12 Best Poconos Parks – Complete Gude!

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Best Poconos Parks! The Poconos are 2,400 square miles that are located in northeastern Pennsylvania, next to the Delaware River, and border the Lehigh and Wyoming Valleys as well as Lake Wallenpaupack.

Millions of East Coast residents can easily reach the Poconos in less than two hours by car, making them one of the most popular outdoor recreational destinations for urbanites on the American East Coast. This is because a large portion of the range is contained within the larger New York-Newark combined statistical region.

There are nine state parks and two national parks in the area, the majority of which are either adjacent to one another or within a 30-mile radius of one another.

There are several outdoor activities available, such as cross-country skiing, overnight backcountry camping, hiking, and fishing.

Best Poconos Parks

1. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

The 70,000 acres that make up the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area stretch from Milford, Pennsylvania, to the Delaware Water Gap in New Jersey along the Delaware River. After catastrophic flooding along the Delaware River on Tocks Island in 1955, a projected dam project led to the development of the recreation area. Despite the dam project’s cancellation owing to environmental and residential opposition, the project’s designated grounds were transferred to the National Park Service, which resulted in the Recreation Area’s establishment in 1978. These days, it provides a vast array of outdoor recreational options, such as places where state licenses are required for hunting and fishing. Hiking, biking, swimming, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, and canoeing are some more well-liked pastimes. Throughout the recreation area, a variety of historic sites are also on display, including important archeological sites related to indigenous people and Dutch colonization.

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, 570-426-2452, 1978 River Road, Bushkill, PA 18324

2. Big Pocono State Park

Over 1,305 acres in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, at the summit of Camelback Mountain, makeup Big Pocono State Park. It is overseen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation, the Natural Resources, and Camelback Ski Corporation. After the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters purchased the game lands, the park was first leased by the Camelback Ski Corporation for development as a ski resort. In 1954, the site was made public as a state park. The 1908 Henry S. Cattell Cabin, maintained as a historic monument today, was once home to a nature museum and is located in the park. There are three miles of horseback riding routes close to the park’s western gate, in addition to seven miles of hiking paths spread across the park. With 33 courses spread across two terrain parks, the park’s Camelback Ski Area is home to the largest skiing and snowboarding resort in the Poconos. From May through October, summit dining is available at the Camelback Restaurant.

Big Pocono State Park, Tannersville, PA 18372, 980 Camelback Road

3. Delaware State Forest

Delaware State Forest is a state forest covering 83,519 acres, mostly in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, with smaller areas in the counties of Carbon, Northampton, and Pike. The forest, which bears the name of the Delaware River, was first established as a conservation area in the late 1800s and was given official protection in 1897 when the State Forest system was put into place. Numerous native plant and animal species are preserved in the ecosystems of mixed oak and northern hardwood forests, where locations like Saventine Creek and East Spring provide excellent hunting and fishing possibilities. The forest has over 200 miles of trails, one of which is the 26-mile Thunder Swamp Trail System. There are hundreds of miles of picturesque automobile routes, as well as 28 kilometers of ATV and snowboarding paths. There are several locations around the forest where backcountry camping is permitted.

4. Beltzville State Park, Poconos

Located in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, Beltzville State Park, Poconos has around 3,000 acres and is centered around the 951-acre artificial reservoir known as Beltzville Lake. After the surrounding hamlet of Big Creek Valley was evacuated and the US Army Corps of Engineers built the Beltzville Dam, the park was officially opened to the public in 1972. With almost 20 miles of shoreline around the lake, the park is now a well-liked spot for smallmouth, largemouth, and striped bass, trout, walleye, and perch fishing. Pohopoco Creek provides fishing as well, and game hunting is allowed in a few locations of the park. There is a public swimming beach open from May to September, and there are 15 miles of hiking and biking paths spread across the park.

Lehighton, Pennsylvania 18235; phone: 610-377-0045; 2950 Pohopoco Dr.

5. Gouldsboro State Park

Stretching across 2,880 acres in the counties of Monroe and Wayne in Pennsylvania, Gouldsboro State Park shares a boundary with Tobyhanna State Park and the Pennsylvania State Game Lands via Pennsylvania Route 507. The park has the name of Jay Gould, a railroader from the Industrial Revolution era who owned railroad routes in the area toward the close of the 1800s. It is centered on the 250-acre artificial reservoir known as Gouldsboro Lake, where boating, fishing, and ice fishing are all possible. There is a lakeside swimming area with a public beach that is available from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Possession of a game permit allows access to all areas of the park for hunting, including deer, turkey, bear, and rabbit. Numerous hiking and bike paths are available for visitors, such as the challenging 5.8-mile Prospect Rock Trail and the multipurpose 1.25-mile Old Route 611 Trail. At the park’s border with Tobyhanna State Park, there are excursion railroad rides provided by the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad Company.

Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania 18424; Pennsylvania 435; 570-894-8336

6. Hickory Run State Park, Poconos

Located in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, Hickory Run State Park has approximately 16,000 acres and can be reached via Interstates 80 and 476. One of Pennsylvania’s must-see state parks, the park is most known for its sizable boulder field in the northeast corner, which is thought to have formed by glacial processes and spans more than 720,000 square feet. It is the largest field of its kind in the Appalachian region. The 3.5-mile Boulder Field Trail leads there, passing by gray-red Catskill Formation sandstone boulders. Summertime beach bathing at Sand Spring Lake and hunting in certain parts of the park and adjacent state game properties are two examples of outdoor recreational activities. Ice skating is a common winter activity when Sand Spring Lake freezes over.

