Season Visited: Spring
Trail Length: 5.9 miles there-and-back
Time to Hike: 4 hours
Difficulty Level: 4
Right before last year's summer solstice I went with some friends to check out the Glen Onoko Falls trail in PA. The trail has a similar feel to the Ricketts Glen Falls Trail but is lesser known and therefore less crowded. Always a plus!
The hike begins in a parking area with these GPS coordinates: 40.883555 -75.760422. The problem with this trail is that it's very difficult to find a map, so I don't have one to show you. If you go you'll just have to have a sense of adventure. My friends and I took a wrong turn a few times on the trail, but eventually found our way to the lovely waterfalls.
The Glen Onoko Trail sign is almost exactly the same as the one at Ricketts Glen.
At the start of the trail the difficulty level is easy. It passes under some railroad tracks and offers some interesting graffiti, as well as a view of a lake.
Didn't think you'd see Batman on this hike, did you?
The trail then takes a short but steep climb up to where the waterfalls begin and turns quite a bit rockier than before. Fortunately, you are rewarded with lovely waterfall views in rapid succession.
On a warm day, it is basically impossible not to take a dip!
Past this fun waterfall (the first "big one") is another, this one much taller than the one before.
The trail goes up and around the waterfall to the right, taking you directly passed the main body of the falls. This is an excellent photo op!
The trail then leads you to the top of the falls. On the way, you will pass a series of interesting cairns and wind around the rocks. At the top is an absolutely amazing view, but beware - you will have to break some rules if you want to see it. At least on the day I went, the view from the top was roped off. It is exceptionally slippery and it's easy to see how one could take a fall - with fatal results. In fact there is a ghost story about the top of this waterfall, rather like a tragic Pocahontas story. The tale goes that a young Native American princess fell in love with a white man who settled in the area. When the love was discovered by her father, he had the man thrown off the top of the waterfall. His daughter, overcome by grief, jumped off to join her lover in death. The daughter's name was Onoko, giving the glen its name: Glen Onoko.
Cairns.
Winding around.
Just beyond the ropes at the top.
A relaxing spot worth breaking the rules for.
Above this waterfall is yet another beautiful cascade, this one surrounded by trees and rhododendron. It seems that with every uphill step you take on this hike you come across another waterfall, until it suddenly ends.
Looking down.
After this last cascade the trail veers right and takes you into a pretty forest filled with undergrowth. It looks like a bear's paradise, and those I was travelling with were far more anxious than I was about the possibility of meeting one. We therefore hiked quickly to the end of the trail, simply staying to the right when presented with a fork. The way down is less interesting, unless you count this millipede as exciting. But I'm pretty sure that's just me.
And that's the trail! Overall, I thought this trail was lovely and would definitely do it again, especially when in the mood for a waterfall swim. My only reservation is that information is hard to come by, and I dislike not having a reliable trail map. But it's (relatively) close to home for me, so I'm sure I'll be back! Keep on wandering, friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment