The Falls Trail through Glen Leigh in Ricketts Glen State Park

You might recall that a couple of weeks ago, I posted about hiking the Falls Trail through Ganoga Glen in Ricketts Glen State Park. Well, here’s the final installment of that post – the Falls Trail through Glen Leigh! The two glens are usually hiked together as a loop and showcase at least 21 cascades – truly a paradise for those of us who love waterfalls!

Quick Stats

Round Trip Length: 6.6 miles Trail Type: Loop with spur Elevation Gain: 2559ft. Pets: Leashed Fees: None

Unnamed falls in Glen Leigh, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Glen Leigh is so pretty – these falls aren’t even named!

There are two main parking areas for Ricketts Glen. The most popular is the Lake Rose Trailhead near the park office, since it’s the shortest option and very convenient for the loop of Ganoga Glen and Glen Leigh, with Midway Crevasse as a fun little diversion along the way. The more traditional parking area is the Evergreen Parking/Glens Lot Trailhead Parking to the south. The good thing about this longer route is that you get to see an additional three waterfalls that aren’t on the loop. You can also park at Beach Lot #2 if both of the other lots are full. Click on “Falls Trail System Guide (PDF)” for a good map of the area at this link.

B. Reynolds Falls from below, Leigh Glen, Falls Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — B. Reynolds Falls from below

There’s some debate about which way you should hike the loop. I opted to descend Ganoga Glen and ascend Glen Leigh, catching Midway Crevasse on my way back to the parking area. It doesn’t really matter which way you do it; some prefer to get to the falls quickly (me) and then take the forest part (through Midway Crevasse) when they’re tired. Others like to do the boring part of the hike first and then have waterfalls beckoning them when they’re tired (opposite to the way I hiked it). It’s really up to you, but I’ll be describing the route up Glen Leigh from Waters Meet – where the two forks of Kitchen Creek (Ganoga Glen and Glen Leigh) meet to form one stream – and then back to the Lake Rose Parking Area via Midway Crevasse.

Kitchen Creek in Glen Leigh, Falls Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Kitchen Creek in Glen Leigh

Here’s a quick chart of the waterfalls in Glen Leigh (beginning with Waters Meet). I’ll detail my hike below this.

Cumulative mileage	Distance (approx.)	Waterfall name	Height
3.59	0.0	Wyandot Falls	15ft.
3.64	0.1	B. Reynolds Falls	40ft.
3.91	0.4	R.B. Ricketts Falls	36ft.
4.19	0.25	Ozone Falls	60ft.
4.48	0.3	Huron Falls	41ft.
4.58	0.1	Shawnee Falls	30ft.
4.82	0.25	F.S. Ricketts Falls	39ft.
5.11	0.3	Onondaga Falls	15ft.
6.05	0.9	Midway Crevasse	N/A

Waters Meet. Ganoga Glen is to the left and Glen Leigh is to the right (see Wyandot Falls 'way up Glen Leigh?) Falls Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Waters Meet. Ganoga Glen is to the left and Glen Leigh is to the right (see Wyandot Falls ‘way up Glen Leigh?)

Cross the bridge (at Waters Meet) to begin up Glen Leigh. Actually, before crossing the bridge, continue downstream a very short distance so you can look up Glen Leigh to the first waterfall – Wyandot Falls, only 15ft. tall.

Wyandot Falls, Leigh Glen, Falls Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Wyandot Falls

Continue a tenth of a mile or so beyond Wyandot Falls up to B. Reynolds Falls (40ft. tall). It’s cool because the trail makes its way up to pass right next to the lip of the falls. After three days of rain, the water wasn’t across the trail – but I expect it could be during a large rainstorm! Watch your footing, as the rock can be pretty wet.

B. Reynolds Falls from the side, Leigh Glen, Falls Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — B. Reynolds Falls from the side. You can walk right up to it!

R.B. Ricketts Falls is about 0.4 miles further upstream (there are several smaller falls along the way). At 36ft. tall, it’s unique for the fact that it looks like two falls – one in the main stream and the other coming in from the right.

R.B. Ricketts Falls - note the pretty falls on the right, too, Leigh Glen, Falls Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — R.B. Ricketts Falls – note the pretty falls on the right, too

A quarter mile up the trail is the tallest waterfall in Glen Leigh – and also one of my favorites. Ozone Falls is 60ft. tall and set in a lovely green glen!

