text: ricketts glen state park ricketts glen state park is a pennsylvania state park on 13 , 050 acres ( 5 , 280 ha ) in columbia , luzerne , and sullivan counties in pennsylvania in the united states . ricketts glen is a national natural landmark known for its old - growth forest and 24 named waterfalls along kitchen creek , which flows down the allegheny front escarpment from the allegheny plateau to the ridge - and - valley appalachians . the park is near the borough of benton on pennsylvania route 118 and pennsylvania route 487 , and is in five townships : sugarloaf in columbia county , fairmount and ross in luzerne county , and colley and davidson in sullivan county . ricketts glen 's land was once home to native americans . from 1822 to 1827 , a turnpike was built along the course of pa 487 in what is now the park , where two squatters harvested cherry trees to make bed frames from about 1830 to 1860 . the park 's waterfalls were one of the main attractions for a hotel from 1873 to 1903 ; the park is named for the hotel 's proprietor , r. bruce ricketts , who built the trail along the waterfalls . by the 1890s ricketts owned or controlled over 80 , 000 acres ( 320 km2 ; 120 sq mi ) and made his fortune clearcutting almost all of that land , including much of what is now the park ; however he preserved about 2 , 000 acres ( 810 ha ) of virgin forest in the creek 's three glens . the sawmill was at the village of ricketts , which was mostly north of the park . after his death in 1918 , ricketts ' heirs began selling land to the state for pennsylvania state game lands . plans to make ricketts glen a national park in the 1930s were ended by budget issues and the second world war ; pennsylvania began purchasing the land in 1942 and fully opened ricketts glen state park in 1944 . the benton air force station , a cold war radar installation in the park , operated from 1951 to 1975 and still serves as airport radar for nearby wilkes - barre and as the red rock job corps center . improvements since the creation of the state park include a new dam for the 245 - acre ( 99 ha ) lake jean , the breaching of two other dams ricketts built , trail modifications , and a fire tower . in 1999 hurricane floyd briefly closed the park and downed thousands of trees ; helicopter logging protected the ecosystem while harvesting lumber worth nearly $ 7 million , some of which paid for a new park office in 2001 . the park offers hiking , ten cabins , camping ( one of the two camping areas is on a peninsula in the lake ) , horseback riding , and hunting . lake jean is used for swimming , fishing , canoeing and kayaking . in winter there is cross - country skiing , ice fishing on the lake , and ice climbing on the frozen falls . the glens natural area has eight named waterfalls in glen leigh and ten in ganoga glen , these come together at waters meet ; downstream in ricketts glen there are four to six named waterfalls . the park has four rock formations from the devonian and carboniferous periods , and is home to a wide variety of plants and animals . it was named an important bird area by the pennsylvania audubon society and is an important mammal area too . ricketts glen state park was chosen by the pennsylvania department of conservation and natural resources ( dcnr ) and its bureau of state parks as one of " 25 must - see pennsylvania state parks " . history native americans ricketts glen state park is in pennsylvania , where humans have lived since at least 10000 bc . the first settlers in the state were paleo - indian nomadic hunters known from their stone tools . the hunter - gatherers of the archaic period , which lasted locally from 7000 to 1000 bc , used a greater variety of more sophisticated stone artifacts . the woodland period marked the gradual transition to semi - permanent villages and horticulture , between 1000 bc and 1500 ad . archeological evidence found in the state from this time includes a range of pottery types and styles , burial mounds , pipes , bows and arrows , and ornaments . the park is in the susquehanna river drainage basin , the earliest recorded inhabitants of which were the iroquoian - speaking susquehannocks . they were a matriarchal society that lived in stockaded villages of large longhouses , but their numbers were greatly reduced by disease and warfare with the five nations of the iroquois , and by 1675 they had died out , moved away , or been assimilated into other tribes . after the demise of the susquehannocks , the lands of the susquehanna river valley were under the nominal control of the iroquois , who also lived in longhouses , primarily in what is now the state of new york . the iroquois had a strong confederacy which gave them power beyond their numbers . to fill the void left by the demise of the susquehannocks , the iroquois encouraged displaced tribes from the east to settle in the susquehanna watershed , including the shawnee and lenape ( or delaware ) . the french and indian war ( 1754 – 1763 ) and subsequent colonial expansion encouraged the migration of many native americans westward to the ohio river basin . on november 5 , 1768 , the british acquired land , known in pennsylvania as the new purchase , from the iroquois in the treaty of fort stanwix ; this included what is now ricketts glen state park . after the american revolutionary war , native americans almost entirely left pennsylvania . about 1890 a native american pot , decorated in the style of " the peoples of the susquehanna region " , was found under a rock ledge on kitchen creek by murray reynolds , for whom a waterfall is named . early inhabitants ricketts glen state park is in five townships in three counties . after the 1768 purchase , the land became part of northumberland county , but was soon divided among other counties . most of the park is in luzerne county , which was formed in 1786 from part of northumberland county . within luzerne county , the majority of the park , including all of the waterfalls and most of lake jean , is in fairmount township , which was settled in 1792 and incorporated in 1834 ; the easternmost part of the park is in ross township , which was settled in 1795 and incorporated in 1842 . the northwest part of the park is in sullivan county , which was formed in 1847 from lycoming county ; davidson township was settled by 1808 and incorporated in 1833 , while colley township , which has the park office and part of lake jean , was settled in the early 19th century and incorporated in 1849 . a small part of the southwest part of the park is in sugarloaf township in columbia county ; the township was settled in 1792 and incorporated in 1812 , the next year columbia county was formed from northumberland county . a hunter named robinson was the first inhabitant in the area whose name is known ; around 1800 he had a cabin on the shores of long pond ( now called lake ganoga ) , which is less than 0 . 