We visited Rickett’s Glen as part of Big Trip #5 in August 2026. 

J read about Rickett’s Glen on one of the many travel lists we read… and I can’t find the specific list. So let me just tell you that it’s awesome and worth including if you’re mapping out a road trip through central Pennsylvania. The drive to Rickett’s Glen State Park from Paris VA was a half-interstate/half-backroads four hours.

Campground

The state park campground is gorgeous! Half is dog-friendly, so be sure to chose the correct section when you book. We had full hookups, but no cell service, but fortunately our Starlink worked pretty well.

Our site was big, and just down a short path was beautiful Lake Jean, a bird-watching haven.

Hiking

The main draw of Rickett’s Glen is the 7.2-mile Falls Trail. Looking at the map, we decided instead to do a five-mile version that hit 20 of the 21 waterfalls, parking at Lake Rose. We started at 7:30am and had the trail all to ourselves.

The waterfalls are all named: some have indigenous names, and others are named after Mr. Rickett’s (who owned the land the state park is on) friends and family. The largest is Ganoga Falls, at 94 feet.

The trail is dog-friendly, but there are steep sections where it helps if you can take your dog off-leash to get through more easily,

It’s a ridiculously beautiful hike, and not too tough of a climb out of the glen. I don’t think clockwise/counter makes a difference on this hike. It’s fantastic and we loved it.

What a fun stop! After hiking, we drove an easy two hours to Ithaca.