Ranger Tales
Ricketts Glen: The Falls Trail
Walking tourBenton, Pennsylvania

Ricketts Glen: The Falls Trail

18 stops· 36 min· 6.6 mi· narrated by Ranger Quinn

🎧 Listen in the app

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🎫 One-time purchase♾️ Yours forever — no expiry📡 Works fully offline
Highlights include
  • The First Falls — Murray Reynolds & Sheldon Reynolds
  • The Man Who Couldn't Cut the Trees
  • Harrison Wright Falls
  • Waters Meet — the Crossroads
  • Four Years of Steps
  • Up Ganoga Glen — Wedding Cakes and Bridal Veils
  • Ganoga Falls — 94 Feet
  • From Cemetery Hill to the Quiet Glen
The tour

Deep in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, two branches of a mountain creek tumble off the edge of the Allegheny Front in a staircase of waterfalls — twenty-one of them, one after another, the tallest a ninety-four foot curtain of water called Ganoga Falls. This is the Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen, rated by many the single finest waterfall hike in the eastern United States, and it is the whole reason you came. Ranger Quinn walks you the entire famous loop — up the lower glen past the first falls, up through Ganoga Glen to the great falls themselves, across the high old-growth forest, and down the wild, steep Glen Leigh — naming every fall, reading the ancient rock and the five-hundred-year-old trees, and above all keeping you SAFE on a trail that has taken lives. Because this is the truth about Ricketts Glen: it is breathtaking, and it is dangerous. It is Pennsylvania's 'most difficult' trail — seven-plus miles and nearly a thousand feet of wet, slick stone steps cut into the cliffs beside the water. Wear real hiking boots, stay on the trail, keep well back from every edge, and you will have the hike of your life. Ranger Boone Merrick walks with you too, with the true stories this glen keeps — the Gettysburg hero and lumber baron who bought this mountain to cut it down, and couldn't; the five men who spent four years hand-cutting these steps into the cliffs; and the names, carried on the water, of the nations who came before. Come in fall for the color, wear the boots, and take your time. The glen has been here a long time. It will wait for you.

The route

Walking route · 18 stops. Live GPS playback and turn-by-turn pins are in the app.

Every stop

What you'll see and hear

18 narrated stops along the way — waterfalls, overlooks, history, and Ranger Boone's campfire tales.

  1. The First Falls — Murray Reynolds & Sheldon Reynolds
    01

    💧 The First Falls — Murray Reynolds & Sheldon Reynolds

    The first two waterfalls on the lower Kitchen Creek — Murray Reynolds and Sheldon Reynolds — named for Colonel Ricketts's wife's family, and the shape of the hike ahead.

    The First Falls — Murray Reynolds & Sheldon Reynolds guide →
  2. The Man Who Couldn't Cut the Trees
    02

    🔥 The Man Who Couldn't Cut the Trees

    Boone's opening tale: Colonel R.B. Ricketts, the lumber baron who bought this whole mountain to log it — and walked into the glen and couldn't bring himself to fell a single tree.

    The Man Who Couldn't Cut the Trees guide →
  3. Harrison Wright Falls
    03

    💧 Harrison Wright Falls

    Harrison Wright Falls — one of the most photographed falls in the glen, a near-perfect broad curtain — with a caution about the wet rock and the pool.

    Harrison Wright Falls guide →
  4. Waters Meet — the Crossroads
    04

    🌲 Waters Meet — the Crossroads

    Waters Meet, where Ganoga Glen (west) and Glen Leigh (east) join to form Kitchen Creek — the hub of the loop, and the plan: up Ganoga Glen first, across the top, down Glen Leigh.

    Waters Meet — the Crossroads guide →
  5. Four Years of Steps
    05

    🔥 Four Years of Steps

    Boone's tale of the men who actually built the trail — Matt Hirlinger and five others who spent four years, 1889 to 1893, hand-cutting the stone steps into the cliffs beside the falls.

    Four Years of Steps guide →
  6. Up Ganoga Glen — Wedding Cakes and Bridal Veils
    06

    💧 Up Ganoga Glen — Wedding Cakes and Bridal Veils

    Climbing the western branch past Conestoga, Mohican, Delaware, Seneca and Cayuga falls — and the two shapes of waterfall you'll see, the stepped 'wedding cake' and the sheer 'bridal veil'.

    Up Ganoga Glen — Wedding Cakes and Bridal Veils guide →
  7. Ganoga Falls — 94 Feet
    07

    💧 Ganoga Falls — 94 Feet

    Ganoga Falls, 94 feet, the tallest waterfall in the park and the centerpiece of the hike — the meaning of its name, and a firm caution to view it from the trail and never climb on or near it.

    Ganoga Falls — 94 Feet guide →
  8. From Cemetery Hill to the Quiet Glen
    08

    🔥 From Cemetery Hill to the Quiet Glen

    Boone's tale of Ricketts the soldier — the artillery officer whose guns were fought over hand-to-hand at Gettysburg, and who spent his last quiet decades building trails in this glen.

    From Cemetery Hill to the Quiet Glen guide →
  9. The Top of the Climb — Reading the Rock
    09

    🌲 The Top of the Climb — Reading the Rock

    The upper end of Ganoga Glen past Oneida and Mohawk falls — how the falls formed: hard Huntley Mountain caprock over soft Catskill shale, the Allegheny Front, and the Ice-Age flood that carved them.

    The Top of the Climb — Reading the Rock guide →
  10. The Highland Trail — the Ancient Forest
    10

    🥾 The Highland Trail — the Ancient Forest

    The gentle Highland Trail across the plateau linking the two glens — the old-growth forest of the Glens Natural Area (a National Natural Landmark), 500-year-old hemlocks, and Lake Jean nearby.

