The Falls Along Ketchum Run

Three Of The Waterfalls Along Ketchum Run

Saturday we hiked the Ketchum Run Trail, and part of the Loyalsock Trail, near the High Knob Overlook.  This is an absolutely gorgeous hike in the fall!  There are 4 waterfalls in a roughly 4 and a half mile round trip hike, but we got there late and could only confidently hike to three of the falls before we we worried about losing daylight on our way out.  We made it out just in time to drive over to the High Knob overlook and see the sunset there.  

It's not an easy hike, but it's not too difficult either.  If you hike regularly, this will be no challenge.  But there are some water crossings (our feet definitely got wet) and there are some narrow edges, a few trees to climb over and around..  It's a hike, not a walk. 

The Parking Area.  Located on the North Side of  High Knob Road.  

The beginning of the walk is a wide old logging road.  But it was WET.   It was not the only part of the hike that was wet - there were several places where we crossed water from small tributaries running down to the creek.  This is a will traveled area, there were lots of rocks and logs stacked in the water areas to make crossings.   In low water, it's probably possible to keep your feet mostly dry.  

The road ends soon, and if there is a good trail here, it's well hidden by fall leaves.  But there's plenty of good places to walk, and you just want to follow the creek - the waterfalls are in the creek.  :-)  Keep the creek on your left on the way down, until you come to a very clearly marked branch off to the Loyalsock Trail.

In other places, the trail seems more obvious.  

Here's a look at some of the reason we wanted to be sure we were out before dark - it could be difficult to see where the trail was, and at times, it was a narrow ledge.  Fine in the daytime, but I would not want to do at dusk.

This is where you turn left - a little more than half a mile in.   There's a marker for campsite 18 on your left, and the tree has trail markings.  DO NOT FOLLOW THE BLUE ARROW.  Go left and follow the creek.  

In less than 1/4 mile (less than 3/4 of a mile from the parking area where we began) we came across our first waterfall.

It's even more beautiful once you walk further down 

It was just so beautiful here.

And the next waterfall  - Ketchum falls - is not much further down the trail.  

Ketchum Falls

Ketchum Falls

Up until now, we saw no one else along our hike.  But a short distance down from Ketchum falls, we connected with the Loyalsock Trail.  There were a several hiking the LT, and a variety of campsites set up in this area.

When the trail takes a sharp left, there's a sign marking the old splash dam location on the creek.  I'm still looking for an old photo of the splash dam.

A splash dam was a temporary wooden dam used to raise the water level in streams to float logs down  to sawmills

Just a little further down the creek, about 1.5 miles from the parking area, you will come to Lee's Falls.  This was the last waterfall we saw on our hike - even though there was one more not too much further along.

Lee's Falls

We read that it's  only a little more than half a mile from Lee's Falls to Rodes Falls, if you take the trail with a ladder, but since it was getting late, we turned around and headed back.  We'll have to come back and do this hike again another day, to see that one too.   It's a beautiful hike, I won't mind doing it again.

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