We got a very late start. No matter how much you plan, you can’t plan everything. Exhibit A: we hadn’t even left the driveway and plans were changed – twice.

Finally, it was decided that due to our late start we would spend our first night in the Allegheny National Forest, and from there go on to Ricketts Glen. The Allegheny NF is beautiful at any time of year and offers plenty of free camping spots throughout the forest. We arrived and chose a site with just enough time to set up camp and get to bed.

The next morning we got an early start and made our way east. When we arrived at Ricketts Glen State Park we were in for a disappointment. The lake had been drained for dam work, and on top of that there were no available campsites. We do probably the majority of our traveling in the off season or at least in the outer edges of the peak season time frame, so we don’t often make reservations, but this time we should have. We ran into this problem a few times on the trip. The owner at Red Rock Mountain Campground graciously gave us an RV spot for our tent since his tent sites were all booked.

We hiked two trails at Ricketts Glen SP:

  1. Falls Trail
    A 7.2 mile loop along 20+ beautiful waterfalls, including the 94-foot Ganoga Falls. The trail is rated “Most Difficult” but we didn’t have any trouble, and hubby was carrying LR in a backpack the whole way. There are some steps, and a few spots that could be slippery, so definitely make sure you have the proper footwear.
  2. Grandview TrailRickettsGlenButterflies1.9 miles, also rated “Most Difficult.” This trail goes around the fire-tower on Red-Rock Mountain. We found it a pretty easy trail, but there were plenty of mosquitos out to get us.

Next, we’re on to Hickory Run!


Ricketts Glen is a Pennsylvania State Park Passport stamp location.