Phillips Creek attempted to flow down the valley of Lick Branch prior to the glaciation of the area. However, a mass of till under Pennsylvania Route 118 diverted it over a saddle to the west, causing it to end up in its present course. There is a series of waterfalls at the point where the creek is cutting through the saddle. A portion of the creek is located in a deep and narrow gorge. Shortly after they were created, the gorge and the waterfalls were deepened by Lake Bowman, a nearby glacial lake. Downstream of the saddle, the creek is an "overfit stream", meaning that it is too wide for its valley. For this reason, the gorge is gradually widening. A deep col is located between the creek and the valley of Bowman Creek. The col contains a wide ledge of sandstone at above sea level.
