IN
THE KITCHEN
Ricketts
Glen State Park is famous for its waterfalls.
Kitchen Creek and its two forks have 22 named waterfalls, ranging in
height from 11’ to 94’. Incredibly, it’s
possible to visit 21 of them in a 4 mile hike. Christy and I first attempted to hike here
years ago, during a week in the Poconos.
That trip had been in the early Spring, and the trail was still closed
due to ice. The Park closes the trail
every year in the winter. Since most of
our trips to Pennsylvania occur over Christmas, this park has eluded us for
years.
I
rectified that on our Fall Trip last year.
We spent Wednesday and Thursday night with Christy’s parents in
Clearfield, PA. On Thursday Christy had
some family obligations to attend to. I
didn’t have anything planned, so I headed over to Ricketts Glen. That required a 5 hour round trip drive, but
that isn’t unusual for me. In fact, I do
that pretty much every weekend.
It’s
possible to visit 18 of the waterfalls on a 3 mile
loop hike. Three more waterfalls can be
included with an extra mile of hiking. I
decided to do a longer hike that includes all 22 waterfalls. That version of the hike is a partial loop of
7 miles that starts from highway 118.
It
was another cool, overcast, drizzly day.
I was thrilled, as those conditions are perfect for waterfall
photography. First
I parked on the south side of highway 118.
From the parking area, it only takes a few minutes to hike down to Adams
Falls. Adams Falls is the last waterfall
on Kitchen Creek. It’s almost 2 miles
downstream from the other waterfalls, but easily accessible from the road.
From
there I returned to the car and relocated to the north side of the
highway. I started the main hike there
on the Falls Trail. I passed through a
picnic area and headed upstream along Kitchen Creek. This stretch of trail passes through old
growth forest, which was a lovely way to start the hike. After a mile or so I reached a junction. The easier trail climbs up on the
hillside. The (somewhat) more
challenging trail follows Kitchen Creek.
I decided to stick with the creek and save the alternate route for my
return.
The
trails rejoin at the first waterfall, 16’ Murray Reynolds. This is a neat waterfall with a rock tower in
the middle of the creek splitting the waterfall into two channels. A short distance upstream is 36’ Sheldon
Reynolds. This one features a narrow
sheer drop that ends with a steep cascade.
Next up was one of my favorites of the day, 27’ Harrison Wright
Falls. This beauty reminds me of the
waterfalls of the Cumberland Plateau. I
found it highly photogenic.
The
trail passes right by the brink of most of these waterfalls. I imagine that is why the park closes the
trail in the winter. It would definitely
be hazardous in icy conditions!
Another
¼ mile of hiking brought me to Waters Meet.
Here, two unnamed forks join to form Kitchen Creek. Although maps do not indicate names, I’m
calling the streams the west fork and east fork of Kitchen Creek. I decided to hike up the west fork and do the
hike clockwise.
A
short distance up the west fork is 47’ Erie Falls. This was another favorite. I had to leave the trail and scramble over
some rocks to reach the base of this one, but it was worth it. Just upstream is 47’ Tuscarora Falls. This one is truly stunning. It starts as a single 20’ freefall that then
widens over a cascade. The creek then
splits, and the waterfall finishes with twin 15’ drops.
Next
up was 17’ Conestoga Falls. I didn’t
photograph that one, as I wasn’t sure if it was a true waterfall at first
glance. It’s more of a cascade, and I
didn’t realize I’d missed it until I arrived at the base of 39’ Mohican
Falls. Just upstream was 37’ Delaware
Falls and 12’ Seneca Falls. A few
minutes later I reached a side trail down to the base of the big one, 94’ Ganoga Falls. There
were a handful of people here, including a couple of photographers. That was a little surprising, as I hadn’t
seen many people up until that point.
Most of them left shortly after I arrived, so I took photos and had
lunch before continuing upstream.
I
reached 11’ Cayuga Falls a few minutes later.
A short distance beyond was my favorite of the day, 13’ Oneida
Falls. This little waterfall is
stunning, and the fall color was spectacular here. In good conditions, this spot is a waterfall
photographer’s dream.
I
eventually pulled myself away from Oneida Falls and continued upstream. I reached 37’ Mohawk Falls and a trail
junction. Reaching the base of Mohawk
Falls requires a short side trip. Oddly,
the bottom of that waterfall was really crowded. Where did all of those people come from? From my vantage point on the hillside, Mohawk
didn’t strike me as being particularly photogenic. I decided to skip it. I ended up with photos of 20 of the 22
waterfalls in Ricketts Glen.
I
hiked the Highland Trail across the top of the plateau to reach the east
fork. Along the way I passed some cool
boulders in the Midway Crevasse. Then I
descended the east fork past eight more waterfalls. First was ’15 Onondaga Falls. Next was F.L. Ricketts Falls, which cascades
38’ down a staircase of broken rock. 30’
Shawnee Falls followed. 41’ Huron Falls
would be highly photogenic, but there is a huge dead tree caught in the middle
of the falls. Next was a lovely run of
cascades with lots of pools and small but scenic drops. That stretch of creek led into 60’ Ozone
Falls, which is powerful and dramatic.
R.B.
Ricketts Falls drops 36’ in a scenic grotto.
A final highlight was B. Reynolds Falls, which freefalls 40’ into a
canyon surrounded by giant boulders. The
fall color was really lovely in this area, too.
I passed 15’ Wyandot Falls before closing the loop at Waters Meet. From there, I hiked straight back to the car
at highway 118.
It
was a spectacular day, but in some ways it was almost
too much. Towards the end, I was
actually getting a bit numb from the overwhelming beauty of my
surroundings. I probably didn’t do a
great job taking photos of some of the waterfalls along the east fork. I was worn out! I’ll be back though! Next time I’ll bring Christy.
My
favorite waterfalls in Ricketts Glen:
1)
Oneida
Falls (13’)
2)
Tuscarora
Falls (47’)
3)
Ozone
Falls (60’)
4)
Harrison
Wright Falls (27’)
5)
B.
Reynolds Falls (40’)
6)
Ganoga Falls (94’)
7)
F.L.
Ricketts Falls (38’)
8)
Erie
Falls (47’)
9)
R.B.
Ricketts (36’)
10)
Wyandot Falls (15’)
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