Benton
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Benton

Benton

Small Pennsylvania borough beside Ricketts Glen, whose Falls Trail links old-growth forest and named waterfalls.

Benton is a small borough in Columbia County, but the real draw is nearby Ricketts Glen State Park, home to one of Pennsylvania's most spectacular hiking trails.

The Falls Trail is a 7-mile loop through old-growth forest that passes more than 20 named waterfalls, the tallest being 94-foot Ganoga Falls. The trail is steep and can be muddy and slippery, so wear proper hiking boots. Allow a full day if you want to stop and take in each waterfall properly. The park also offers camping near Lake Jean and swimming in summer. Ricketts Glen is off Route 487, about 30 miles north of Bloomsburg. The valley to the south is also covered-bridge country — the Stillwater and Jud Christie bridges are easy stops.

Guide

Getting There

Benton is on Route 487 in Columbia County, about 30 miles north of Bloomsburg and 50 miles south of Wilkes-Barre. Ricketts Glen State Park is another six miles up the road, climbing the mountain on a series of switchbacks. The drive from Philadelphia takes about three hours; from New York City, around three and a half.

There is no public transport. You will need a car. Cell coverage is patchy once you leave the borough; download maps in advance.

Guide

Things to Do

Benton itself is a one-stoplight borough. Visitors come for the surrounding country: the cascading waterfalls of Ricketts Glen State Park to the north, and a scattering of nineteenth-century covered bridges in the wooded valleys around Stillwater and Fishing Creek.

Guide

When to Go

Ricketts Glen is good year-round but very different in each season. Late spring (mid-April to early June) is when the falls run at their strongest. Summer is when the swimming and camping are at their best; weekends fill up and the parking lot at Lake Rose can be full by mid-morning. Autumn, particularly the first two weeks of October, is the most spectacular — the maples around Lake Jean and along the Falls Trail turn brilliant orange and red.

Winter offers a different experience: the falls partly freeze and ice climbers come from across the north-east. The Falls Trail is technically still open but is extremely dangerous without proper equipment. Most visitors stick to the plateau trails in winter, on snowshoes or cross-country skis.