more beautiful.