Greg Falls in October 2015

In Pennsylvania, waterfalls tend to be concentrated in certain areas. The western part of Pennsylvania has a number of waterfalls, though not as many on the eastern side of the state. One location on the western side that has four or five waterfalls located in a relatively small area is Oil Creek State Park. Of those falls, only one or two seem to be relatively easy to access. Some of the others require a bit more navigation to find them.

Of all the falls, Greg Falls might be the easiest to find, though it does require a hike. I found the hike to be relatively straightforward once I got my bearings at the parking lot. Much of the hike is along a paved, flat path. It’s only the final quarter that is uphill, and it’s a relatively gentle uphill climb. For a while, I did wonder whether I was on the right path to the waterfall, but that “worry” was pointless!

Once I did reach Greg Falls, I wasn’t really greeted with a whole lot. Even though it rained some the day before, Greg Falls was at very low flow on this October day. If you want to view Greg Falls at its peak, I’m assuming late spring or early summer is your best choice. And even though the waterfall wasn’t at high flow, visiting the park was very enjoyable.

Directions:

1. From Oil City, head north on PA-8.
2. The entrance to the park will be on the right if you’re heading north. The park entrance was about 4 miles after turning onto PA-8.
3. After turning onto the park entrance (State Park Road), you’re going to drive until you come to an intersection with a stop sign. You will have an option of turning left or right. You want to turn right.
4. After turning right, cross the bridge over Oil Creek (instead of turning left before crossing Oil Creek). Very shortly after crossing the bridge, you’ll find a parking area to your left. (There are also parking areas further ahead.) This parking area was very close to a visitor’s center.
5. From the parking area, you want to start hiking along the paved road (labeled Russell Corners Road).  This will be heading northwest, and you will be walking near the Creek.
6. At some point, Russell Corners Road turns into a dirt road (and I think was blocked from vehicles). You want to take a left to continue on the trail, which I think was paved (but much narrower now).
7. This trail continues along the river, and then will cross over the river. (The bridge over the river leads to some beautiful views.)
8. Approximately 500 feet or so after crossing the bridge, you’ll find a dirt parking area to your left. Walk through this parking area and start walking a bit uphill along Pioneer Road.
9. On your left, you’ll find a trail. This is the trail that leads to Greg Falls. It will be about 0.5 miles to the falls.

You may also be able to find a way to Pioneer Road, and then driving to that dirt parking area and starting the hike there. It would be significantly shorter, but it would involve driving down what looked like a bumpy dirt road. I’m glad I didn’t risk that in my rental car.  

Accessibility: 9/10 (easy)
Height: 15′
Length of Hike: ~4-5 miles round trip

Where in the World is Greg Falls?