4 miles ( 0 . 6 km ) northwest of the park . the first development within the park was the construction of the susquehanna and tioga turnpike , which was built from 1822 to 1827 between the pennsylvania communities of berwick in the south and towanda in the north . the turnpike , which pennsylvania route 487 mostly follows through the park , had daily stagecoach service from 1827 to 1851 ; the northbound stagecoach left berwick in the morning and stopped for lunch at the long pond tavern on the lake about noon . the earliest settlers in what became the park were two squatters who built sawmills to make bed frames from cherry trees they cut for lumber . one squatter , jesse dodson , cut trees from around 1830 to 1860 and built a mill and the dam for what became lake rose in 1842 . dodson also built a dam south of mud pond , near what became lake jean ; both dams were on the ganoga glen branch of kitchen creek , and each was used to make a " log splash pond " . the other squatter , named sickler , also built a mill and log dam , at what became lake leigh on the glen leigh branch of kitchen creek . sickler was active from 1838 to about 1860 . in 1865 , a well was drilled at the dodson mill site , after a mr. hadley fraudulently added oil to springs in what became the park . hadley , who had hoped that investors would think petroleum was present , got the wheeler & wilson sewing machine company to invest $ 40 , 000 ( $ 620 , 000 in 2016 ) in his scheme . in the next two years they drilled two wells , one 2 , 100 feet ( 640 m ) deep at the former dodson sawmill at lake rose and the other 1 , 900 feet ( 580 m ) deep near the ricketts mansion . no oil was ever found , and hadley eventually fled to canada . r. bruce ricketts while on a hunting trip on loyalsock creek north of the park in 1850 , brothers elijah and clemuel ricketts were frustrated at having to spend the night on a hotel 's parlor floor . in 1851 or 1853 they bought 5 , 000 acres ( 2 , 000 ha ) , including what is now lake ganoga and some of the park , as their own hunting preserve , and built a stone house on the lake shore by 1852 or 1855 . the stone house served as their lodge and as a tavern ; it was known as " ricketts folly " for its isolated location in the wilderness . clemuel died in 1858 and elijah bought his share of the land and house . the ricketts family was not aware of the glens and their waterfalls until about 1865 , when they were discovered by two guests from the stone house who went fishing and wandered down kitchen creek . elijah 's son robert bruce ricketts , for whom the park is named , joined the union army as a private at the outbreak of the american civil war and rose through the ranks to become a colonel in the artillery . after the war , r. bruce ricketts returned to pennsylvania and in 1869 began purchasing the land around the lake from his father . by 1873 he controlled or owned 66 , 000 acres ( 27 , 000 ha ) , and eventually this grew to more than 80 , 000 acres ( 32 , 000 ha ) , including the glens and waterfalls and most of the park . while the stone house had served as a home and inn since its construction , in 1872 r. bruce ricketts built a three - story wooden addition north of the house . the addition used lumber from a sawmill ricketts and his partners operated from 1872 to 1875 , about 0 . 5 miles ( 0 . 8 km ) southeast of the stone house . the north mountain house hotel opened in 1873 ; ricketts ' brother frank , for whom a waterfall is named , managed it from then until 1898 . many of the hotel 's guests were ricketts ' friends and relations , who arrived after school let out in june and stayed all summer until school resumed in september . in 1876 and 1877 , ricketts ran the first summer school in the united states at his house and hotel ; one of the teachers was joseph rothrock , later known as the " father of forestry " in pennsylvania . the waterfalls and ganoga lake were the hotel 's biggest attractions . by 1875 ricketts had named the tallest waterfall ganoga falls ; he eventually named 22 of the waterfalls . ricketts gave most of them native american names , and named others for relatives and friends . ricketts renamed long pond as ganoga lake in 1881 . the name ganoga was suggested by pennsylvania senator charles r. buckalew ; it is an iroquoian word which buckalew said meant " water on the mountain " in the seneca language . donehoo 's a history of the indian villages and place names in pennsylvania identifies it as a cayuga language word meaning " place of floating oil " and the name of a cayuga village in new york . whatever the meaning , ricketts also named the glen with the tallest waterfall in the park " ganoga " . ricketts ' stone house served as the base for the ozone hiking club of wilkes - barre 's excursions on the mountain ; the club gave its name to ozone waterfall in the park . in 1879 ricketts started the north mountain fishing club , for anglers on the lake and creek . guests of the hotel paid one dollar to fish as a club member . in 1889 ricketts hired matt and five other men to build the trails along the branches of kitchen creek and its waterfalls . it took them four years to complete the trails and stone steps through the glens . one of the highest spots on north mountain ( and in the park today ) was an outlook point where ricketts built a 40 - foot ( 12 m ) wooden observation tower for his guests . after the first tower collapsed , he built a 100 - foot ( 30 m ) replacement , and named the site grand view . from the tower , people could see for 20 miles ( 32 km ) . lumber era for over 20 years , ricketts was " land poor " ; he owed much on the mortgages on his vast land holdings , and there were no good means to transport the estimated 1 , 400 , 000 , 000 board feet ( 3 , 300 , 000 m3 ) of lumber from most of his land to sawmills . large - scale lumber operations of that time floated logs on major streams or used logging railroads , but neither was available