Rock Run (Ralston, Pennsylvania) thumbnails only

Leaves pile up at the end of a pool in Rock Run. This small falls can be found by watching north while driving across a small stream on the moutain road that leads through the Rock Run area.

Rock Run, located in Loyalsock State Forest, is considered one of the most beautiful creeks in Pennsylvania. I didn't find much photography-related information about Rock Run, so I am creating this Rock Photo Gallery to help anyone considering a run to Rock Run.
 
For this shot, I was setup in the creek. Rock Run, in this area, runs deep in a very steep valley. This means that the stream itself is often in full shade - perfect for long exposure water motion blurs. This also means that wading in the always very cold (even though the air temperature was near 90 degrees above the valley on this day) creek, over very slippery rocks, is often the best way to navigate this area.

Sunlit trees reflect in the completely shaded Rock Run water. When shooting in the shade, take care to avoid hot spots (directly sunlit areas) in your photo. Reflections can work.
 
If the kids (or you of course) are cold-water-tolerant, there are some great swimming holes in Rock Run - you are looking at a nice one here.

This waterfall is the highlight of the most photogenic Rock Run location I found in my 1 mile creek hike. This hike began at a small Rock Run Road pull-off at .8 miles past the bridge in Ralston (by a great swimming hole). This falls is located about 1 mile upstream from the .8 mile pull-off. Another small Rock Run Road pull-off area is supposed to be located at about 1.8 miles after the bridge - it would be much easier to access this falls from the 1.8 mi parking spot.

Two girls enjoy a great swimming hole in Rock Run, Loyalsock State Forest, Ralston, PA. I of course took the kids along to this very fun photography location. They found the water temperature challenging, but had a very fun time.
 
Shooting kids in rushing water in dim light requires dramatically different camera settings than the landscape shots I was taking.

Look for brightly-lit trees relfecting in water, but avoid hot-spots directly in the frame. This can be challenging at times.

Rock run has lots of loose round rocks and lots of slick rock. And both types are slick. The Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM Lens on a full frame body was a great choice for this trip.

Looking for a waterfall swimming hole in north-central PA? Don't mind cold water? Or just want to photograph the same? Rock Run, near Ralston, might be your spot.
 
The dark valley bottom makes long, water-motion-blurring, shutter speeds easy to get without a neutral density filter. But make sure you have a solid tripod with you.

If you intend to hike along Rock Run, this is what you are up against - lots of round, slippery stones. Good wading shoes are highly recommended. I kept my camera gear cased when moving.

Care must definitely be taken when navigating the Rock Run creek area as forewarned by these cliffs.
 
For scenes with such a high dynamic range, I exposed my shots so that the waterfall highlights were just about blown (pure white). Sometimes a multiple exposure HDR technique is a better solution in these situations, but I found that enough detail remained present in the shadows to make a good image.

The water flows through a slot in the slick rock at Rock Run, Ralston PA.
 
I was in the area, so I had to check out Rock Run in the Loyalsock State Forest. Well, nothing is really in the area of this location, but it doesn't take much of an excuse to pull me to places like this.
 
Prior to this trip, I did not turn up many Rock Run photos, so I thought I would share a few of my pics with you.
 
Overall, it was a good time wading the creek with the family. Not one of us complained about the near-90 degree heat.