Ricketts Glen State Park is a beautiful park in Pennsylvania that I am only just beginning to explore. The challenge to exploring this park is that it’s most dramatic features are such a draw for me. I love photographing waterfalls. And Ricketts Glen State Park features a trail called the Waterfall Trail. So, most often that is where you will find me if I am at this park.

Ricketts Glen State Park might have the most bang for its buck in regards to waterfalls than any other state park I have been to. And maybe I am directly contradicting myself regarding something else I said in another post. I love photographing waterfalls and I love to write about them and share my experiences. And when I write it is about how I feel in the moment regarding that place. But, At Ricketts Glenn there is a trail that is probably longer than any other park I have been to that features more waterfalls along it than any other park I have been to.

Not only is there a longer trail with more waterfalls at Ricketts Glenn, but I also think there are probably more prominent/substantial/named waterfalls along this one trail than other parks as well. The trail is so long and photographing the waterfalls so plentiful that I usually spend an entire trip just photographing the waterfalls. And there is a whole section of the waterfall trail I have not explored because there aren’t any major falls in it.

I can get so wrapped up in photographing waterfalls. It becomes all consuming. I love to get as many different angles and compositions as I can. Zooming in and out to create different images. And these days that even includes using multiple cameras. It takes up so much of my time and energy on any given visit.

If I want to explore more of this beautiful park I need to plan a visit where I am going to restrict myself from visiting the waterfalls until after I see some of the other natural beauty the park holds. Can I actually do that? So far, the answer is no. That is unless I am forced to do so by no choice of my own.

On my most recent visit to the park I was unable to photograph the waterfalls because the Waterfall Trail was already closed for the season due to the icy conditions that can occur as the temperatures drop that time of year. My hand was forced. I set out to explore more of the park.

One of the other natural features I was aware of at this park was the lake. I made my way over to the lake to photograph it in the early morning light. The lake was frozen. The sun was rising. And the sky was beautiful. I was able to take advantage of the beautiful colors and textures to create some compositions that I really liked.

Walking along the frozen edges of a lake is always interesting. There is so much to see if you just stop and observe closely. Crunchy fragmented ice along the shoreline. I jagged crack running away from you across the surface of the lake. Another crack moving across the lake parallel to the shoreline. There are so many things to look for and incorporate into an image in different ways.

Try to take time when you are visiting a location. Don’t get to drawn in to the more spectacular features like I do. Spend some time appreciating other aspects of a park if you can.

Maybe if I can arrange a multi-day trip to Ricketts Glenn State Park I will have a better shot at convincing myself to explore more of the park than just the waterfalls.

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