Scranton, PA: Falls Trail Loop to Murray Reynolds Falls
Enjoy “the best waterfall hike in the East” on this 3.4-mile loop in Ricketts Glen State Park, which travels past 21 named cascades.
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Hike counterclockwise from the Lake Rose trailhead to save the towering 94-foot Ganoga Falls for the end, and don’t miss heading down Kitchen Creek at Waters Meet to snag another three—27-foot broad, spidery Harrison Wright; 36-foot tiered Sheldon Reynolds; and 16-foot Murray Reynolds.
-Mapped by Michael Badeaux
Trail Facts
- Distance: 5.4
Waypoints
RIC001
Location: 41.32972, -76.290604
From trailhead, begin hiking east on well-marked Falls Trail.
RIC002
Location: 41.328983, -76.28801
Hang a right onto Ganoga Glen Trail. (The park is named after Col. Robert Bruce Ricketts, a Battle of Gettysburg veteran.)
RIC003
Location: 41.326389, -76.288429
Stay left on Ganoga Glen Trail/Falls Trail, following the current of west Kitchen Creek before entering Ganoga Glen.
RIC004
Location: 41.323589, -76.283783
Follow switchbacks and stairs down west side of 94-foot Ganoga Falls, then take a rocky path toward the falls; this is a great place to stop and rest.
RIC005
Location: 41.321399, -76.275513
Bear right to Waters Meet, where 2 forks merge to present 4 spectacular waterfalls and an open, shallow pool. Birders may want to hunker down with binoculars and view some of the 23 species of warblers that reside here.
RIC006
Location: 41.318656, -76.274241
Cool off behind Harrison Wright Falls, then continue past old-growth hemlock, pine, oak, some over 900 years old. Note: Unfortunately, there is no swimming allowed.
RIC007
Location: 41.318302, -76.274021
Turn around at 16-foot Murray Reynolds Falls, backtrack to RIC005, then turn right (north).
RIC008
Location: 41.329896, -76.273699
Ascend steep steps and switchbacks, then turn left onto Highland Trail.
RIC009
Location: 41.328752, -76.277572
Midway Crevasse, elephant-sized split boulder sitting stubbornly on path; continue around back to Waypoint 2 and return to your car.