Ganoga Falls, Ricketts Glen
Endless Mountains, Pennsylvania · 1,939 ft
A 94-foot curtain of water drops through a hemlock ravine where sugar maple and yellow birch lean over Kitchen Creek. Wet shale and constant spray keep the rock dark, so leaf color reads strongest under flat cloud cover.
Typical peak
Oct 6 – Oct 14
Long range. Treat as a planning estimate only.
Best light
Best under flat overcast
Classic view faces NNW (345°)
Crowds
high
Busy through peak. Be parked before sunrise or expect to walk in.
Getting there
Enter on PA 487, park at the Lake Rose lot past the dam, and walk about a mile down the Ganoga Glen side of the Falls Trail.
What turns here
- eastern hemlock
- sugar maple
- yellow birch
- american beech
Color progression
Typical peak Oct 10Typical color progression for Ganoga Falls, Ricketts Glen. No change from Sep 2 to Sep 19. First color from Sep 19 to Sep 28. Approaching peak from Sep 28 to Oct 6. Peak from Oct 6 to Oct 14. Past peak from Oct 14 to Oct 24. Bare from Oct 24 to Nov 7.
Color starts around Sep 19.
Light at peak
Ganoga Falls, Ricketts Glen on October 10, the day it typically peaks. Knowing when color arrives is one thing. Knowing where the sun will be is another.
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| First light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 6:43 AM |
| Sunrise Rises E · 98° | 7:11 AM |
| Morning golden hour ends 37 min of low, warm light | 7:48 AM |
| Solar noon Highest sun, flattest light | 12:52 PM |
| Evening golden hour starts 37 min before sunset | 5:55 PM |
| Sunset Sets W · 262° | 6:33 PM |
| Last light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 7:00 PM |
Times in America/New York · day length 11h 22m · computed from NOAA solar equations
Which way to point the camera
Both ends of the day: side-lit
Side light. Best for texture and depth across a ridge, and the safest bet for contrast.
Based on the classic composition here facing NNW (345°).
Shooting conditions
Glassy water, wind blur, and what the cloud will do to your light.
Recent reports
What people actually saw here. Been recently? Add yours.