Well let me tell you,
if I thought Bushkill was a challenge, then Ricketts Glenn was double challenging. This was made for serious hikers and it's kind of dangerous! I did the hike with my mom on Tuesday and then later that night had to ice my right knee and hip because they were sore. I hadn't run since because I can tell something has been aggravated on my right side.
It was beautiful and I really enjoyed it though. I'd love to go back again! So for this week's Friday 5, I am sharing 5 scenes from the falls.
The first thing we did was stop at the Ranger/Visitors station and get a map. If you do this hike you will definitely need a map. The trail breaks off in several directions and in my opinion it is not clearly marked. Also, there are no restrooms, first aid stations, or ranger stations along these paths.
Ricketts Glen is a very large state park and there are many, many miles of trail. Our main objective was to see the waterfalls so the ranger mapped out a route for us that was suppose to be about a 3.5 mile loop allowing us to see 18 out of 21 waterfalls.
The hiking trails at Rickets Glen are pet friendly and we did see a few dogs but I would never bring my dog here to hike the trails we did because the terrain is just too dangerous. I wouldn't want my dog to throw out a hip!
This is one of the larger falls. Again, you can tell that we are in a drought. There was enough water pooled at the bottom though that people were taking their shoes off and playing it in. I bet this is beautiful when there is actually a lot of water running down it!
Here are my Garmin stats from the hike. I know it says "running", but I can ensure you there was NO running involved! I'm not sure how exactly the elevation is calculated. When I open up the details of this "run" I see an elevation loss of 717 ft, minimum elevation 1,532 ft, and maximum elevation 2,231 ft. All I know is that we were up very high!
Since this was a loop, we ended up right on the other side of where we started, which was the parking lot where my car was.
My mom was smart enough to pack us a lunch so we drove over to the beach area and ate our lunch. We didn't know this at the time, but there is actually a concession building that sells snacks and ice cream.
So who wants to go back and hike this with me when there is actually more water? -M
We will be linking up with the gas from the Friday 5.
That looks awesome!!! I could hike every day. We just got back from Big Sur and it was AMAZING! I love waterfalls. :)
ReplyDeleteAww, big sur is wonderful!
DeleteThis looks gorgeous! Ricketts Glen is one of Dan's favorite parks but I've never been there. He's been trying to get me to go, so I might have to take him up on that! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou should go this fall and hopefully there will be more water on the falls!
DeleteThat waterfall looks absolutely breath taking!
ReplyDeleteIt looks refreshing, doesn't it?
DeleteLooks absolutely stunning. Hiking is something I haven't done much of, although we did some in Greece last summer that was amazing. But you're right, it can be quite dangerous.
ReplyDeleteYes it is, especially with water on the rocks that can make them slippery!
DeleteLooks so pretty! We did a lot of hiking in Yosemite last spring. The locals told us that the waterfalls were less spectacular than usual, due to the drought in California. They looked pretty amazing to me!
ReplyDeleteOh I bet that WAS amazing!
DeleteGorgeous! I'm jealous of all these waterfall scenes. North Texas is rather flat and boring, maybe I need to get down to hill country for a change of scenery.
ReplyDeleteWhat is considered Hill country?
DeleteThank you for these posts. Because of you my hubby and I are planning a trip to Bushkill in the Fall!
ReplyDeleteO yay! Please let me know how you like the Falls! Are you local?
DeleteMEEE!!! I want to go :)
ReplyDeleteI love nature just for places like this. That's the way to work out!
I want to take you here!!!!
DeleteSo pretty!! I love hiking in the summer months!
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful. I found out that people hike this in the winter too. I bet that is even more dangerous in snow and ice!
DeleteSo pretty! We don't have anything like that around here.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any hiking trail?
DeleteAll good to know, especially about trails not being well marked. The BF & I are headed that way in October. Ricketts Glen is about an hour & a half from where we'll be staying. But it's a park we really want to explore, so we plan to make the extra trek over!
ReplyDeleteOh yay! Be sure to stop at the visitors station and have the Ranger highlight a route for you.
DeleteThis looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteYes, it was definitely something to see!
DeleteI've never hiked anywhere like that at all! Looks gorgeous and challenging
ReplyDeleteYes, definitely both!
DeleteI've done this hike too and it did scare me a bit! Some very narrow, steep trails. I would like to go back better prepared with hiking boots rather than just sneakers. Plus, when I went we were not in a draught - and the downside of this is while the falls did look beautiful, a lot of the surrounding areas were slick from the water. I was so scared of falling!
ReplyDeleteI wore my Altra Olympus which are thick soled trail running shoes and I was fine. I am glad I did not wear my normal running shoes though. Yea, even though we were in a drought, quite a few of the rocks we climbed up were wet and slippery. If it is like that now I can't even imagine what it would be like when the falls are in full swing! Hope you get to make it back there sometime!
Deletewow it looks so beautiful there!!!
ReplyDeleteWaterfalls are beautiful aren't they?
DeleteThese views are just beautiful! I would happily go for a hike every day if I could!
ReplyDeleteOh, I'd be so sore if I did that..lol
DeleteWe went here a couple years ago. I would love to go back!
ReplyDeleteIf you ever want company to go again, let me know!
DeleteSo beautiful! We have some amazing trails around here as well, which are not marked well either. Good times trying to navigate the woods sans map... ;)
ReplyDeleteI now understand how so many hikers get lost!
DeleteI LOVE ROCKETS GLENN!! It's one of my favorite parks in Pa!! We have been there three times , because we love it so much, and we are already talking about going again! Because we want to see the falls again.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me so sad that the waterfalls are so dry! I've seen them when they are fuller, it's beautiful ! The hike is hard, but we enjoy it so much !
What are some of your other favorite parks in PA?
DeleteVery pretty ! My hips and knees often protest after a hike... but the ''cross training'' is probably good for them.
ReplyDeleteOh mine are still protesting. Hoping they get over it soon!
DeleteLove that place! I didn't know you guys were going through a drought over there. The waterfalls are awesome! You're right, some of the steps are pretty dangerous and steep, and even more so when it rains. Great job hiking the trail!
ReplyDelete