Ricketts Glen 1

Old growth forest is a rarity, yet there are patches in central PA. Thanks to R. Bruce Ricketts there is a large patch on a mountain east of Williamsport. Moreover, creeks with numerous waterfalls run down the side of the mountain making the creek-side trails a wonderful day hike.

Following his service in the Civil War, Colonel R. Bruce Ricketts was awards 80,000 acres about 60 miles east of Williamsport, PA for his service. At the time, the old growth forest in the area supported a booming lumber industry that made millionaire of many land holders. Ricketts clear cut much of the forest on his acreage, but left a section he referred to as "The Glens" on Red Rock Mountain untouched. That section included a network of creeks and ponds that fed numerous waterfalls on the south side of the mountain. "Ricketts named 21 of the waterfalls, mostly for Native American tribes and places, and his family and friends..." and built trails along the creeks and falls so other could enjoy the area.

Since the 1940, The Glens has been part of Ricketts Glen State Park. While the trails along the creeks and falls have been improved, they are still challenging and in places can be dangerous due exposed tree roots, uneven and protruding rocks, spray off the falls, and the occasional hiker who does not respect trail etiquette.

Sue and I hiked the Y-shaped trail that follows Kitchen Creek and an adjoining creek in 2005 and 2017 to their convergence. These two legs of the Y are most easily accessed from the park on top of the mountain (info at the Park Visitor Center). The bottom leg of the Y begins at a parking area off PA Rt 118 at the bottom of the mountain. The sample of photos presented here and in the next blog entry, Ricketts Glen 2, are from our 2017 hike. There are so many beautiful waterfalls and unique creek scenes along the trails, it was difficult to pick favorites.

Portions of this narrative are based on:

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfalls_in_Ricketts_Glen_State_Park>