Hawk Falls, Hickory Run State Park

My friend Mike is a long-distance truck driver. I'd corresponded with him for years, but I'd never met him. So when he found himself a a truck stop in Northeastern PA one weekend I arranged to come up and take him outdoors. Joining us was his little dog Roscoe.

Fortunately we weren't far from Hickory Run State Park, one of the must-see parks in the Commonwealth. Among the trails we hiked was the one and a fraction mile trip to Hawk Falls, a highlight of the park.

The trailhead parking lot is about 100 feet down PA Route 534 from the trail entrance. The trail descends along Hawk Run through woods filled with rhododendron and mountain laurel. About halfway to the falls you will cross Hawk Run on a wooden bridge. The bridge allows some nice photos of the stream.

Mike, the ever agile, preferred a different angle for his cell phone photos.

As for Roscoe, we don't know what he thought. Then again, he's a dog.

The first view of Hawk Falls is from the side, and if you are a good enough scrambler you can go over the rocky slopes and get close up with the cascade. For the rest of us, follow the trail to Mud Run, and then head along the stream through a tunnel of rhododendron to the confluence of Hawk and Mud Runs. There you can see Hawk Falls, and the dead tree that obstructs the view.

I took this photo from the plunge pool, and the water level was over my boot tops. In the future I'll either bring water shoes with me and change on the stream bank, or have dry shoes and socks in the car. That evening after I dropped Mike off I stopped at Walmart and bought socks, and drove home wearing my cycling shoes. (I don't ride clipless, and I don't drive clipless either.)

Mike took a great cell phone photo of me at the falls. Wet feet and some knee soreness from the damp weather, but still, a great time. And again a new experience. During my last trip to Hickory Run I passed on this trail because I was worried about my knees. Not now. And I hope never again.