to ricketts . his small sawmill near the stone house closed by 1875 , and he was only able to sell two major tracts of land in his lifetime . in 1872 he sold 14 , 000 acres ( 5 , 700 ha ) north of the park to a group of investors that included himself ; this deal seems to have been for shares of stock ( not cash ) , and the deed for the sale was not recorded until 1893 . ricketts sold 13 , 000 acres ( 5 , 300 ha ) along bowman creek , including the easternmost parts of the park , to albert lewis in 1876 ; lewis hoped to build a branch line of the lehigh valley railroad along the creek . in the 1870s and 1880s , ricketts tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to find partners and investors who would help him cut the lumber on his land and build a rail line to it . finally in 1890 , harry clay trexler , j.h. turrell , ricketts , and partners formed the trexler and turrell lumber company and leased 5 , 000 acres ( 2 , 000 ha ) of ricketts ' land near ganoga lake . the company built a sawmill and lumber town named ricketts on creek . the town , which was in both sullivan and wyoming counties , had 800 inhabitants at its peak and extended into the northernmost section of the park . rail lines were built to the mills at ricketts , including the bowman creek branch of the lehigh valley railroad which opened in 1883 , and also provided passenger service to the hotel on lake ganoga . according to petrillo 's ghost towns of north mountain : ricketts , mountain springs , stull : " ricketts was on the verge of financial disaster for two decades until the lehigh valley railroad was constructed through his lands . " trexler and turrell paid ricketts $ 50 , 000 in both 1890 and 1891 , and continued to cut his land and pay him for the timber until 1913 . by 1911 , the main sawmill at ricketts could cut 125 , 000 board feet ( 290 m3 ) a day and was supported by three locomotives with 62 cars on 22 miles ( 35 km ) of track . within the park , the area around what became lake jean was cut in the 1890s , and cherry ridge ( east of red rock job corps center ) and land around lake leigh were the last areas cut by the ricketts mill . timber in the east part of the park and along bowman creek was cut by lewis ' company , which also used logging railroads and even ran track down the allegheny front at phillips creek . lewis ' firm built a splash dam on bowman creek to help float logs downstream in 1891 , then used the lake to cut ice for refrigeration . a second dam and lake were added in 1909 and the icehouses were on state park land ; the ice industry supported the small village and post office of mountain springs . ricketts ran his own ice cutting business on ganoga lake from 1895 to about 1915 . within a decade of the railroad reaching his lands , ricketts was out of the hotel business . the north mountain house hotel was threatened by a forest fire in 1900 ; the subsequent loss of much of the surrounding old - growth forest led to decreased numbers of hotel guests . changing tastes may have also played a role in the decline in popularity ; the hotel had over 150 guests in august 1878 , but only about 70 guests in august 1894 . the wooden addition was torn down in 1897 or 1903 , and " despite profits , ricketts became disenchanted with the hotel business and closed his hotel in 1903 " , though the stone house remained the ricketts family 's summer home . passenger rail service to ganoga lake ended when the hotel closed ; the fishing club closed that year as well , but was re - formed in 1907 . in 1903 another large fire on north mountain threatened the sawmill in the lumber town of ricketts . not all of ricketts ' plans were financially successful ; between 1905 and 1907 he built three dams to generate hydroelectric power within what became the park , forming lake leigh at the site of sickler 's mill , lake rose at the site of dodson 's mill , and lake jean ( which incorporated the natural mud pond ) north of these . lakes leigh and jean were named for ricketts ' daughters , while rose was a ricketts family name . the lake leigh dam was made of concrete and cost $ 165 , 000 ( approximately $ 4 , 190 , 000 in 2016 ) , while the other two dams were log cribs filled with earth and cost a total of $ 300 , 000 ( approximately $ 7 , 619 , 000 in 2016 ) . if the project had been successful , the plan was to rebuild the two log and timber dams in concrete , however , the " dams were poorly constructed and could not be used for hydroelectric purposes " . after the panic of 1907 , ricketts wife told him to stop the hydroelectric project before he lost all of their money ; this prompted him to say " i used to be land poor , but now i 'm dam poor " . modern era in 1913 , ricketts opened the glens and their waterfalls to the public , charging $ 1 for parking . although this fee was unpopular , it remained in place until the land became a state park . after ricketts died in 1918 , the pennsylvania game commission bought 48 , 000 acres ( 19 , 000 ha ) from his heirs , via the central pennsylvania lumber company , between 1920 and 1924 . this became most of pennsylvania state game lands number 13 , west of the park in sullivan county . these sales left the ricketts heirs with over 12 , 000 acres ( 4 , 900 ha ) surrounding ganoga lake , lake jean and the glens area of the park . an area encompassing 22 , 000 acres ( 8 , 900 ha ) was approved as a national park site in 1935 , and the national park service operated a civilian conservation corps camp at " ricketts glynn " ( sic ) . the funding to create a national park at ricketts glen was " sidetracked " in 1936 when the money was redirected to the resettlement administration for " direct relief " . similar projects at french creek , raccoon creek , laurel hill , blue knob , and hickory run were also defunded ( all are now pennsylvania state parks ) . the financial difficulties of the great depression and world war ii brought an end to this plan for development . arthur james , the governor of pennsylvania , signed legislation creating ricketts glen state park on august 1 , 1941 . the commonwealth of pennsylvania bought 1 , 261 acres ( 510 ha ) , including the glens and their waterfalls , from the heirs for $ 82 , 000 on december 31 , 1942 . the new state park opened to the public on august 1 , 1943 ; however , the park 's official history says " recreational facilities first opened in 1944 " . the state bought a total of 