Photographing Ricketts Glen State Park: A Field Guide

Ricketts Glen State Park is worth photographing on foot, slowly. The waterfalls are the headline, but the photographs become more interesting when the frame also shows the steep gorge, layered forest, wet rock, and the changing light that makes this trail feel alive.

This is a field note built around my own summer photograph and the choices I would make on a return visit. It is not a promise that every section of trail will be open or easy. Conditions change, and the official park guidance should always make the final call.

What I Notice in This Ricketts Glen Photograph

The first thing I notice is not the size of the waterfall. It is the light. The upper half of the frame is almost glowing, while the rock and water below sit in deeper shadow. That contrast is difficult: expose only for the shaded gorge and the leaves lose detail; expose only for the highlights and the falling water can feel flat.

I like the scene because it shows more than water dropping over a ledge. The dark rock creates weight at the bottom, the canopy gives the image a sense of place, and the bright shaft of light pulls the eye through the middle. It feels like a moment discovered during a walk rather than a waterfall isolated from its surroundings.

Why Ricketts Glen Rewards a Slower Camera

There is a temptation at Ricketts Glen to collect waterfalls: reach one, make a quick frame, and hurry toward the next. I get better photographs when I resist that rhythm. A few minutes spent watching the water reveals patterns in the current, changes in spray, reflections on wet stone, and openings in the trees that were not obvious on arrival.

I would work each promising scene in three ways:

• Wide: include the forest, gorge, and trail context so the waterfall belongs to a landscape.
• Mid-range: use rock layers, branches, or the stream to guide the eye toward the drop.
• Tight: isolate water texture, moss, spray, and the edge where the current changes direction.

A tripod can help when the trail is quiet and there is room to use it without blocking anyone, but it is not a reason to step off trail or set up in a narrow passage. Sometimes the better choice is a faster shutter speed, a stable handheld position, and a clean frame made from a safe viewpoint.

Falls Trail Facts to Check Before You Go

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Ricketts Glen covers 13,193 acres across Luzerne, Sullivan, and Columbia counties. The park identifies 22 named waterfalls, including 94-foot Ganoga Falls, with 21 waterfalls along the Falls Trail in the Glens Natural Area.

The official hiking page lists the full Falls Trail System loop at 7.2 miles and rates it “most difficult.” DCNR also describes a 3.2-mile loop using Highland Trail and the Glen Leigh and Ganoga Glen sides for access to most of the waterfalls. Parking choice changes the approach, so I would download the official park map and Falls Trail guide before leaving reliable cell service.

Trail Safety Comes Before the Photograph

The Falls Trail is steep, rocky, and frequently wet. DCNR advises sturdy boots, enough time to finish before dark, and extra caution on slippery sections. The full trail closes in winter except to properly equipped ice climbers and hikers. Those are not small-print warnings; they should shape the photography plan.

I do not want a photograph badly enough to crowd another hiker, balance on an unstable edge, shortcut a switchback, or damage the vegetation beside the trail. Waterfall spray can make a dry-looking rock slick, and a camera makes it easy to stop watching your feet. I put the camera away for technical sections and take it back out only when I have a stable place to stand.

Leave the Drone Packed at Ricketts Glen

The current Pennsylvania state park drone policy permits recreational drone use only at designated flying sites in six named state parks. Ricketts Glen is not one of them, and drone use is restricted at other Bureau of State Park locations. The practical answer for this visit is simple: photograph from the trail and keep the drone packed.

That limitation does not make the park less photographable. It pushes the work toward the details that define the experience: water folding over dark rock, light catching mist, old trees above the gorge, and the scale revealed by a trail disappearing into the frame.

A Practical Photography Plan

• Carry only the equipment you can manage comfortably on steep, wet terrain.
• Protect the camera from spray and keep a dry cloth accessible.
• Use a shutter speed that serves the scene; water does not always need to become a white blur.
• Watch the brightest leaves and water highlights when the sun breaks through the canopy.
• Make fewer, more deliberate compositions and leave enough time for the return hike.

If waterfall photography is the goal, my waterfall hike camera-kit notes explain the tradeoff between useful equipment and carrying too much. For the broader story behind these trips, see my Falls Here journey.

Sources & Field Notes

• Pennsylvania DCNR: Ricketts Glen State Park overview
• Pennsylvania DCNR: hiking and Falls Trail guidance
• Pennsylvania DCNR: maps and trail guides
• Pennsylvania DCNR: state park drone policy
• Field evidence: Jasper DiSanto’s summer waterfall photograph published with this article.