Ricketts Glen State Park

Located only a little over ten miles away from Wilkes-Barre and over 2,000 feet elevation is a place that caters to hikers and bikers alike. The area consisting of 13,050 acres is home Of Ricketts Glen State Park. Which is named after Robert Bruce Ricketts, which served in the civil war as an artillery officer. He was mostly known for the great defensive against the confederate army at the second battle in Gettysburg on cemetery hill. After the war he used the funds he had accrued and bought land for logging and creating a sawmill. When he passed away he still owned a lot of land and was eventually sold to the state of Pennsylvania. That is why the park is named Ricketts Glen.

So after seeing it a 4.8/5 on AllTrails we were sure it was a great area to explore. However, before we could come  to that conclusion, Kelly and I were on our way. We left around 9 am and hit the PA Turnpike north heading towards Wilkes-Barre. To be more specific it was the actual coordinates for the Falls Trail Trailhead.

As we were driving up it became uncertain whether the rain would stop and we would have a dry hike. I was hoping due to only packing one poncho! As we got closer to the state park we turned onto a road which took us straight up the mountain with a sign reporting, “Ricketts Glen state park elevation: 2,198 ft”.

 While we climbed fog began to form and once we had reach the top we were greeted with sunshine and clear weather! We navigated through the parking lots and found our spot and put all of our gear on and headed to the trailhead. There are area maps available at many of the parking areas we took advantage of that and grabbed one. As soon as we began our hike we were intrigued by how photogenic and awesome the area was. The Falls Trails was only a 3 mile loop and gave you access to all of the falls which had names. The map told you each name and there were also wooden nameplates on the side of the falls. The trails were wet, but we well constructed. As we made our way past various falls we came to a fork to go left or right? 

We decided to go left with took us out an additional two miles on our total trip. However the higher route not too technical and as we reached the end of the trail we then realized we went the wrong way. Which was okay because we were Abel to take the low road which was labeled as “more difficult “. It gave use an opportunity to walk closer to the river. While heading back to the fork we were passed by a trail runner and a few other hikers. 

Once we got back to the fork, we went straight on where we began to hike back up the trail. The uphill trail was was lined with stairs cut out of rock which was very cool! The trails are narrow in some spots.  

After we made it back to the car we were both a bit tired, but we were glad we did it. I can see why it is rated a 4.8/5 on AllTrails it is a very fun trail to hike on. We definitely will be back again to explore more trails in the future. 

Be sure to go and check it out! 

Mike