bluecordfishermen 
My son and his family came to the East Coast for a vacation and we decided to meet at Ricketts Glen to hike the falls. They came from Texas and I drove down from Fort Drum NY. My round trip was 520 miles plus dinner at Coopers in Scranton PA. Their round trip is going to come close to 4500 miles. It was worth the it. The Glen lived up to its reputation.
GETTING TO RICKETTS GLEN
Ricketts Glen State Park is West of Wilkes-Barre. The state park has camping sites and a limited number of cabins that must be reserved and I am sure the wait list is lengthy. Scranton and Wilkes-Barre are both about 40 minutes away. Be aware that State Highway 487 from 118 to the Park Office is a steep climb (18% grade) and two way. Just be patient if you get behind a RV traveling to the park.
GETTING TO THE FALLS
There are multiple trail heads but the best for parking is to enter the park and go to the Park Office for a map. If you are new to the park, get a map. Its also the last place to find facilities in the current COVID environment. Signs providing directions will get you to the parking area. Beach Lot #2 is your best bet. There are lots of signs pointing to getting to the falls. There are not any pointing you to your car. Take note of where you park.
It has been about ten year since I was last at Ricketts Glen and that was in the summer so the trail was not crowded. In the Fall at the height of the leaves changing , it was very crowded.
We did a loop going down Glen Leigh and back up on Lake Rose and returned to Beach Lot #2 on Highland Trails. The trails are well marked. There are wooden steps on what used to be some very slick climbs. Many of the paths are only big enough for one way traffic. Just pick a spot wait for a break and enjoy the surrounding beauty.
ALTERNATIVE HIKE
Parking is available at the Trail Head along Highway 118 on the southern boundary of the park. If you have the time and the energy this is the best option to view all of the falls, but start early.
Beach Lot #2 will take you past the beach. Note that due to covid, none of the bathroom facilities in the Park are open. Your alternative is to go look for arrowheads and find a large tree. The little ones found this a curious procedure.
Below are pictures of some of the Falls. I missed several while keeping an eye on the little ones. Their courage easily gets them into opportunities to shave years off your life. There are websites that have professional grade pictures. The ones below were taken with bystanders and all. Enjoy the beauty that made this hike one of my bucket list hikes. To do it with grandchildren made it a joy not to be forgotten. This will not be my last visit to Ricketts Glen.
The map below is found on the trail at the intersection of the two Glens. Take a note of the height of the various falls. Keep in mind there is very limited safety rails. I can only remember two places that had any markings or fencing. Both were obvious. I did witness some folks taking some serious risk to get pictures. If the fall doesn’t kill you, the extraction most likely will finish the job.
THE FALLS
Trout in the Glen
The fall pools on the Leigh Glen side had many trout waiting on lunch to come down the stream. There are some larger brook than you might expect in a stream of this side. Beautiful orange trimmed fins.
SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
If you are not comfortable climbing 90 foot stair cases next to a gorge, do not attempt to gut this out. All hikers need a bit of stamina and agility. The steps are not standard or even. Many places are wet and slippery.
With three adults, we managed two little ones that needed carrying. My step counter came in at over 20,000 steps. This is the shortest hike to see the Falls unless you go down and return on the same Glen.
Oh, do not forget there are dogs with the hikers just to make the narrow paths interesting. The good thing is that all the hikers were patient and the dogs well behaved.