16 , 000 acres ( 6 , 500 ha ) more from the heirs in 1945 and 1950 for $ 68 , 000 ; the park today has about 10 , 000 acres ( 4 , 000 ha ) from the ricketts family and about 3 , 000 acres ( 1 , 200 ha ) acquired from others . the state 's original plans for the new park included building an inn , an 18 - hole golf course and country club , and a winter sports complex for skiing , ice boating , and tobogganing , as well as a beach with bathing facilities , cabins , and a tent camping area . only the last three were actually built , all south of lake jean ; the hayfield area north of lake jean was to have had the facilities for golf and tennis , and the inn and winter sports complex were to have been atop cherry ridge , at an elevation of 2 , 461 feet ( 750 m ) . a 1947 newspaper article estimated that the new park would have 50 , 000 visitors that year , and detailed the work the state had done since acquiring the land . the falls trail through the glens was rebuilt , all the stone steps were replaced , and signs were added . out of concern for greater safety , footbridges with handrails replaced those made from hewn logs , overhanging rock ledges were removed in places , and the trail was rerouted near some falls . in the southern end of the new park , the state built the evergreen trail past adams falls , as well as a new parking area for 200 cars and a concession stand , both along pennsylvania route 118 ( pa 118 ) . the state made other improvements in the park , including replacing or removing all of ricketts ' dams . at lake jean it built an earthen dam in 1949 – 1950 to replace ricketts ' 1905 timber dam ; the new dam increased the size of lake jean to 245 acres ( 99 ha ) and its eastern end now included the former mud pond . on april 20 , 1958 , the 1907 concrete dam at lake leigh developed a hole , causing pennsylvania state police to evacuate close to 2 , 000 people from the park . engineers from the state inspected the dam and made a second breach in the dam near ground level , draining the lake . the resulting flow of water destroyed some of the hiking paths in glen leigh and the fish stocked in the lake wound up in kitchen creek . the lake jean dam was repaired in 1956 . the last of ricketts ' dams , at lake rose , was breached in 1959 after remnants of a hurricane filled the lake to capacity . the rest of the 1905 dam was removed in 1969 . at grand view the state built a wooden fire tower at the site of ricketts ' earlier observation tower , then replaced it with a 100 - foot ( 30 m ) steel tower . the tower is usually closed to the public , but may be visited if it is staffed by a forest fire warden . from the tower , three states and eleven pennsylvania counties can be seen . ricketts glen state park was the site of a cold war era radar station . the benton air force station in the north of the park at what is now the red rock job corps center was constructed during 1950 and 1951 . part of the 648th aircraft control and warning squadron based at fort indiantown gap , the radar station was a " frontline defender of national security " . about 300 airmen served at the radar station during the height of the cold war . barracks were constructed and recreational facilities for the airmen were provided . in 1963 the federal aviation administration ( faa ) began jointly operating the radar station ; the 648th squadron was inactivated in 1975 and the job corps center was established in 1978 , using the barracks and recreational facilities as the red rock job corps center . as of 2010 , the radar dome is still fully functional and is used by the faa as an auxiliary radar to the tower at wilkes - barre / scranton international airport . on october 12 , 1969 , the glens natural area and its waterfalls was named a national natural landmark , and it became a pennsylvania state park natural area in 1993 , which guarantees it " will be protected and maintained in a natural state " . in 1987 the park 's ten cabins opened . in 1997 the park was named one of the first 73 important bird areas in the state by the pennsylvania chapter of the national audubon society . that same year heavy rains washed out two bridges on the falls trail ; because of the difficulty of transporting materials on the trail , an army national guard helicopter dropped 36 - foot ( 11 m ) poles into the glens to rebuild the bridges in early 1997 . in the winter of 1997 ice climbing was allowed in the ganoga glen section of the park for the first time . that same year training was undertaken by local fire companies to rescue people injured in the park when icy conditions make reaching and transporting them especially treacherous . in 1998 a project to " repair and improve the falls trail " began , with three park employees carrying materials in on foot to stabilize the trail , fix steps , cut down on erosion , and repair some bridges . originally planned to take four years ; it ended up taking six years to complete and cost nearly $ 1 million . in september 1999 the remnants of hurricane floyd caused massive damage to the park , temporarily closing it and downing thousands of trees . the dcnr hired carson helicopters to salvage timber from the downed beech , cherry , maple , and oak trees for $ 994 , 000 ; a crew of 36 workers spent several months cutting the fallen trees into manageable logs , then helicopters flew the logs to the hayfield area of the park . the salvage operation ran until the fall of 2001 , and yielded 3 , 500 , 000 board feet ( 8 , 300 m3 ) of lumber . the operation had revenue of almost $ 7 million , and had the ecological advantage of not requiring heavy logging equipment or new roads in the park . some of the money from the helicopter logging operation was used for park improvements , including a new $ 1 . 