The remote Stony Fork Creek in Tioga County, PA is a woodland paradise of swimming holes and a waterfall you can jump from. We’ll show you how to find it.
Stony Fork is an outdoor adventure treasure hidden in a remote ravine between Pine Creek Gorge (a.k.a. the “Pennsylvania Grand Canyon”) and the rural town of Morris in Tioga County. The short 0.3 mile stretch of the Mid State Trail through the scenic ravine features three waterfalls, one of which you can jump from into large swimming hole. To get there take the gravel Stony Fork Road from either the town of Stony Fork in the north or Route 414 in the south.
There are multiple unmarked pull-offs along Stony Fork Road, but no indications of where to find the waterfalls. We parked at a pull-off that can accommodate 2 or 3 vehicles at 41.59206, -77.34879. We followed the orange blazed Mid State Trail west of the road down a steep earth embankment to Stony Creek. There were no waterfalls or swimming holes in sight and no trail. The trick is to cross the creek and pick up the Mid State Trail on the other side. Unless the creek is low and you rock hop, it is a wet crossing.
After crossing, we encountered interesting formation above that appears as if it were a foundation or retaining wall. Heading north on the Mid State Trail we passed through some pleasant young hemlock stands with springy hummus soil. Follow the enticing sound of flowing water to the first of three waterfalls at 41.59326, -77.35100.
The first waterfall consists of an “V” shaped shelf in Stony Fork Creek. Although only a few feet high, it is a scenic spot with multiple veils, and you can walk the shelf right to the cascades. We especially enjoyed the two veils crashing into each other at the corner of the “V”.
The second waterfall is just a few minutes’ walk upstream on the broad, easy trail. This waterfall is a few feet higher than the first, with more pronounced veils. The splash pool is about knee high. Some fellow adventures were enjoying it as a natural cool jacuzzi on the glorious late summer day.
A few more minutes’ walk up the Mid State Trail along Stony Fork, the sounds splashing and plunging signaled that we were near our goal. The Stony Fork waterfall cuts through a large rock shelf with about a 20-foot-high jump into the splash pool on the west side of the waterfall (the same side as the Mid State Trail). The jump is exhilarating. As always, make sure you swim the spot you will be jumping into to make certain that it is safe.
While at the top of the falls, we took time to appreciate the smoothly carved striated channel. What a work of art. Be careful, because the rocks are slippery.
Join us in the video below as we explore the waterfalls of Stony Fork.
Although there are multiple parking spots along the gravel Stony Fork Road, we parked at 41.59206, -77.34879 which led through a magnificent streamside forest landscape on the Mid State Trail. This route also has the advantage of passing by the two smaller waterfalls on the way to the main Stony Fork Waterfall and swimming hole. Be aware that there is a wet crossing on the way. We highly recommend this short hike to an exhilarating waterfall jump and swimming hole.
Pro tip: to maximize your adventure, we recommend camping at nearby Leonard Harrison State Park and bundling your Pennsylvania Grand Canyon visit with these nearby adventures:
Be sure to check out our other adventures.
