USA Pennsylvania Ricketts Glen Mossy Falls Forest Traileasytravelpost
#easytravelpost Ricketts Glen State Park (Luzerne/Sullivan) — the Falls Trail is 7.2 mi loop, 22 named waterfalls, 1,000 ft gain, 4–5 hrs. No PA state park entry fee ever; staffed lots charge $10/vehicle (2026, card at the Lake Jean booth in summer, honor envelope $10 cash off-season). I parked at the Lake Jean upper Falls Trailhead (free in April, $10 in July), drove from Scranton (1 hr), started 7:30 a.m. in May.
The mossy half is the Ganoga Glen section (counterclockwise) where Sphagnum pads the 94-ft Ganoga Falls apron and Thuidium films the hemlock-and-oak at 1,800 ft — the Kitchen Creek gorge holds fog till 10 a.m. The best moss is the north wall of Harrison Wright Falls (second tier, 27 ft) where spray keeps a 2 m emerald mat.
Mistake: I hiked clockwise in August — hit Ganoga Glen at 1 p.m., sun on the apron, moss grey, 22 falls in 90 min of heat, no atmosphere. Counterclockwise at 7:30. Second mistake: I wore sneakers — Kitchen Creek rocks are algae-slick, slipped at Sheldon Reynolds, soaked one leg, 10 min wring. $120 waterproof boots. Third: I arrived off-season expecting card — April booth closed, $10 honor envelope cash-only, had card, parked free and felt cheap.
Buy in Bloomsburg: a $5.50 pork BBQ at the roadside stand, not the $16 park café. Gear: 2.5 L water, $120 boots, $70 shell — gorge drips year-round.
Local rule: no entry fee, $10 lot summer, honor $10 off-season, no drones, stay on the Falls Trail (off-trail = $100 fine in the glen), the mossy apron is not a seat — it's the falls' skin. The moss on Ganoga's apron is the creek's mist-catch — step on cut board.
Opinion: Ricketts Glen is the free-ish 22-fall loop that beats any paid waterfall park, and the mossy Ganoga apron is the 10-min half with zero Adams Falls crowd. Should DCNR add a $2 honour box at the Lake Jean trailhead for glen-board upkeep, or keep the $10 lot? I'd add it. Would you drive 1 hr for a mossy 94-ft waterfall apron?