7 million visitor center and park office , which opened in december 2001 . in 2002 the park had " up to a half - million visitors each year " . beginning in 2003 the campsites in the park , by then over 50 years old , were refurbished . in 2004 the park and surrounding pennsylvania state game lands were named an important mammal area , and in july the park was featured as a day trip in the travel section of the new york times . on june 28 , 2006 a 100 - year flood caused widespread damage in the park , washing out many of the recently completed improvements to the hiking trails along kitchen creek . in 2007 the park was one of the first ten parks to be featured in the pennsylvania cable network 's series on the state 's park system . the dcnr has named ricketts glen one of " 25 must - see pennsylvania state parks " , citing its old - growth forest and many waterfalls and its status as a national natural landmark . geology and climate ricketts glen state park covers two different physiographic provinces : the allegheny plateau in the north , and the ridge - and - valley appalachians in the south . the boundary between these is a steep escarpment known as the allegheny front , which rises up to 1 , 200 feet ( 370 m ) above the land to the south . within the park , kitchen creek has its headwaters on the dissected plateau , then drops approximately 1 , 000 feet ( 300 m ) down the allegheny front in 2 . 25 miles ( 3 . 62 km ) . much of this drop occurs in glen leigh and ganoga glen , two narrow valleys carved by branches of kitchen creek , which come together at waters meet . ricketts glen lies south of and downstream from waters meet , and here the terrain becomes less steep . there are 24 named waterfalls in the three glens . the rocks exposed in the park were formed in the devonian and carboniferous periods between 370 and 340 million years ago , when the land was part of the coastline of a shallow sea that covered a great portion of what is now north america . the high mountains to the east of the sea gradually eroded , causing a build - up of sediment made up primarily of clay , sand and gravel . tremendous pressure caused the formation of the sedimentary rocks that are found in the park and in the kitchen creek drainage basin : sandstone , shale , siltstone , and conglomerates . there are four distinct rock formations within ricketts glen state park . the most recent and highest of these is the late mississippian mauch chunk formation , composed of " grayish - red shale , siltstone , sandstone , and some conglomerate " . this forms the highest points on the allegheny plateau and is found north of lake jean , forming the land beneath the red rocks job corps center and cherry ridge to the east . the next formation below this is the mississippian pocono formation , which is buff or gray sandstone with conglomerate and siltstone inclusions . this forms most of the allegheny plateau and underlies the park office , lake jean and the former lakes rose and leigh . the boulders of the midway crevasse , which the highland trail passes through , are pocono formation sandstone . the third of the rock formations within the park is the huntley mountain formation , from the late devonian and early mississippian . this is made of layers of olive green to gray sandstone and gray to red shale . the huntley mountain formation is relatively hard and erosion resistant . it caps the allegheny front and has kept it from eroding as much as the softer catskill formation , to the south . the catskill formation is the lowest and oldest layer in the park , and is composed of red shale and siltstone up to 370 million years old . the allegheny front within the park is named north mountain and red rock mountain , with the latter name coming from an exposed band of huntley formation red shale and sandstone visible along pennsylvania route 487 ( pa 487 ) . geologists and the official ricketts glen state park web page classify the falls at ricketts glen state park into two types . wedding - cake falls descend in a series of small steps . within the park , this type of falls usually flows over thin layers of huntley mountain formation sandstone . in bridal - veil falls , the second type , water falls over a ledge and drops vertically into a plunge pool in the stream bed below . within the park , this type of falls flows over catskill formation rocks or the red shale and sandstone of the huntley formation . in the park , the harder caprock which forms the ledge from which the bridal - veil falls drops is gray sandstone . the softer red shale below is eroded away by water , sand and gravel to form the plunge pool . brown 's book pennsylvania waterfalls : a guide for hikers and photographers uses four types to classify waterfalls : falls , cascade , slide , and chute . about 300 to 250 million years ago , the allegheny plateau , allegheny front , and appalachian mountains all formed in the alleghenian orogeny . this happened long after the sedimentary rocks in the park were deposited , when the part of gondwana that became africa collided with what became north america , forming pangaea . in the years since , up to 5 , 000 feet ( 1 , 500 m ) of rock has been eroded away by streams and weather . at least three major glaciations in the past million years have been the final factor in shaping the land that makes up the park today . the effects of glaciation have made kitchen creek within the park " unique compared to all other nearby streams that flow down the allegheny front " , as it is the only one with an " almost continuous series of waterfalls " . before the last ice age , kitchen creek had a much smaller drainage basin ; during the ice age , glaciers covered all of the park except the grand view outcrop . about 20 , 000 years ago the glaciers retreated to the northeast and glacial lakes formed . drainage from the melting glacier and lakes cut a , or channel , that diverted the headwaters of south branch bowman creek into the glen leigh branch of kitchen creek . glacial deposits of debris 20 to 30 feet ( 6 . 1 to 9 . 1 m ) thick formed a dam blocking water from ganoga lake and what became lake jean from draining into big run , a tributary of fishing creek . the water was instead diverted into the ganoga glen branch of kitchen creek . these diversions added about 7 square miles ( 18 km2 ) to the kitchen creek drainage basin , increasing it by just over 50 percent . the result was increased water flow in kitchen creek , which has been cutting the falls in the glens since . the gradient or slope of kitchen creek was fairly stable for its flow when it had a much smaller drainage basin , as phillips creek to the east still does . kitchen creek is now too steep for its present amount of water flow , and over time erosion will decrease the creek 's slope and make it less steep . there are rocks with glacial striations visible within the park . according to the united states geological survey geographic names information system , ricketts glen state park is at an elevation of 2 , 198 feet ( 670 m ) . the two highest points in the park are cherry