Hiking the Falls Trail and Camping at Ricketts Glen
Ricketts Glen State Park is famous for the Falls Trail, consisting of a 3.2-mile loop of 21 cascading waterfalls. This state park is one of the most scenic locations in Pennsylvania for good reasons. The Glens Natural Area is classified as a National Natural Landmark, and hiking along the Kitchen Creek and the majestic waterfalls is an unforgettable experience. The state park website and the useful maps helped planning our weekend. We took our Boler camper with us and reserved a camping site in the Big Loop Campground. We had such a great time!
Hiking the Falls Trail System
The Falls Trail is well-recognized and very popular, so try to come early in the morning. We arrived at 8:30 am on a Saturday and parked at the Lake Rose Trailhead Parking. This parking leads to the shortest route to the waterfalls loop, but the parking fills quickly on weekends. By the time we came back, around 11 am, it was packed. We could have walked from our campsite in the Big Loop but decided to take the car to the trailhead. We truly enjoyed the peaceful beginning of the hike, starting with the Highland Trail. The 15’ Onondaga Falls is the first one you see, and from there, it will be one waterfall after another. Many of the waterfalls are named after American Indian tribes.
A detailed map of the falls helps with names and heights. Along with the Glen Leigh, we saw F.L. Ricketts, Shawnee, Huron, Ozone, R. B. Ricketts, B. Reynolds, and Wyandot. At the intersection of the Waters Meet, we went south along the Kitchen Creek to see Harrison Wrights, Sheldon Reynolds, and Murray Reynolds. We turned around and went back north to see the ten falls of the Ganoga Glen. More information on each of the waterfalls is included in the recreational guide available at the visitor center.
Wear hiking boots and be prepared to go up and down many high steps.
We noticed many people coming unprepared for this hike: hiking boots are recommended. I would not recommend hiking this trail with young children. Many steps are high, and there is no guardrail. We had to wait often after people who were struggling going up or down the steps.
Big Loop Campground
The online reservation system is great for making your reservation. We reserved site 42 of the Big Loop because it was the only one available that weekend. The site is private, large enough for a 17’ travel trailer and bug-free screen tent. We had lots of privacy; it was shaded and peaceful. We highly recommend this site if you want to have a quiet time and be away from the road. The restrooms are small for this busy campground, but they are clean and close to all the sites. The dumping station is conveniently located near the dumpster. The campground is beautiful, but there is no internet connection. We bought our firewood at the general store in Red Rock at the intersection of 118 and 487.
Other sites are closer together and seemed best suited for groups. We were looking for privacy and easy access for our trailer, and we got it all! We walked the campground and noted a few other sites that we would like to try. Some are closer to Lake Jean, and we can get a glimpse of the lake. In the above campground map, I circled the sites that seemed interesting to try next time.
Big Loop Site 61 Site 21 Site 22 Site 42 Site 41 Site 43 Site 44 Site 57 Site 59
