Lake Jean, Rickets Glen State Park in Northeast Pa.

[lowangle al]

Rickets Glen State Park is a great paddling destination for a quick getaway in Northeast Pa. Lake Jean is 245 acres with a mostly undeveloped shoreline. It's very scenic with lots of wildlife. We even saw and heard a loon, which is rare in Pa.. There is a nice campground with some waterfront sites and they also have some waterfront cabins to rent. The fishing might be pretty good too, but I didn't give it a try. I've been going there since I was old enough to drive but never paddled there. I went to hike the Falls Trail which is a geologic gem, carved out by glaciers. Over the 8.5 miles there are 21 waterfalls with the tallest being 96 feet.

Although it is not a "tripping" destination, if your goal is to paddle in a beautiful place and have a good spot to camp, this one has you covered.
I was up there twice this week, one time we took a hike, the other we paddled. Here are some pictures.

The Falls Trail


Lake Jean

 

[Tryin']

Great looking scenery!

 

[kahel]

Great looking canoe

 

[lowangle al]

I forgot to mention this but this lake really is a canoe destination. When we arrived at the launch the first day we were there there was a guy carrying a canoe down to the water. This was a rare sight for me to see these days. When we got closer I was even more surprised to see that it was a wood canvas boat. The only other boat we saw on the water that day was an aluminum canoe. Both boats were a joy to see out on the water on such a beautiful day.

On the second day we were there we took out on the beach where the rental boats were stored. I was surprised and happy that there were no kayaks, just canoes and row boats. There were also some private canoes stored there.