    The Highland Trail — the Ancient Forest guide →
  11. The Trees That Were Here First
    11

    🔥 The Trees That Were Here First

    Boone's tale on the plateau — the ancient old-growth forest of the Glens Natural Area, trees five hundred and even nine hundred years old, and what they've lived through.

    The Trees That Were Here First guide →
  12. Down Into Glen Leigh — the Steep Side
    12

    💧 Down Into Glen Leigh — the Steep Side

    The head of Glen Leigh at Onondaga Falls, starting the steeper, more rugged eastern descent — with a strong caution about descending wet stone steps.

    Down Into Glen Leigh — the Steep Side guide →
  13. The Names on the Water
    13

    🔥 The Names on the Water

    Boone's tale of the waterfall names — the nations Ricketts honored on the falls, and the meaning said to lie behind 'Ganoga': water on the mountain.

    The Names on the Water guide →
  14. The Heart of Glen Leigh — Huron, Shawnee, Ozone
    14

    💧 The Heart of Glen Leigh — Huron, Shawnee, Ozone

    The dramatic middle of Glen Leigh — Huron, Shawnee, and tall Ozone Falls — with a sober, respectful reminder of a fatal fall here and why staying on the trail matters.

    The Heart of Glen Leigh — Huron, Shawnee, Ozone guide →
  15. The Ricketts Falls & the Named Water
    15

    💧 The Ricketts Falls & the Named Water

    R.B. Ricketts and F.L. Ricketts falls and the lower Glen Leigh drops — the man who named them all, and how nearly every fall carries the name of a Native nation.

    The Ricketts Falls & the Named Water guide →
  16. What the Water Asks of You
    16

    🔥 What the Water Asks of You

    Boone's quiet, respectful safety tale — the wet stone of this glen has taken lives, including hikers who died trying to save a friend from the water; the deepest respect for the glen is boots, the trail, and distance…

    What the Water Asks of You guide →
  17. The Last Falls — Wyandot, Erie & Tuscarora
    17

    💧 The Last Falls — Wyandot, Erie & Tuscarora

    The final falls of Glen Leigh — Wyandot, Erie, and Tuscarora — a last, serious safety word (a fatal fall happened at Tuscarora), the return to Waters Meet, and the farewell with a request for a review.

    The Last Falls — Wyandot, Erie & Tuscarora guide →
  18. Welcome to the Falls Trail — Read This First
    18

    🥾 Welcome to the Falls Trail — Read This First

    The essential welcome and SAFETY briefing at the Route 118 trailhead: sturdy boots, stay on the trail, back from the edges, wet slick rock, do not climb the falls or enter the water — this is DCNR's 'most difficult' t…

Along the way

What you'll see

Tap any landmark for a visitor guide — what it is, where it is, and how to hear its story.

Down Into Glen Leigh — the Steep Side
Down Into Glen Leigh — the Steep Side
Four Years of Steps
Four Years of Steps
From Cemetery Hill to the Quiet Glen
From Cemetery Hill to the Quiet Glen
Ganoga Falls — 94 Feet
Ganoga Falls — 94 Feet
Harrison Wright Falls
Harrison Wright Falls
The First Falls — Murray Reynolds & Sheldon Reynolds
The First Falls — Murray Reynolds & Sheldon Reynolds
The Heart of Glen Leigh — Huron, Shawnee, Ozone
The Heart of Glen Leigh — Huron, Shawnee, Ozone
The Highland Trail — the Ancient Forest
The Highland Trail — the Ancient Forest
The Last Falls — Wyandot, Erie & Tuscarora
The Last Falls — Wyandot, Erie & Tuscarora
The Man Who Couldn't Cut the Trees
The Man Who Couldn't Cut the Trees
The Names on the Water
The Names on the Water
The Ricketts Falls & the Named Water
The Ricketts Falls & the Named Water
The Top of the Climb — Reading the Rock
The Top of the Climb — Reading the Rock
The Trees That Were Here First
The Trees That Were Here First
Up Ganoga Glen — Wedding Cakes and Bridal Veils
Up Ganoga Glen — Wedding Cakes and Bridal Veils
Waters Meet — the Crossroads
Waters Meet — the Crossroads
What the Water Asks of You
What the Water Asks of You
Explore all of Ricketts Glen State Park →
Plan your visit

Good to know

How long is the Ricketts Glen: The Falls Trail tour?
The tour has 18 stops over about 6.6 miles with roughly 36 min of narrated audio. You set the pace — pause, linger, or skip ahead anytime.
Do I need cell signal to use the tour?
No. Download the tour before you go and it works completely offline — the audio plays by GPS even with no bars, which is exactly where most park tours lose signal.
How does a self-guided audio tour work?
You walk the route at your own pace and the Ranger Tales app plays the story for each stop automatically when you arrive, using your phone's location. No tapping, no reading while you walk. Ranger Quinn guides and Ranger Boone tells the campfire tales.
Where does the Ricketts Glen: The Falls Trail tour take place?
Ricketts Glen State Park (Benton, Pennsylvania). Pennsylvania's waterfall wonderland — the Falls Trail threads two glens past 21 named waterfalls, from 94-foot Ganoga Falls down through a hemlock gorge.
How do I get the tour?
Download the free Ranger Tales app from the App Store, then unlock this tour inside the app. The tour downloads to your phone so it's ready offline before you arrive.
Can I cancel or get a refund?
Change of mind? Full refund if you request it within 24 hours of purchase. If a verified technical issue prevents access, contact support within 7 days for a refund or credit. All requests are reviewed at our discretion and refunded to your original payment method.
Buy this tour

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Ricketts Glen: The Falls Trail — in your pocket

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Ricketts Glen: The Falls Trail
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