ridge , made of mauch chunk formation rock , at 2 , 461 feet ( 750 m ) , and the grand view outcrop of huntley mountain formation sandstone , at 2 , 444 feet ( 745 m ) . the highest elevation waterfall in the park is mohawk falls in ganoga glen at 2 , 165 feet ( 660 m ) ; the lowest elevation waterfall is adams falls , in ricketts glen just south of pa 118 , at 1 , 214 feet ( 370 m ) . weather ricketts glen state park is on the allegheny plateau , which has a continental climate with occasional severe low temperatures in winter and average daily temperature ranges ( the difference between the daily high and low ) of 20 ° f ( 11 ° c ) in winter and 26 ° f ( 14 ° c ) in summer . the park is in the huntington creek watershed , where the mean annual precipitation is 40 to 48 inches ( 1016 to 1219 mm ) . weather records for ricketts glen state park show that the highest recorded temperature at the park was 103 ° f ( 39 ° c ) in 1988 , and the record low was − 17 ° f ( − 27 ° c ) in 1984 . on average , january is the coldest month , july is the hottest month , and june is the wettest month . ecology it has been estimated that before the arrival of william penn and his quaker colonists in 1682 , up to 90 percent of what is now pennsylvania was covered with woods : over 31 , 000 square miles ( 80 , 000 km2 ) of eastern white pine , eastern hemlock , and a mix of hardwoods . by 1890 , ricketts ' land was the largest tract of old - growth forest remaining in the state , and though he made his fortune clearcutting nearly all his land , the forests in the glens of ricketts glen state park were " saved from the lumberman 's axe through the foresight of the ricketts family " . the rough terrain of the glens made it difficult to harvest timber from the area . many of the old - growth trees are believed to be over 500 years old , and ring counts on fallen trees have revealed ages of over 900 years . the forests in and around ricketts glen state park are some of the most extensive in northeastern pennsylvania , and provide habitat for a wide variety of woodland creatures . the swampy areas in the park provide a habitat for plants like black gum , yellow birch , cinnamon fern , sphagnum and various sedges . the old - growth forest in the glens natural area is mostly eastern hemlock , eastern white pine , and oaks , and the park is home to 85 species of shrubs , woody vines , and trees , including seven kinds of conifers . the streams and lakes of ricketts are fisheries for many fish species , although fishing is prohibited in the glens area . in 2009 , 4 . 15 miles ( 6 . 68 km ) of kitchen creek downstream from waters meet and all of phillips creek were classified as class a wild trout waters , defined by the pennsylvania fish and boat commission as " streams which support a population of naturally produced trout of sufficient size and abundance to support a long - term and rewarding sport fishery " . lake jean is home to brook trout , brown trout , brown bullhead , and yellow bullhead . acid rain with a ph near 3 . 0 has altered the ecology of the lakes and region ; in lake jean low ph has decreased the number and quality of insects and plankton at the base of the food chain . fish which are acid tolerant are predominant , including fathead minnows , muskellunge , pumpkinseed , walleye , and yellow perch . predators like chain pickerel and largemouth bass are relatively few in number , and adult fish appear to grow rapidly but breed comparatively poorly . since 1996 , the dcnr has added 11 short tons ( 10 . 0 t ) of powdered lime to the lake each year to make the ph more neutral . glens natural area a registered national natural landmark since 1969 , the glens natural area is the main scenic attraction in the park and covers 2 , 845 acres ( 1 , 151 ha ) . among perhaps 2 , 000 acres ( 810 ha ) of old - growth forest , two branches of kitchen creek cut through the deep gorges of ganoga glen and glen leigh and unite at waters meet ; then flow through ricketts glen . these old trees are commonly up to 100 feet ( 30 m ) tall , with diameters of almost 4 feet ( 1 . 2 m ) . the park has a great variety of trees as it lies at the boundary between the northern and southern types of hardwoods . in 1993 , the state designated the glens natural area a state park natural area , which means that it " will be protected and maintained in a natural state " . no buildings or latrines are allowed in the natural area , and the bridges in it are built with wood , not steel or concrete . a series of trails parallels the branches of kitchen creek as they course down the glens . glen leigh features eight named waterfalls and is south of the former lake leigh . ganoga glen is southeast of the former lake rose and has ten named falls , including the 94 - foot ( 29 m ) ganoga falls , the tallest in the park . the dcnr recognizes three named waterfalls in ricketts glen just south of waters meet , plus adams falls 2 miles ( 3 . 2 km ) farther downstream at pa 118 . adams falls , the southernmost and one of the most scenic in the park , is about 0 . 1 miles ( 160 m ) south of pa 118 , via an easy stroll along a trail from the parking lot . brown 's pennsylvania waterfalls : a guide for hikers and photographers recognizes these 22 named falls plus two more in the park . one is on shingle cabin brook as it enters kitchen creek just south of waters meet ; the other , kitchen creek falls , is directly below the pa 118 highway bridge , which obscures much of the view . there are also several unnamed falls in the park , such as a good - sized unnamed waterfall on a tributary of the ganoga glen branch of kitchen creek , or the " forgotten falls " on the south branch bowman creek . the falls trail includes the trails through the glens , plus the 1 . 2 - mile ( 1 . 9 km ) highland trail , which connects the top ends of ganoga glen and glen leigh to form a 3 . 2 - mile ( 5 . 1 km ) triangular loop , and passes through the " midway crevasse , " a crack in pocono formation rock . all but two of the named waterfalls are either on the triangular loop or 0 . 5 miles ( 0 . 80 km ) south of it . hiking the entire glens area on the falls trail loop , beginning and ending at pa 118 , covers 7 . 2 miles ( 11 . 