Waterfall Hero Hikes: Ricketts Glen Falls Trail Waterfalls

There are 21 named waterfalls on the East and West Branch of Kitchen Creek accessed from the Falls Trail in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The waterfalls are located in Ricketts Glen State Park.

Hike Length: 4.5 miles
Estimated Time: 3 to 5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Ricketts Glen State Park
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Must be leashed
Features: Waterfalls (21!)
Crowds: Very high
Warnings: The rocks around the waterfalls are very slippery.
Trailhead GPS: 41.33001,-76.29183
Waterfall GPS: 41.32673,-76.28733 (Mohawk Falls), 41.32567,-76.28568 (Oneida Falls), 41.32528, -76.28461 (Cayuga Falls), 41.32363,-76.28377 (Ganoga Falls), 41.32281,-76.28336 (Seneca Falls), 41.32211,-76.28319 (Delaware Falls), 41.32174,-76.28273 (Mohican Falls), 41.32121,-76.28076 (Conestoga Falls), 41.32162,-76.27942 (Tuscarora Falls), 41.32183,-76.27733 (Erie Falls), 41.31882, -76.27434 (Harrison Wright Falls), 41.31803,-76.27390 (Sheldon Reynolds Falls), 41.31670, -76.27336 (Murray Reynolds Falls), 41.32200,-76.27523 (Wyandot Falls), 41.32258,-76.27509 (B. Reynolds Falls), 41.32438,-76.27474 (R. B. Ricketts Falls), 41.32559,-76.27485 (Ozone Falls), 41.32795, -76.27420 (Huron Falls), 41.32822,-76.27400 (Shawnee Falls), 41.33050,-76.27342 (F. L. Ricketts Falls), 41.33138,-76.27344 (Onondaga Falls)

Directions:

From Wilkes-Barre, head north on PA-309 for about 4 miles and turn left on Hillside Road. Drive 3.2 miles and go straight/bear right onto Old Route 115. Go 3.4 miles and turn left on PA-118 west. In 14.5 miles, turn right on PA-487 north. Drive 3.7 miles and turn right to enter the park. In 0.4 miles turn right towards the Lake Rose Trailhead.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the trailhead, pick up the Falls Trail heading down into Ganoga Glen. At about 0.4 miles, reach the first waterfall - Mohawk Falls.

At about 0.5 miles, pass by Oneida Falls.

Cayuga Falls is just a short ways downstream.

At about 0.7 miles, pass by Ganoga Falls, the highest waterfall in the park at 94 feet.

A short distance downstream is Seneca Falls - Ganoga Falls is just barely visible in the background.

At about 0.8 miles, pass by Delaware Falls, which has multiple sections.

Mohican Falls is just downstream of here.

The tiered waterfall has an upper and lower section.

At 0.9 miles, pass Conestoga Falls, probably the least impressive waterfall.

Tuscarora Falls is the next waterfall at 1 mile from the trailhead.

Erie Falls is the last waterfall in Ganoga Glen, just before reaching Waters Meet.

At 1.2 miles, reach Waters Meet where the East and West Branch of Kitchen Creek come together.

There are three waterfalls downstream, so turn right to hike towards the Evergreen Parking on Route 118. At 0.2 miles from Waters Meet, the trail passes Harrison Wright Falls.

In another 0.1 miles, pass by Sheldon Reynolds Falls, a really pretty waterfall.

And in another 0.1 miles, pass by Murray Reynolds Falls.

You can get to creek level, but the rock jutting out on river right prevents a good view from up close.

Now turn around and head back to Waters Meet and take the Falls Trail up through Glen Leigh. Wyandot Falls is just upstream from Waters Meet.

Just upstream is B. Reynolds Falls.

You can walk behind the veil and reach out and touch the water.

At 0.2 miles from Waters Meet, the trail passes R. B. Ricketts Falls where the water falls in two streams.

In another 0.1 miles, the trail passes Ozone Falls. At 60 feet, it's the highest in Glen Leigh.

At 0.5 miles from Waters Meet, the trail passes Huron Falls.

Just above Huron Falls is Shawnee Falls.

At 0.7 miles from Waters Meet, the trail passes by F. L. Ricketts Falls. A shortcut trail here goes up to Highland Trail, but misses the last waterfall.