Ricketts Glen State Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ricketts Glen State Park | |
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| Pennsylvania State Park | |
| National Park (IUCN II) | |
 One of the many waterfalls at Ricketts Glen State Park
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| Named for: Robert Bruce Ricketts | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| Counties | Columbia, Luzerne, Sullivan |
| Location | [1] |
| - coordinates | Coordinates: |
| - elevation | 2,198 ft (670 m) [1] |
| Area | 13,050 acres (5,281.1 ha) [2] |
| Founded | 1942 [2] |
| Managed by | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |
| Nearest city | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania |
  Location of Ricketts Glen State Park in Pennsylvania
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| Website : Ricketts Glen State Park | |
Ricketts Glen State Park is a Pennsylvania State Park on 13,050 acres (52.81 km²) in Sugarloaf Townships in Columbia County, Fairmount and Ross townships in Luzerne County, and Colley and Davidson townships in Sullivan County counties in northeastern Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is near Benton and offers hiking, camping (one of the two camping areas is on a peninsula extending into the lake), horseback riding (horses not provided in the park), hunting, swimming, fishing, canoeing and kayaking on 245-acre (0.99 km²) Lake Jean, as well as cross-country skiing and ice fishing in the Winter.
The park contains the Glens Natural Area, a National Natural Landmark; the Falls Trail passes twenty-four named waterfalls, the highest being 94 feet (28.7 m) Ganoga Falls. Ricketts Glen State Park is one of twenty-one chosen by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Parks for its "Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks" list.[3]
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[edit] History
Robert Bruce Ricketts was a veteran of the American Civil War. Colonel Ricketts at one time owned outright or controlled over 80,000 acres (323.75 km²) of land in this area. His heirs, through the Central Penn Lumber Company, sold 48,000 acres (194.25 km²) to the Pennsylvania Game Commission from 1920-24. This left them with over 12,000 acres (48.56 km²) surrounding the Ganoga Lake, Lake Jean and Glens area.[4]
Ricketts and the other settlers living in the area were not aware of the glens and their many waterfalls until the 1890s. At that time, a house guest of the Ricketts went fishing and wandered down Kitchen Creek, discovering the many waterfalls and the reason why no fish came up the stream.[4]
Although the area was approved as a national park site in the 1930s, World War II brought an end to this plan for development and in 1942 the heirs sold 1,261 acres (5.10 km²), the Falls and Glens area, to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for a state park. Additional purchases eventually brought the park to its present size. Recreational facilities first opened in 1944.[4]
[edit] The Glens Natural Area
The Glens Natural Area, a registered National Natural Landmark since October 12, 1969, is the main scenic attraction in the park. Among giant pines, hemlocks, and oaks, 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. Many of the magnificent trees in this area are over 500 years old, and ring counts on fallen trees have revealed ages as high as 900 years. Diameters of almost 4 feet (1.2 m) are common, and many trees tower to 100 feet (30 m) in height. The area is the meeting ground of the southern and northern hardwood types, creating an extensive variety of trees. In 1993, the Glens Natural Area became a State Park Natural Area and will be protected and maintained in a natural state.[2]
A series of trails, covering a total of 5 miles (8 km) parallels the streams as they course down the Glens. Glen Leigh features eight waterfalls. Ganoga Glen has ten named falls, including the 94-foot (29 m) Ganoga Fall, plus another good-sized unnamed waterfall on a side tributary. Ricketts Glen has three waterfalls just below Waters Meet, and two more 2 miles (3 km) farther downstream at PA route 118. One of these two, Kitchen Creek Fall, is directly below the highway bridge, which obscures much of the view. The farthest downstream, Adams Fall, is one of the most scenic falls in the park, and is just 0.1 miles (0.2 km) south of Pennsylvania Route 118, via an easy stroll along a trail from the parking lot.[2]
The Glen hikes described here also include the 1 mile (1.6 km) Highland Trail, which connects the top ends of Glens Ganoga and Leigh to form a triangle; this trail features the "Midway Crevasse," a formation of large rocks. A map is available at the park office near the lake.[2]
Hiking the entire Glens area beginning and ending at PA 118 yields a 7 miles (11 km) hike that includes the Highland Trail. For a shorter hike, one may park at Lake Rose, near the junction of Ganoga Glen and the Highland Trail. It is possible to see all of the waterfalls except the two near the highway by hiking around the triangular area: Highland Trail / Glen Leigh / Ganoga Glen. The distance around the triangle is 3 miles (5 km). An optional side trip from Waters Meet along the three falls in the top of Ricketts Glen, then back to Waters Meet, adds 0.5 miles (0.8 km).[2]
In addition to the above, for those wishing an easy walk to the largest fall, there is a longer but more gradual side trail that leads from the bridge at the top of Ganoga Glen on a winding path through the woods to a point near 94-foot Ganoga fall. There are other hiking trails along the lake and nearby in the forest, and several more trails pass through more isolated areas of the park.[2]
[edit] Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within 30 miles (48 km) of Ricketts Glen State Park:[5][6][7][8]
- Frances Slocum State Park (Luzerne County)
- Nescopeck State Park (Luzerne County)
- Worlds End State Park (Sullivan County)
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Ricketts Glen State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey (August 2, 1979). Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ricketts Glen State Park. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved on 2005-07-01.
- ^ Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved on 2007-08-08. Note: Despite the title, there are twenty-one parks in the list, with Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks treated as one.
- ^ a b c Ricketts family history and photographs. Robert E. Sweeney. Retrieved on 2005-07-01.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division. 2007 General Highway Map Columbia County Pennsylvania [map], 1:65,000. Retrieved on 2007-07-27. Note: shows Ricketts Glen State Park
- ^ Michels, Chris (1997). "Latitude/Longitude Distance Calculation". Northern Arizona University. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division. 2007 General Highway Map Luzerne County Pennsylvania [map], 1:65,000. Retrieved on 2007-07-27. Note: shows Ricketts Glen State Park
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division. 2007 General Highway Map Sullivan County Pennsylvania [map], 1:65,000. Retrieved on 2007-07-27. Note: shows Ricketts Glen State Park