Ozone Falls from below, Falls Trail, Leigh Glen, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Ozone Falls from below

The trail ascends steeply to regain water level above Ozone Falls. About 0.3 miles beyond the base of Ozone Falls, you’ll come to Huron Falls (41ft.). It’s pretty in part because of the rustic stone steps along the right side.

Huron Falls with the rustic steps along the side, Falls Trail, Leigh Glen, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Huron Falls with the rustic steps along the side

Climb the steps up to Shawnee Falls, 0.1 miles later.

Shawnee Falls, Glen Leigh, Falls Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Shawnee Falls

Perhaps the prettiest waterfall in Glen Leigh is a quarter mile upstream from Shawnee Falls. F.L. Ricketts Falls (38ft.) is incredibly shapely with dozens of tiny drops. We sat down just to enjoy the view for a few minutes; it’s that pretty!

F.L. Ricketts Falls - it's only 38ft. but it's pretty! Falls Trail, Glen Leigh, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — F.L. Ricketts Falls – it’s only 38ft. but it’s pretty!

Again, the trail climbs steeply. But this time, you have a decision to make. A shortcut trail rises out of Glen Leigh and up to the Highland Trail 0.2 miles beyond the bottom of F.L. Ricketts Falls. This is a steeper, shorter alternative for returning to the parking area. It also skips one (granted, not quite as exciting) waterfall. The choice is yours, but I opted to hike up to the last falls.

Roots of a tree along the Falls Trail, Glen Leigh, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Roots of a tree along the trail

Onondaga Falls (15ft.) is located a tenth of a mile upstream of the shortcut junction. It’s not as exciting as many, but I’m still glad I went up and saw it.

Onondaga Falls, Falls Trail, Glen Leigh, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Onondaga Falls

Keep walking another 0.2 miles to the junction with the Highland Trail. Turn left (following the sign for the Park Offices) and almost immediately leave the sound of the babbling stream behind you. I was a little sad to leave it – I’d seriously enjoyed all of the waterfalls and the beauty of the creek!

Ferns on a boulder along the Highland Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Ferns on a boulder

The Highland Trail is a quiet stroll through the forest. We saw almost no one, since most people who hike it either had done it earlier and were now going down Glen Leigh or else hadn’t yet made it back up to take the upper trail back to the parking area.

Entering Midway Crevasse in Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Entering Midway Crevasse

Pass by the top of the shortcut trail 0.2 miles later and continue straight (follow the sign for Lake Rose). After about half a mile on the Highland Trail, you’ll come to Midway Crevasse. It’s just a jumble of huge rocks with a passage through the middle, but it is pretty fun!

Exploring Midway Crevasse on the Highland Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Exploring Midway Crevasse

The forest after this has a few more very large rocks and cliffs. I enjoyed the ferns (I love ferns!) and some of the rocks and tree roots, as well.

Moss and ferns on a boulder near Midway Crevasse, Falls Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Moss and ferns on a boulder near Midway Crevasse

Return to where you turned for Ganoga Glen (remember that, on your way out earlier in the day?) a half a mile later; turn right to return to the parking area after about 0.2 miles.

A rock with fall leaves near Ozone Falls, Falls Trail, Glen Leigh, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — A rock with fall leaves near Ozone Falls

And that’s the rest of the Falls Trail in Ricketts Glen! I can’t say I have a favorite of the two glens… both have spectacular falls. I can highly recommend the loop anytime the streams are full of water and the waterfalls, flowing in all their beauty!

A cute little Eastern Newt near Waters Meet, Falls Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — A cute little Eastern Newt

Round Trip Trail Length: I did 6.6 miles around the entire loop and to the three other waterfalls south of Waters Meet

Elevation Gain: 2,559ft. (2,228ft. to 1,390ft.) (note that the elevation gain may be a little bit overestimated due to low GPS service in the area.)

Facilities: Restrooms at the trailhead

Fees: None

Unnamed cascades below R.B. Ricketts Falls, Glen Leigh, Falls Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Unnamed cascades below R.B. Ricketts Falls

Trail Notes: Try to go after a rain for the best the waterfalls have to offer. The park can be insanely busy on weekends, especially when the falls are flowing well. One or both glens may be closed in the winter due to hazardous conditions, rockfalls, and the like. While the Lake Rose Trailhead is called “small,” it has room for at least 50-100 cars – it’s just too small for the number of people who want to park there! It did not fill up on the Thursday that I hiked, but weekends could be an issue. Swimming is not allowed.

Trail

Road

Signs

Scenery

Would I go 100 miles out of my way for this?

