On the road
Cori and I took a long weekend to ride the 100 miles from Hellertown, Pa. to Benton, Pa. to hike the falls at Ricketts Glen State Park. We decided to take advantage of the glorious October weather to not only hike but also to visit family in the area near where she grew up. Ricketts Glen is located on 13,000+ acres in Columbia, Luzerne and Sullivan counties and has been a state park since 1944. The falls hike features 22 named waterfalls, the tallest of
Cori and I
which is 94 foot Ganoga Falls. We left home on a cool 50 degree morning but the temps quickly reached the low 70’s in the afternoon. The main road to the park is Route 118 but you can drive to the top of the mountain and hike a loop down and back up. The ride from 118 up to the top of the mountain is a spectacular one with extreme elevation gain, pristine new pavement and gently sweeping curves. We stayed 20 minutes away in the town of
Mattress & Muffin
Benton at the Mattress & Muffin Bed and Breakfast, with friendly hosts and a hot breakfast to fuel us for the day”s hike. There’s a terrific general store on 118 at the turnoff to head up the mountain that provides fresh deli sandwiches, drinks, camping gear and anything else you may need when visiting the park. The ride there and back can be scenic (3+ hours) or fast (2 hours on the Pa. turnpike) but both routes feature a lot of local roads and a chance to view spectacular fall foliage. We thoroughly enjoyed the weekend.
Be safe.
Cori and I