The scenic Little Falls Trail is a short, easy walk to a beautiful waterfall that is one of the highlights of Promised Land State Park.
The scenic Little Falls trail is a short walk that features multiple rock-shelf cascades and an easily accessible waterfall that is a must-do for Promised Land State Park visitors. The Little Falls Trail begins near Promised Land State Park’s Lower Lake dam spillway and is within easy walking distance of all the Lower Lake campgrounds. There is a connecting trail directly to the Beechwood campground. Parking is also available at the trailhead.
The Little Falls trail follows the East Branch of the Wallenpaupack Creek. There are trails on both sides of the creek that form a loop with a foot bridge just downstream of Little Falls, so you can take either side at wooden bridge near the trailhead.
This is a view of the Lower Lake spillway form the wooden bridge. The dark color of the water is reminiscent of Black Moshannon State Park in Centre County, PA.
The creek flows over a rock bed and much of the trail is flat rock. The trail is muddy in spots, but easily navigable on account of the rock. Below is the first of several scenic cascades over the rectangular rock shelves in a verdant ravine.
There is variety of scenery with sections passing through moss-covered rock under the tree canopy, and other more open grassy areas like the one below.
Here is another cascade where the dark water of the creek flows into a pool within a hemlock stand.
After about four-tenths of a mile through the sylvan beauty you will arrive at Little Falls tumbling over the tiered stair-like rock. The bridge is just beyond the pool. Both sides of the trail and the bridge offer views from various perspectives.
Although the waterfall is the highlight, the Little Falls Trail continues on both sides of the creek and connects with the Big Dam Ridge Trail about 0.3 miles past the bridge. If you continue to follow the creek on the west side you will need to make a wet crossing to connect with the Big Dam Ridge Trail. There is no water crossing required on the east side to connect with the Big Dam Ridge Trail. Otherwise, you can turn around loop back up to the trailhead taking the side of the creek opposite from the way you came to experience the trip from the other bank.
In addition to the verdant scenery, multiple cascades, and the Little Falls, we enjoyed several wildlife encounters as you can see throughout the post.
Join us on the trail in this video.
Overall, the trail was 1.3 miles, including excursions on both sides of the creek past Little Falls. The walk to Little Falls was 0.4 miles one way.
Parking is at: 41.31436, -75.23520.
The Little Falls Trail is a must-do excursion for visitors to Promised Land State Park. The beauty, accessibility, and proximity of the trail to the Lower Lake campgrounds make it very popular, so if you are interested in taking photographs, plan to come early to avoid crowds. Although the trail was rocky and wet in spots, the terrain is flat and easy. There were a number of families out on our trip and even those with small children managed just fine.
If you plan on visiting the area, be sure to see our review of Promised Land State Park and our adventure to the Bruce Lake Natural Area.
Also, be sure to check out our other adventures.
