Ganoga Falls is a two-tier waterfall in Ricketts Glen State Park, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and the tallest of the park's 22 named falls. It measures 89 feet. It sits in Ganoga Glen on the Falls Trail, about 0.4 mile from the Lake Rose trailhead.
The falls
Ganoga Glen Branch of Kitchen Creek first spreads into a 48-foot veil, pauses on a ledge, then drops a final 41 feet as a broad curtain. A May 2018 in-person survey measured 89 feet, slightly lower than the 94 feet in park literature; earlier surveys also listed 94 feet. The creek turns near the top, so the size and shape of the falls change as you move along the trail. The rock is the Huntley Mountain Formation, and the falls lie within the Glens Natural Area, a National Natural Landmark.
Getting there
Ricketts Glen State Park is run by the Pennsylvania DCNR and charges no admission; it's open sunrise to sunset. The Lake Rose trailhead gives the closest access to the waterfalls, 5 to 10 minutes' walk, and Ganoga Falls is about 0.4 mile down Ganoga Glen from there. Other options are Beach Lot 2, 15 to 20 minutes from the Falls Trail, and the PA 118 lot, 1.5 miles below the first waterfall. The park's 3.2-mile loop combines the Highland Trail with the Ganoga Glen and Glen Leigh sides, and the full Falls Trail loop is 7.2 miles. The Falls Trail is rated "most difficult": rocky, slippery and steep.
When to go
The creek drains lakes and marshland on the plateau, so the falls run all year. Flow is lowest from late July through September. The Lake Rose lot fills quickly at peak times. In winter the Falls Trail is closed except to properly equipped ice climbers and hikers, who need crampons, ice axes and rope and must sign in and out at the park office, or register by phone at 570-477-5675 when starting from PA 118.
On site
Hikers should wear sturdy boots, not sneakers, sandals or water shoes, because the wrong footwear leads to serious accidents. Stay on the trail; cutting switchbacks is dangerous and damages the trail. Swimming is allowed only at the park's designated beach, not at the falls.
History and name
The waterfall was once called Bridal Veil Falls before Robert Bruce Ricketts renamed most of the falls in the glens in the 1800s. Senator Charles R. Buckalew suggested "Ganoga," given as a Seneca word for "water on the mountain"; another history instead calls it Cayuga for "place of floating oil."
Nearby
Ganoga Glen holds ten named falls in 1.1 miles. Cayuga Falls, Seneca Falls and Mohican Falls are each about 0.1 mile away, and Mohawk Falls, closest to Lake Rose, is about 0.3 mile.
Distances are straight-line.