For any of you who know us, you must recognize that we enjoy the PA versions of many things. For example, one of our favorite local places to go snowboarding is
Elk Mountain, the "Vermont of PA" and South Street, the "East Village of PA." Well, please add another one to the list:
Bushkill Falls, the Niagara of PA (as each of the huge billboards we passed reminded us while en route).
The Bushkills Falls are located in the Pocono Mountains and includes a network of
8 different waterfalls. Visitors can pay the
$10 entrance fee to get access to the trails and bridges around the falls. There are 3 different trail options, the longest and most rigorous being the "
Red Trail," which is a 2.5 mile course which will afford you a view of each of the waterfalls and provide you with an active and at times strenuous hike. The hike itself isn't too demanding, but the waterfall banks are overbuilt by wooden bridges and steep stairs that can be a bit treacherous if you're not paying attention, especially along the Red Trail course.
Even though, the day was hot (it was 86 with a gajillion percent humidity), the hike was mostly pleasant since the trails are all heavily shaded. The only downside here is that, it was quite crowded. It was Memorial Day, and we did arrive at a peak hour (12:45pm), so we did know to expect crowds and I'm assuming that on a regular weekend day, it wouldn't be that bad. I will say that most of the time, the crowds weren't really an issue. It did get tight trying to pass through some of the more narrow bridges, but it wasn't such a problem that it took away from the overall experience.
Visitors are allowed to bring their own food and drink into the waterfalls area. So we brought plenty of bottled water and packed sandwiches for our day. There are several benches located throughout the trails and we also saw several families stop and sit on the rocks at the lower banks to have their picnic lunches.We wanted to eat by one of the waterfalls so we didn't have anywhere to sit, but it was still very pleasant
The waterfalls and trails are walled off from the rest of the park. So you actually have to pay your fee and walk through a building to enter the falls area. The upside to this is that if waterfalls or hiking aren't your thing, you can always just spend time in the main park area. You can rent paddleboats or play mini-golf, or you can just grab a table under the pavilion and cook delicious foods on one of the many grills.
I had been wanting to see Bushkill Falls for some time and it was definitely worth the trip out there. It's about a 2 hour drive from Philadelphia, but it's a beautiful place - super peaceful, lush and green. Even with the drive, the crowds, and heat, I'd still be down for a return trip.
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