Ricketts Glen State Park Off The Beaten Path

This trail is misleading on 2 counts. Looking at the map, you see the trail and then north, where it connects to the Mountain Springs Trail, there is no name. So, I was thinking it was 2.9 miles back to my car. Nooooo...it's 2.9 miles to the Mountain Spring Trail.

2nd, the trail discription is this: "with its unique name, comes quite and elevation change. Although most of the trail is easy or moderate, a short section just up from the bottom is %very% steep"
SHORT SECTION? More than half of this trail is straight up the side of a mountain. The other part is moderate, but it also seems to double as a creek. I didn't mind the water so much as the slippery mud. Also, on the map, there's an overlook. There definitely should be, you can peak out through the trees and see that you're definitely at the top. However, I saw no such overlook. Elevation change in the first half mile is from 1300' to 2200'. Straight up, too. In PA, that's a remarkable change...
It's very pretty, though...I was the ONLY one on the trail (yeah, yeah...you're not supposed to hike alone...) other than wild turkeys, pheasants, deer, chipmunks and snakes.

You can't really tell, but the picture is where the moderate part begins. Still uphill, but not as steep...