Where in the world is Worlds End State Park?

On my (Polly 12) last adventure I hopped around Ricketts Glenn State Park that is located about 30 minutes north of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. To continue my hiking adventure, we traveled about another 30 minutes north of Rickets Glenn to arrive at Worlds End State Park in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. This is another Pennsylvania State Park that is known for hiking trails, camping, fishing and the geologic formations. It is in a narrow S-shaped valley of the Loyalsock Creek. Seven mountain ranges converge at this one point and one does get the sensation that you are at the ultimate ends of the earth.

 

There are over 20 miles of hiking trails at the park however most of the trails are rocky and very steep. There are numerous length of trails to choose from so as long as you are in decent hiking shape, you will find plenty to do. Like at Ricketts Glenn, there are not any hotels close by. The park does offer camping sites and cabin rentals. There is a snack bar open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but you should plan to bring everything you need.

 

On our trip we hiked two of the trails. The first was the High Rock Tail. This 1 mile long trail along the western half of the park is steep. An elevation gain of several hundred feet is made as the trail crosses the intermittent High Rock Run and climbs upward through a maze of lichen-encrusted rocks and boulders to reach High Rock Vista. The trail descends through mountain laurel and hardwoods back to the park entrance. As soon as we started on the trail, Kristi found a huge leaf over 1′ long. So we picked it up and carried it along the entire trail. The leaf made it back to the car unharmed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Ricketts Glenn there were a lot of waterfalls, and we managed to find a few more here. While these falls were not very big or named, we still had a good time taking photographs. If you look closely at the photo on the left, you can see how the water carved a deep notch into the solid rock. The power of water is amazing.

 

 

After we got back to the car we went over to the Canyon Vista Trail. This trail explores the eastern half of the park and has a spectacular view of the Loyalsock Creek gorge from its vista, which is an elevation of 1750 feet. Be sure to visit the Rock Garden at the top of the trail. This area is a blocky maze of giant slabs of rock.

 

Our main goal was to hit Ricketts Glenn State Park and Worlds End State Park at the height of the fall foliage. While these two parks are only about 30 miles apart, the fall foliage was very different. While the middle of October was great at Ricketts Glenn, it was about two weeks too late at Worlds End. Due to the elevation of the mountain and the strong wind, most of the fall foliage was already gone. But we made the most of it and will go back again next year.

If you visit the area, you have to make a stop at the Forksville General Store just a few minutes from the park. This is an old time, small general store that also serves food…great food. This is one of those out of the way places that surprises you…..plus their sweatshirt sayings are great. Adjacent to the store is a great covered bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the trip, we decided to take a group photo against the fall foliage at the base of the mountain. Even though it looks fake, we can attest it is not.

So if you are up for some adventure, be sure to travel to Central Pennsylvania and visit the state parks. No matter what you are into, you will find it here.

 

Till next time,

 

Polly 12

Tags: Polly 12