White Haven, PA 18661; 3613 PA-534; 570-443-0400

7. Lehigh Gorge State Park

Covering 4,548 acres in Carbon and Luzerne Counties in Pennsylvania, Lehigh Gorge State Park is located near the Lehigh River and the Lehigh Gorge. The Lehigh River provides Class III conditions for white water rafting at the park during the spring, which is made possible by the pressure of water released from the Francis E. Walter Dam. This is the park’s most well-known use. There are access points to the park at White Haven, Rockport, and Glen Onoko. During the summer, there are chances for bicycling, hunting, fishing, and observing wildlife. Included on the 165-mile D&L Trail, the 26-mile Lehigh Gorge Trail is a multi-use trail that provides hiking and riding opportunities all year round. In the winter, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling are two of the most popular park activities.

570-443-0400, S. Lehigh Gorge Dr., Weatherly, PA 18255

8. Mountain View Park

Along Sullivan Trail in Tannersville, Pennsylvania, sits Mountain View Park, a public park in Monroe County. The park is accessible from April to late November, with weekend use only allowed after Labor Day. It was first made public in 1978. With three baseball fields, two basketball courts, a batting cage facility, and courts for soccer, tennis, and volleyball, the park is a well-liked location for recreational sports in the area. Along with four pavilions for picnics and group outings that allow access to electricity outlets and barbecue grills with reservations, the park also offers a range of nature walks. The Crossing Abilities All-Inclusive Playground, which debuted in the summer of 2014 and offers recreation possibilities for kids of all abilities and mobility levels, is also located within the park.

Tannersville, Pennsylvania 18372, 104 Mount View Park Road; phone: 570-629-7324

9. Promised Land State Park

At an elevation of 1,800 feet in the Poconos, Promised Land State Park is a 3,000-acre park situated in Pike County, Pennsylvania, close to the Delaware State Forest. Situated on formerly hunted Lenape indigenous tribe lands that were densely forested in the 18th and 19th centuries, the park was created by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and repopulated after the lands were sold to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1902. Showcasing exhibits on the CCC’s work in the area, the Masker Museum, Bear Wallow Cabins, and Whittaker Lodge are among the park’s historic sites that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Areas of second-growth maple, beech, oak, and hemlock forests support a diversity of habitats and are home to native species including Blackburnian warblers, red-breasted nuthatches, wood frogs, and wild turkeys. There’s a wildlife observation tower near Lower Lake where you may see bald eagle nests as they form new ones. Hiking, swimming, boating, horseback riding, fishing, and overnight camping are among the year-round outdoor activities.

Greentown, Pennsylvania 18426, 100 Lower Lake Road; phone: 570-676-3428

10. Prompton State Park

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources created the 2,000-acre Prompton State Park in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, in 1962. Despite being formally maintained by the state, the park is classified as an undeveloped park site, which means that the Friends of Prompton State Park nonprofit group is currently in charge of its management and that the DCNR is not actively managing it at this time. Though some parts of the park are only accessible during the day, it is generally accessible to the public seven days a week from dawn to dark. The US Army Corps of Engineers is in charge of the 290-acre Prompton Lake, where boat launch facilities are available. There are 26 miles of hiking paths close to the lake, as well as picnic areas and restrooms. Several locations across the park also allow overnight camping.

Prompton, Pennsylvania 18742; phone: 570-945-3239

11. Thomas Darling Preserve

Over 2,500 acres of protected spruce forest and glacial wetlands habitats make up the Thomas Darling Preserve, which has been under the care of the Nature Conservancy since 1990. The preserve, which is accessible to the public seven days a week from dawn to sunset, is named in honor of the naturalist and Wilkes-Barre native Thomas Darling, Jr. Sheepberries, sheep, and bog laurel bloom throughout the preserve in the spring and summer, and cotton grass, wildflowers, blueberries, and sphagnum moss are abundant in the autumn. Visitors can see and explore the area, which is home to a diverse range of native and migrating birds, black bears, coyotes, snowshoe hares, and beavers. There are maintained hiking routes and a boardwalk for use by visitors throughout the preserve.

Pocono Lake, Pennsylvania 18347; 570-643-7922

12. Tobyhanna State Park, Poconos

Created on lands connected to the Tobyhanna Army Depot for artillery training, 5,440 acres of Pennsylvania’s Monroe and Wayne Counties make up Tobyhanna State Park. The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad Company, which runs a rail line that divides the park from Gouldsboro State Park and provides excursion train rides for visitors to the area, operates the line. It is the location of the 270-acre Tobyhanna Lake, where summertime boating and canoeing are popular activities. There is also a public swimming beach that is available from May to September from dawn to sunset, however, guests should be aware that there are no lifeguards on duty at this location. A 3.1-mile hiking track around the lake and a 3.2-mile trail connecting the park to Gouldsboro State Park are among the visitor trails. Several locations in the park, including group campsites, allow overnight camping. The park is a popular place to go snowmobiling, ice skating, and ice fishing in the winter.

570-894-8336, 114 Campground Road, Tobyhanna, PA 18466

13. Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River

The Upper Delaware Picturesque and Recreational River is a 73.4-mile picturesque river segment that spans more than 55,000 acres and is managed as a National Park Service unit between the New York cities of Hancock and Sparrowbush. The park was created to save stretches of the Delaware River as well as the historic Delaware and Hudson Canal, which was used between 1828 and 1898 to transport anthracite coal and other mining goods from the Appalachian region to the major East Coast cities. Within the unit are sections of the canal that have been conserved as a National Historic Landmark, including an aqueduct that was created by John A. Roebling, the builder of the Brooklyn Bridge. More than 250,000 people visit the park each year for tourism at the Zane Grey Museum and outdoor leisure possibilities.

570-729-7134, 274 River Road, Beach Lake, PA 18405

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