Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania: Ganoga Falls

Ricketts Glen Waterfalls:
Ganoga Falls, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania

Ganoga Falls is the largest of the magnificent necklace of mountain waterfalls located in Ricketts Glen State Park in northeastern Pennsylvania. At 94 feet tall, it is not exactly Niagara Falls, but set in a deep notch of old growth forest it is quite awesome.

I had hiked down the east branch of Kitchen Creek, photographing numerous waterfalls and other scenery along the way. Kitchen Creek? What kind of a name is that for such a cold and pristine Appalachian Mountain stream like this one? Maybe it was named for someone with the surname of Kitchen, because nothing about this jewel of a natural area suggested a kitchen, or anything else man made.

The east branch of Kitchen Creek is the natural fork to take in the Falls Trail loop, since it is nearest to the main parking lot. Even so, it's about a mile of easy hiking until it's time to drop off the mountaintop, down into Glen Leigh, as the steep mountain valley cradling the east fork is named.

The full loop down the east fork and up the west fork of Kitchen Creek is a 3.2 mile loop, but it's not for the out of shape. No matter which direction you go, it's down one side and climb up the other side. The rocks are often slippery from the water spray, side springs, and the shade of the cliffs.

Subscribe to the free NaturalMoment.com Photo Newsletter so you can get email each time new photos are added to this site.