6 km ) . a shorter hike involves parking at lake rose , near the junction of ganoga glen and the highland trail . mammals ricketts glen state park was named part of an important mammal area because it " support [ s ] critical habitat for a wide range of mammals " ; pennsylvania has 64 wild mammal species . the park has an extensive forest cover of hemlock - filled valleys and hardwood - covered mountains , which makes it a habitat for big woods wildlife . animals such as white - tailed deer , black bear , red and gray squirrels , porcupine , and raccoon are seen fairly regularly . less common creatures include beaver , bobcat , coyote , fisher , mink , muskrat , red fox , and river otter . in addition to mammals , ricketts glen is also known for its wild turkeys , wild flowers , butterflies , dragonflies , and the occasional timber rattlesnake . white - tailed deer became locally extinct on ricketts ' land by 1912 , mirroring the sharp decline in pennsylvania 's deer population from overhunting and loss of habitat in the late 19th and early 20th centuries . the state imported nearly 1 , 200 white - tailed deer from michigan between 1906 and 1925 to re - establish the species throughout pennsylvania , and ricketts brought deer to the area of the park in 1914 . pennsylvania 's deer population rebounded from roughly one thousand in 1905 to roughly one million in 1928 . deer are now one of the most numerous mammals in the park , and their overbrowsing threatens development of trees and plants there . the deer eat most of the saplings and shrubs before they can reach their full size , which reduces the number of low lying plants many birds use for shelter . the white - tailed deer became the official state animal in 1959 . by 2001 , deer populations had increased to the point where it was feared that " pennsylvania is losing its vegetative diversity from deer over - browsing " . other locally extinct mammals in pennsylvania include bison , grey wolf , lynx , marten , moose , mountain lion , and wolverine . beaver and river otter have been successfully reintroduced . in 1995 and 1996 , 39 fishers were released in the state game lands adjoining the park , and breeding populations appear to have been reestablished . the coyote seems to have come to the state in the 1930s . black bear and wild turkey populations were also severely affected by overhunting and loss of habitat ; the recovery of their populations in the 20th century has been " aided by the re - growth of the eastern deciduous forest " . bears prefer a mixed forest of hickory and oak with an understory of shrubs such as blueberry and laurel ; they use patches of coniferous forest for cover during the winter months . important bird area pennsylvania important bird area ( iba ) # 48 , also known as the north mountain iba , encompasses 114 , 978 acres ( 46 , 530 ha ) , including all 13 , 047 acres ( 5 , 280 ha ) of the state park and pennsylvania state game lands numbers 13 , 57 , and 66 . the pennsylvania audubon society designated the iba , which is defined as a globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations . ricketts glen state park is featured in the audubon society 's susquehanna river birding and wildlife trail guide . ornithologists and bird watchers have recorded a total of 75 species at ricketts glen state park and within the iba . several factors contribute to the high total of bird species observed : there is a large area of forest in the park , as well as great habitat diversity . the location of the iba along the allegheny front also contributes to the diverse bird populations . the iba is said to be the " largest extant forest " in northeastern pennsylvania and one of the largest forests in the state of pennsylvania . the north mountain iba has officially been adopted by the north branch bird club and is " well - known " by members of the greater wyoming valley audubon , valley forge audubon , and the pennsylvania society for ornithology . ricketts glen state park provides a breeding habitat for four species of flycatchers and two species of waterthrushes . american bittern nest near the park . bald eagle are frequent visitors to the park , and some ornithologists believe they may be nesting there since adult pairs have been observed with their young . the park is a nesting location for three " rare " birds , including two birds of prey ( the northern goshawk and northern harrier ) , and swainson 's thrush , as well as one " at risk " duck , the green - winged teal . ricketts glen state park has extensive acreage of " interior forest " that is far from open space ; several bird species that are area - sensitive are found within these forests in the park , including the black - throated green warbler , red - eyed vireo , dark - eyed junco and black - capped chickadee . two species of owl , barred and northern saw - whet , inhabit the deep forests . the hemlock forests of the glens are home to the louisiana waterthrush , acadian flycatcher , blackburnian warbler , blue - headed vireo , magnolia warbler , brown creeper , golden - crowned kinglet and winter wren . wood thrush are found in the lower elevations of the park and are replaced within the ecosystem by hermit thrush at the higher elevations . the canada warbler and black - throated blue warbler are on several watchlists , but are common within the park . the canada warbler inhabits blueberry thickets with white - throated sparrow , while the black - throated blue warbler is found in the forests atop the plateau with the least flycatcher . common raven are regularly seen soaring over the forests of the park looking for carrion . canada goose are present in the park and have been classified as a " pest " due to their high numbers and the large amount of fecal waste they leave on the shores of lake jean . ricketts glen 's forests also support populations of nashville and yellow - rumped warblers , yellow - bellied , red - breasted nuthatch , and purple finch . recreation hunting , fishing and boating 10 , 144 acres ( 4 , 105 ha ) of the park are open to hunting and trapping . common game animals include black bear , gray squirrel , ring - necked pheasant , ruffed grouse , wild turkey , and white - tailed deer . the common fur - bearing animals in ricketts glen state park are beaver , bobcat , coyote , mink , muskrat , and raccoon . lake jean is a 245 - acre ( 99 ha ) warm - water fishery that is open to fishing , ice fishing , swimming , and boating . common game fish include panfish , trout and bass . boating is permitted on the lake , which has two boat launches . gasoline - powered boats are prohibited . canoes and