Overall Rating:

Rustic stone steps near Huron Falls, Falls Trail, Glen Leigh, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Rustic stone steps near Huron Falls

GPS Coordinates for Falls Trail (Ganoga Glen & Glen Leigh)

Trailhead: 41.329782000, -76.290593000 (41°19.78692′, -076°17.43558′ / 41°19’47.2152″, -076°17’26.1348″) (2,217ft.) (0.0)

Begin loop: 41.328548000, -76.288344000 (41°19.71288′, -076°17.30064′ / 41°19’42.7728″, -076°17’18.0384″) (2,214ft.) (0.16)

Beaver Junction: 41.326444000, -76.288400000 (41°19.58664′, -076°17.30400′ / 41°19’35.1984″, -076°17’18.2400″) (2,166ft.) (0.34)

Mohawk Falls: 41.326556000, -76.287266000 (41°19.59336′, -076°17.23596′ / 41°19’35.6016″, -076°17’14.1576″) (2,117ft.) (0.48)

Unnamed Falls: 41.326247000, -76.286621000 (41°19.57482′, -076°17.19726′ / 41°19’34.4892″, -076°17’11.8356″) (2,091ft.) (0.54)

Oneida Falls: 41.325765000, -76.285515000 (41°19.54590′, -076°17.13090′ / 41°19’32.7540″, -076°17’07.8540″) (2,067ft.) (0.64)

Cayuga Falls: 41.324952000, -76.284223000 (41°19.49712′, -076°17.05338′ / 41°19’29.8272″, -076°17’03.2028″) (2,030ft.) (0.75)

Top of Genoga Falls: 41.323868000, -76.283650000 (41°19.43208′, -076°17.01900′ / 41°19’25.9248″, -076°17’01.1400″) (2,011ft.) (0.87)

Old Beaver Trail Junction: 41.323186000, -76.283958000 (41°19.39116′, -076°17.03748′ / 41°19’23.4696″, -076°17’02.2488″) (2,017ft.) (0.94)

Bottom of Genoga Falls: 41.323599000, -76.283418000 (41°19.41594′, -076°17.00508′ / 41°19’24.9564″, -076°17’00.3048″) (1,930ft.) (1.09)

Delaware Falls: 41.322274000, -76.282939000 (41°19.33644′, -076°16.97634′ / 41°19’20.1864″, -076°16’58.5804″) (1,910ft.) (1.37)

Small cascades on Kitchen Creek, Falls Trail, Glen Leigh, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Small cascades

Mohican Falls: 41.321791000, -76.282724000 (41°19.30746′, -076°16.96344′ / 41°19’18.4476″, -076°16’57.8064″) (1,868ft.) (1.50)

Conestoga Falls: 41.3213880°, -076.2811450° (41°19.28328′, -076°16.86870′ / 41°19’16.9968″, -076°16’52.1220″) (1,760ft.) (1.61)

Tuscarora Falls: 41.321796000, -76.279165000 (41°19.30776′, -076°16.74990′ / 41°19’18.4656″, -076°16’44.9940″) (1,773ft.) (1.74)

Erie Falls: 41.321772000, -76.277010000 (41°19.30632′, -076°16.62060′ / 41°19’18.3792″, -076°16’37.2360″) (1,652ft.) (2.03)

Waters Meet: 41.321278000, -76.275380000 (41°19.27668′, -076°16.52280′ / 41°19’16.6008″, -076°16’31.3680″) (1,579ft.) (2.31)

Harrison Falls: 41.318735000, -76.274143000 (41°19.12410′, -076°16.44858′ / 41°19’07.4460″, -076°16’26.9148″) (1,516ft.) (2.65)

Sheldon Falls: 41.317783000, -76.273660000 (41°19.06698′, -076°16.41960′ / 41°19’04.0188″, -076°16’25.1760″) (1,466ft.) (2.79)

Upper/Lower Trail Junction: 41.316326000, -76.273142000 (41°18.97956′, -076°16.38852′ / 41°18’58.7736″, -076°16’23.3112″) (1,472ft.) (2.94)

Murray Falls: 41.316326000, -76.273142000 (41°18.97956′, -076°16.38852′ / 41°18’58.7736″, -076°16’23.3112″) (1,451ft.) (2.98)

Wyandot Falls: 41.321838000, -76.275268000 (41°19.31028′, -076°16.51608′ / 41°19’18.6168″, -076°16’30.9648″) (1,648ft.) (3.59)

B. Reynolds Falls: 41.330237000, -76.273468000 (41°19.81422′, -076°16.40808′ / 41°19’48.8532″, -076°16’24.4848″) (1.665ft.) (3.64)

