The Glens Natural Area, is the main scenic attraction in the park. Among giant pines, hemlocks, and oaks, two branches of Kitchen Creek cut through the deep gorges of Ganoga Glen and Glen Leigh and unite at "Waters Meet"; then flow through Ricketts Glen. Many of the magnificent trees in this area are over 500 years old, and ring counts on fallen trees have revealed ages as high as 900 years. Diameters of almost four feet are common, and many trees tower to 100 feet in height. The area is the meeting ground of the southern and northern hardwood types, creating an extensive variety of trees. In 1993, the Glens Natural Area became a State Park Natural Area and will be protected and maintained in a natural state.

A series of trails, covering a total of five miles, parallels the streams as they course down the Glens. Glen Leigh features eight waterfalls. Ganoga Glen has ten named falls including 94 foot Ganoga Fall, plus another good-sized unnamed one on a side tributary. Ricketts Glen has three waterfalls just below Waters Meet, and two more two miles farther downstream at PA route 118. (One of these two is directly below the highway bridge, which obscures much of the view. The farthest downstream, Adams Fall, an especially pretty waterfall, is 1/10 mile south of the highway along a short trail from the parking lot just west of Kitchen Creek.)

The Glen hikes described here also include the one-mile Highland Trail, which connects the top ends of Glens Ganoga and Leigh to form a triangle; this trail features the "Midway Crevasse," a formation of large rocks. A map is available at the park office near the lake.

Hiking the entire Glens area beginning and ending at PA 118 yields a seven-mile hike that includes the Highland Trail.

For a shorter hike, one may park at Lake Rose, near the junction of Ganoga Glen and the Highland Trail. It is possible to see all of the waterfalls except the two near the highway by hiking around the triangular area: Highland Trail / Glen Leigh / Ganoga Glen. The distance around the triangle is three miles. An optional side trip from Waters Meet along the three falls in the top of Ricketts Glen, then back to Waters Meet, adds half a mile.

Visiting Adams Fall, 1/10 mile (150 m) south of PA 118 (next to the parking lot west of the creek, across the road from the trail through the glens) is highly recommended as it is one of the most scenic falls in the park. (Enroute to and from Adams Fall, yet another fall can be seen underneath the highway bridge.) This area is accessible via an easy stroll.

In addition to the above, for those wishing an easy walk to the largest fall, there is a longer but more gradual side trail that leads from the bridge at the top of Ganoga Glen on a winding path through the woods to a point near 94-foot Ganoga Fall.

There are other hiking trails along the lake and nearby in the forest, and several more trails pass through more isolated areas of the park.

Like all Pennsylvania state parks, Ricketts Glen charges no admission fee.