other human - powered boats are permitted , as are sail boats and electric - powered vessels . there is a boat rental concession on the lake , which has canoes , kayaks , row boats , and paddle boats available . no fishing is allowed in the glens natural area . cabins , camping , swimming , and picnics ricketts glen state park has 10 modern cabins that are available to rent on a year - round basis . all cabins are furnished with electric heat , two or three bedrooms , living room , kitchen , and bath . cabin renters must bring their own household items such as linens and cookware . one cabin is ada accessible . there are 120 campsites at ricketts glen state park . each campsite has access to washhouses with flush toilets , showers , and laundry tubs . the campsites also have fire rings and picnic tables . there are two camping areas on the shores of lake jean , with one of the campgrounds on a peninsula . there is also an organized group tenting area , which can accommodate six groups of up to 40 persons . the 600 - foot ( 180 m ) beach on lake jean is open from mid - may through mid - september . a concession stand and modern restrooms are at the beach . lifeguards have not been provided since 2008 ; visitors swim at their own risk . picnic areas are at lake jean and the pa 118 access area at the falls loop trail trailhead . charcoal grills are provided for use at the picnic areas . environmental education and trails environmental education specialists lead guided tours of parts of the park from march through november . the walks give school groups , scouting organizations , and other visitors a close and informed look at natural wetlands , old - growth forests , waterfalls , flora and fauna , and geologic formations . other programs are held in the park office , on topics such as safety around wild animals . in summer and fall , park educators lead " ghost town walks " to the ruins of the lumber village of ricketts and to adjoining state game lands . there are 26 miles ( 42 km ) of hiking trails at ricketts glen state park , and a 12 . 5 - mile ( 20 . 1 km ) trail loop is open for horseback riding . the trails range from " easy " hikes like the beach trail along lake jean , to " difficult " hikes such as the falls trail loop , which passes by many of the waterfalls of the park . in 2001 , john young in hike pennsylvania : an atlas of pennsylvania 's greatest hiking adventures wrote of the falls trail : " this is not only the most magnificent hike in the state , but it ranks up there with the top hikes in the east . " in 2003 , backpacker magazine named the park 's falls trail loop one of its 30 favorite day hikes in the contiguous united states . many of the trails in the park are difficult and hikers are urged to use caution , especially on the falls trail , which is steep and often wet and slippery . each year hikers fall in the glens and have to be rescued , which usually takes dozens of volunteers and up to 11 hours because of the remote locations and rugged terrain . as of 2008 , the former concession stand along pa 118 in the southern end of the park was used for storage of rescue equipment . falls trail is a 7 . 2 - mile ( 11 . 6 km ) difficult loop , estimated to take 4 to 5 hours to hike . the january 2009 issue of backpacker magazine named the falls trail loop the best hike in pennsylvania , as part of the magazine 's reader 's choice awards . it boasts a series of wild , free - flowing waterfalls , each cascading though rock - strewn clefts , and passes through a stand of old - growth forest . the park 's website stresses the difficulty of the trail , and the new york times calls it " difficult and potentially dangerous " near the top of glens . the falls trail was " rehabilitated " in 2008 to make the " easier to hike " . the trail is closed during the winter months to hiking , but it is open to ice climbing . the ice climbers must use an ice axe , crampons , and rope . highland trail is a 1 . 2 - mile ( 1 . 9 km ) moderate hiking trail at the top of the falls trail loop . it passes through the midway crevasse , a narrow gap between two large blocks of pocono sandstone conglomerate . ganoga view trail is a 2 . 8 - mile ( 4 . 5 km ) moderate trail named for ganoga falls , the highest waterfall in the park . ganoga view trail is an alternative route to ganoga falls and less difficult than the falls trail . grand view trail is a moderate 1 . 9 - mile ( 3 . 1 km ) trail which reaches an elevation of 2 , 449 feet ( 746 m ) , the highest point on red rock mountain ( which is part of the allegheny front ) . the area is known for its flora , including blooms of mountain laurel in june and rhododendron in july . a is open during the fire season for further viewing . old beaver dam road trail is a 1 . 2 - mile ( 1 . 9 km ) easy loop trail that is accessed from a parking lot on pa 487 or the lake rose parking area . beach trail is an easy 0 . 8 - mile ( 1 . 3 km ) trail that provides access to the lake jean day - use and swimming areas from both camping areas . old bulldozer road trail is a 2 . 9 - mile ( 4 . 7 km ) difficult trail that ascends a bulldozer road that was built during the construction of ricketts glen state park . the trail begins at the parking lot on pa 118 with a short but steep climb and connects with mountain springs trail . the bear walk trail is an easy 1 - mile ( 1 . 6 km ) trail from the cabin area to lake rose that serves as an access to the longer hiking , cross - country , and snowmobiling trails of the park . evergreen trail is a self - guided , 1 - mile ( 1 . 6 km ) ecological trail that passes through a stand of old - growth forest that includes an eastern hemlock that pre - dates the 1492 arrival of christopher columbus . mountain springs trail is a 4 - mile ( 6 . 4 km ) moderate trail that is " off the beaten path " . it passes the remains of the lake leigh dam , the " forgotten falls " and descends the south branch of bowman creek to mountain springs lake , which is owned by the pennsylvania fish and boat commission . cherry run trail is near the lake leigh dam access . it is a 4 . 6 - mile ( 7 . 4 km ) moderate trail that passes through groves of cherry trees on an old logging road . nearby state parks the following state parks are within 30 miles ( 48 km ) of ricketts glen state park : frances slocum state park ( luzerne county ) nescopeck state park ( luzerne county ) worlds end state park ( sullivan county ) map