Huron Falls, Falls Trail, Glen Leigh, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Huron Falls

R.B. Ricketts Falls: 41.324014000, -76.274494000 (41°19.44084′, -076°16.46964′ / 41°19’26.4504″, -076°16’28.1784″) (1,804ft.) (3.91)

Ozone Falls: 41.325364000, -76.274675000 (41°19.52184′, -076°16.48050′ / 41°19’31.3104″, -076°16’28.8300″) (1,875ft.) (4.19)

Huron Falls: 41.327733000, -76.274154000 (41°19.66398′, -076°16.44924′ / 41°19’39.8388″, -076°16’26.9544″) (1,947ft.) (4.48)

Shawnee Falls: 41.328179000, -76.273997000 (41°19.69074′, -076°16.43982′ / 41°19’41.4444″, -076°16’26.3892″) (2,002ft.) (4.58)

F.S. Ricketts: 41.330237000, -76.273468000 (41°19.81422′, -076°16.40808′ / 41°19’48.8532″, -076°16’24.4848″) (2,047ft.) (4.82)

Shortcut Junction: 41.330507000, -76.273720000 (41°19.83042′, -076°16.42320′ / 41°19’49.8252″, -076°16’25.3920″) (2,127ft.) (5.00)

Onondaga Falls: 41.331156000, -76.273440000 (41°19.86936′, -076°16.40640′ / 41°19’52.1616″, -076°16’24.3840″) (2,112ft.) (5.11)

Shortcut Junction: 41.331084000, -76.274778000 (41°19.86504′, -076°16.48668′ / 41°19’51.9024″, -076°16’29.2008″) (2,163ft.) (5.55)

Midway Crevasse: 41.329122000, -76.281825000 (41°19.74732′, -076°16.90950′ / 41°19’44.8392″, -076°16’54.5700″) (2,266ft.) (6.05)

Return to loop junction: 41.328572000, -76.288358000 (41°19.71432′, -076°17.30148′ / 41°19’42.8592″, -076°17’18.0888″) (2,251ft.) (6.48)

End: 41.329764000, -76.290631000 (41°19.78584′, -076°17.43786′ / 41°19’47.1504″, -076°17’26.2716″) (2,263ft.) (6.63)

Moss and ferns on one of the boulders near Midway Crevasse, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Moss and ferns on one of the boulders near Midway Crevasse

The gpx file for the Falls Trail in Ricketts Glen can be downloaded – please note that this and the GPS Coordinates are for reference only and should not be used as a sole resource when hiking this trail.

Download GPX File size: 117.3 KB Downloaded 88 times

(Note: I do my best to ensure that all downloads, the webpage, etc. are virus-free and accurate; however, I cannot be held responsible for any damage that might result, including but not limited to loss of data, damages to hardware, harm to users, from use of files, information, etc. from this website. Thanks!)

Little waterfalls below Ozone Falls, Falls Trail, Glen Leigh, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Little waterfalls below Ozone Falls

Getting to the Lake Rose Trailhead (Ricketts Glen)

From I-180 (say, Williamsport), take Exit 15 toward US-220. Turn east on US-220N for 4.9 miles; turn right onto N Main Street for 0.3 miles. Turn left onto PA-118E (E Water Street). Drive 24.3 miles. Turn left onto PA-487N (a sign does point toward Ricketts Glen State Park, but it may be hard to see) for 3.7 miles. Take the road on the right into Ricketts Glen State Park; after 0.4 miles, you’ll need to turn right to continue another 0.6 miles down to the Lake Rose Trailhead at the end of the road.

Cascades below Wyandot Falls, Falls Trail, Glen Leigh, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania — Cascades below Wyandot Falls

From I-81 (say, Wilkes-Barre), take Exit 170 toward PA-309N (be sure it’s north, not south!). After 7.1 miles, turn left onto Hillside Road (signs point toward Penn State WB) for 3.2 miles. Then take a slight right onto Old Rte 115 for 0.9 miles, turn left to stay on Old Rte 115 for another mile, and then keep left again to stay on Old Rte 115 for another 1.5 miles. Turn left onto PA-118W. After 14.5 miles, turn right onto PA-487N (a sign does point toward Ricketts Glen State Park, but it may be hard to see) for 3.7 miles. Take the road on the right into Ricketts Glen State Park; after 0.4 miles, you’ll need to turn right to continue another 0.6 miles down to the Lake Rose Trailhead at the end of the road.

Visual trail map and elevation profile for the Falls Trail

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